Last night’s MTV Video Music Awards found Madonna honoring Aretha Franklin with a story from her own life, rubbing some fans of the Queen of Soul the wrong way.
The pop superstar has taken to Instagram to address the backlash she received, explaining that MTV asked her for an “anecdote” connecting her to Franklin and that the moment was never intended to be an actual tribute.
“And just to clarify: I was asked to present video of the year by MTV! And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin! I shared a part of my journey and thanked Aretha for inspiring me along the way.”
The “Like A Virgin” singer went on, “I did not intend to do a tribute to her! That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment.
“Unfortunately most people have short attention spans, and are so quick to judge. I love Aretha! R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”
Check out her full response below.
