Madonna has reportedly been dropped from the rotation of BBC Radio 1, which is targeted primarily at the 15-29 age group.
Reportedly, the Material Girl’s material, such as her latest single “Living For Love” from her new album Rebel Heart , has aged out of the station’s demographic.
Prior to this development, Madge had notched 13 number one hits in the U.K. since 1985. Radio 1 apparently has played the new single a grand total of one time.
About the current alleged absence of Madonna, 56, from the station’s airwaves, a Radio 1 insider told London’s the Daily Mail the following.
“At the end of the day it’s all about relevance. It’s natural that as an artist gets older their audience goes elsewhere and Radio 1 has to reflect that. The station has a duty to meet the needs of younger listeners. I don’t think the audience is losing sleep that it is not playing Madonna in the same way that it used to.”
A Radio 1 spokesman, however, denied that the Queen of Pop has been deposed, i.e., banned from the station.
“Tracks are chosen on musical merit, and while around 40 per cent of the country’s 15 to 29-year-olds tune into Radio 1 each week, an artist’s age is never a factor.”
Although Paul McCartney is a spry 72, his latest track “Only One” stands to get considerable airtime on Radio 1 in the U.K. apparently because it represents a collaboration with Kanye West and Rihanna.
Madonna’s “Living for Love” effort is being played on BBC Radio 2, however, which is programmed for an older audience (35-plus). The full album is due out in March.
The pop icon’s PR people have so far made no comment on the Radio 1 airtime issue.
Last month, Madonna got herself into a controversy after tweeting altered photos of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and other notables as part of the Rebel Heart promotion. She subsequently apologized on Facebook, explaining among other things that she wasn’t comparing herself to anyone.
Madonna recently offered a less-than-flattering review of the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey . Joining others who have deemed the movie based on the best-seller dull and boring, she called it “not very sexy” and made for “someone who has never had sex before.”
The edgy artist also created a buzz on the 2015 Grammy Awards red carpet last week for showing off a considerable amount of cleavage in a skimpy outfit.
Regardless of whether she will again receive airtime on Radio 1, in general, do you think Madonna and her music are still relevant to a younger audience or has the Queen of Pop lost her throne?
[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]
Queen Of Pop @Madonna on @TheGRAMMYs RED CARPET!!! #FLAWLESS pic.twitter.com/ftQn6JODe6
— |M|| MDNA MAFiA ||M| (@MDNAMafia) February 8, 2015