Based on a report by BBC News

Madonna’s Ray of Light is turning out to be one of the most referenced albums in 2025. Nearly three decades after its release, artists from Addison Rae to FKA Twigs are drawing from its layered production and emotional core. While her earlier work established her as a pop icon, Ray of Light is the album that today’s musicians are treating as a creative blueprint.

The production, crafted with William Orbit, brought ambient electronica, trip-hop, and techno into mainstream pop. That mix wasn’t common in 1998, and it still stands out. For new artists working in an environment where genre lines are blurred and emotional openness is encouraged, Ray of Light offers a well-executed model. It’s experimental without sounding detached, and spiritual without feeling shallow.

This year’s releases are full of nods to the album. Erika de Casier’s Lifetime, Addison Rae’s Addison, and FKA Twigs’ Eusexua all carry the same dreamy, fluid qualities. British singer JADE (formerly of Little Mix) even covered “Frozen.” These aren’t just throwbacks; they’re clear signals that Ray of Light is shaping how pop artists approach sound and songwriting.

The album’s revival isn’t only happening among fans and artists. Madonna has released Veronica Electronica, a remix project that includes reworked versions of Ray of Light tracks along with one unreleased demo. She originally intended it for 1998, but shelved it as the original album took over the charts. Its release now feels like a natural extension of how the album is being rediscovered.

One reason Ray of Light still resonates is its timing. Madonna released it at 39—an age when women in music were (and often still are) expected to scale back. Instead, she pushed forward with a highly personal, sonically rich record. That refusal to shrink has made the album especially appealing to a new wave of artists challenging industry expectations.

Its lyrics match the ambition of its sound. “Drowned World/Substitute for Love” confronts the hollowness of fame. “Mer Girl” describes a visit to her mother’s grave with disarming clarity. “Little Star” celebrates new motherhood with tenderness. The songs are direct and personal, without posturing. This level of honesty has become a standard for today’s artists trying to connect with listeners on a deeper level.

The album also opened the door for pop music to adopt a more spiritual tone. It’s easy to draw a line from Ray of Light to today’s albums that blend inner work with electronic production, like Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine or Charli XCX’s Brat. This wasn’t the norm in the late ’90s, but it’s almost expected now.

That said, Ray of Light isn’t perfect. “Shanti/Ashtangi,” sung in Sanskrit, crosses into uncomfortable territory. While it was likely meant as a spiritual gesture, it feels out of place in 2025’s conversations about cultural appropriation. Still, the flaw doesn’t sink the album—it highlights how far ahead of the curve Madonna was willing to go, even when the line between innovation and misstep wasn’t clear.

At its core, Ray of Light holds up because it’s emotionally raw, musically rich, and creatively bold. Its influence today isn’t about nostalgia—it’s about relevance. The album helped redefine what pop music could be, and more than 25 years later, it’s still setting the tone.