Madonna's once-reluctant daughter reveals what encouraged her to finally work together

A song became the bridge for saying what words alone couldn't for Madonna and her daughter, Lourdes "Lola" Leon. 

Speaking with Bob the Drag Queen during a conversation that aired as part of Madonna's iHeartRadio and TikTok Live album release event, the two reflected on the emotional process behind creating The Test, a track from Madonna's latest album, "Confessions II."

Leon, 29, shared that the collaboration was her idea, explaining that mothers and daughters often carry unspoken emotions, both love and tension, that can be difficult to express directly. 

“It was my idea. I think that between a mother and a daughter in a relationship ... there’s a lot of things that are unspoken,” Leon said. “There’s a lot of love that is unspoken, but also a lot of tension and emotions that are difficult to put into words.”

She added, “A way that I thought would be easier for us to speak about these things would be maybe through art, which is always something that my mom and I have connected over.”

Meanwhile, 68-year-old Madonna described the songwriting process as deeply emotional, admitting there were moments in the studio where she felt like crying or wanting to hug her daughter. 

“There were moments in the writing process when we were in the studio I felt like crying, where I felt like hugging her,” she said, to which Leon interjected and confirmed she did end up crying during the process. 

Madonna also explained that even though she and her daughter don't always see eye to eye, their shared love of creativity has always brought them together.

“Because, as she says ... we don’t always agree on things, but we love creativity, and art has always connected us. It was a very magical moment, and we both had to be vulnerable,” she added.

When asked whether she had to work up the courage to propose the collaboration, Leon admitted her mother can be an intimidating figure, though she joked that growing up with Madonna as her mom has made her less easily intimidated by others in general. 

Ultimately, she said asking her mom to do the song felt like an easy, obvious choice for them both.

Madonna previously spoke about Leon's hesitation to work together professionally during a June interview with Graham Norton, explaining that her daughter has long been cautious about being perceived as benefiting from her mother's fame.