| CBI Interview | Madonna


The Material Girl is putting her unique stamp on the fitness industry


By Jon Feld


CBI: What made you decide to enter the fitness business? Certainly, it’s a logical choice for your brand extension—and your buff image—but what was your thought process, or was there a specific tipping point?


MADONNA: I started out as a dancer in high school and have been working out ever since. So, in some ways, I’ve sort of always been in the fitness business. I’ve worked out in gyms and studios all over the world, taken thousands of dance classes, and have done so many different kinds of workouts. It comes naturally to me: I’ve always had a specific point of view about what seemed right or wrong about a club’s environment, teaching techniques, locker rooms, and the different elements of the gyms. I think I was formulating in my mind what the ideal workout environment might look and feel like. And Hard Candy Fitness was born.


CBI: You’ve been fit for decades. How important is fitness to your lifestyle?


MADONNA: It’s essential. And the idea of inspiring others to feel the same way through my clubs, as a place people will want to work out, is my goal with these gyms.


CBI: How did you choose the name Hard Candy Fitness? MADONNA: The name of my last album was Hard Candy and we all liked the symbolism of “hard body” and “eye candy.” I like the play on words and the irony.


CBI: Can we expect to see you working out at the Hard Candy clubs?


MADONNA: Definitely. In fact, I even taught a class at the November opening of the first Hard Candy Fitness in Mexico City.


CBI: Why did you choose to debut the clubs in Mexico City? MADONNA: Mexico City was one of the stops on our “Sticky + Sweet” tour. I loved the energy of the city and the people. It was also an ideal location for me to be intimately involved in each step of the creation of the premier location. I wouldn’t just give my name to something that I couldn’t be involved in and oversee. As people know, I’ve got lots of opinions.


CBI: No gyms appear to be slated for the U.S. Why not?


MADONNA: We decided to focus initially on Mexico and South America, and then head overseas and expand into many countries throughout Europe and Russia, as well. In the bigger picture, I’d love to have Hard Candy gyms in the U.S.


>


Highlights » A natural fit » Choosing locations » No rush to expand » The “Madonna” stamp


Madonna, born Madonna


Louise Ciccone, has been a game-changing pop icon since she burst onto the scene in 1983. She’s sold more than 300 million records interna- tionally and is recognized as the world’s top-selling female recording artist of all time. While she’s established a reputation for seamlessly reinventing herself every few years, Madonna is also known within the music industry for doing things her own way. She’s multifaceted: A Golden Globe Award-winning actress (for Evita), she’s also a fashion designer, children’s book author, film director and producer, and the owner of her own recording company, the Maverick Corporation, a joint venture with Time Warner. During the past 20 years, Madonna has become a standard-bearer for fitness, and is regarded as one of the most buff musicians anywhere. In a natural extension of her personal commitment to exer- cise, in October, she announced the opening of a new club chain, Hard Candy Fitness, in partnership with New Evolution Ventures (NeV). —|


www. ihrsa.org | FEBRUARY 2011 | Club Business Internat ional 39


Kevin Mazar @ Getty Images


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146