Madonna will soon release 'Confessions II,' a sequel to her 2005 project 'Confessions on a Dancefloor'
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Sabrina-Carpenter-Madonna-Coachella-041826-fbee83a90eb64adcb0f20eb1783fcb97.jpg "Sabrina Carpenter and Madonna, live from Coachella")
Credit: Coachella/Youtube
NEED TO KNOW
- Madonna returned to the Coachella stage for the first time in more than a decade
- The singer made a surprise appearance during Sabrina Carpenter’s weekend 2 headlining set
- The pair performed Madonna hits “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer,” as well as “I Feel So Free,” the lead single from Madonna’s upcoming Confessions II album
Madonna made her triumphant return to Coachella during Sabrina Carpenter's headlining set.
On Friday, April 17, Madonna, 67, appeared as a surprise guest, rising from the stage during Carpenter's "Juno" transition, before the pair performed Madonna hits "Vogue" and "Like a Prayer."
They then sang "I Feel So Free," the lead single from Madonna's upcoming Confessions II album, a sequel to her hit 2005 project Confessions on a Dancefloor.
Credit: Coachella/Youtube
“So, 20 years ago today, I performed at Coachella. I was in the dance tent, and it was the first time I performed ‘Confessions on a Dance Floor’ part one in America," Madonna said. "It was such a thrill, and it’s a thrill to be back. It’s a full circle moment, you know? [It's] very meaningful for me.”
Madonna last performed at Coachella in 2015, when she appeared during Drake’s headlining set.
During her performance with Madonna, Carpenter, 26, wore a white strapless bodysuit with a bow-tie detail at the chest and embellished lace, which she paired with drop earrings and white Mary Jane pumps.
Madonna, meanwhile, wore a purple corset and lace-trimmed camisole with matching gloves and stockings that she paired with knee-high lace boots and aviator shades.
At one point during the performance, Madonna snuck in a joke about Carpenter's height, highlighting how the performance was with someone “shorter” than her.
Credit: Coachella/Youtube
The surprise duet took place after Carpenter paid tribute to the "Ray of Light" singer by wearing a vintage Bob Mackie gown Madonna previously wore at the 1991 Oscars to the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.
On April 10, Carpenter made her headlining debut at Coachella, two years after she performed there for the first time.
That night, she performed several songs from her latest studio albums, Man's Best Friend and Short 'n Sweet — and featured several celebrity cameos.
A short film that opened the set featured Sam Elliott, while Will Ferrell later made a cameo as an electrician. Samuel L. Jackson’s voice was a spiritual guide, and Susan Sarandon also played an older version of Carpenter during an interlude.
This time around, Terry Crews made a cameo, as did Geena Davis, who performed a mid-show monologue as an older “Aunt Sabrina,” succeeding last weekend’s special guest, Susan Sarandon, who did the same.
Credit: Coachella/Youtube
The "Manchild" singer also went viral that evening after she misinterpreted a fan’s cultural cry for a yodel. Carpenter was preparing to introduce her track “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” when she acknowledged the fan.
“I think I heard someone yodel. Is that what you’re doing?” she asked, before adding, "I don’t like it." An audience member then explained, “It’s a call! It’s a call of celebration!” to which Carpenter asked, “Is this Burning Man? What’s going on? This is weird.”
According to nonprofit Arab America, the traditional cry is “a form of a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound representing trills of joy."
In an April 11 X post, Carpenter addressed the situation, writing, "My apologies I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly. My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. could have handled it better! Now I know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out."
Reps for Carpenter and Coachella did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Madonna announced her new album Confessions II, to be released on July 3, on Wednesday, April 15.
In a statement, she quoted lyrics from a new song called "One Step Away," writing, "People think that dance music is superficial, but they’ve got it all wrong. The dance floor is not just a place, it’s a threshold: A ritualistic space where movement replaces language."