MADONNA THE YEAR THAT MADE HER A STAR

THREE KEY MOMENTS IN 1985 MARKED THE YOUNG POP SINGER'S ASCENT TO SUPERSTARDOM

- Cameron Bayley

In 1984, Australian music guru Molly Meldrum found himself interviewing a fledgling pop star by the name of Madonna. They discussed her breakthrough hit, 'Holiday', and her entry into the music industry. Closing the chat, Meldrum said, “I think we're going to hear a lot from you,” to which she replied sweetly, almost shyly, “I hope so.”

Little did either know that the following year, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone would make herself heard around the globe - and she's never looked back since.

It was in 1985 that the Detroit-born entertainer really established herself as a force to be reckoned with – and one whose impact continues to this day. Current pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and Chappell Roan owe a huge debt to the barriers broken down by the icon due to her boldness, embrace of sexuality and strong sense of independence.

Things really amped up in February of that year, when Madonna's second album, Like a Virgin, hit the top of the US Billboard chart. She had previewed the title track months earlier with a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, wearing a wedding dress – with its famous Boy Toy belt – atop a huge cake. She quickly removed the veil and let her hair down, showing the unapologetically sexy performer she could be.

That song and its accompanying video, which found her cavorting around Venice, tossing her dirty blonde bob, and bedecked in beads and crosses, became a smash hit, and suddenly the Madonna look - part vintage, part provocative, part streetwear was everywhere.

Looking back on how she developed such style, she reflected to