Illuminati (song)

"Illuminati" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Madonna for her thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart (2015). It was written by Madonna Ciccone, Toby Gad, Maureen McDonald, Larry Griffin Jr., Mike Dean, Kanye West, Ernest Brown and Jacques Webster. The song was produced by Madonna, West, Dean and Symbolyc One, with co-production by Charlie Heat and additional production by Travis Scott. The song's demo was leaked to the internet in December 2014, with twelve other tracks from the album. Its final version was released on December 20, 2014, with five other tracks on the iTunes Store as "an early Christmas gift" to avoid further leaks. The song's demo version features dance synths and acoustic guitars; after showing the song to West, he felt connected to the song and changed it to a darker sound. The song was conceived after Madonna was accused of being a member of the Illuminati; she wanted to write a song about who they really are and what they are not.

"Illuminati" is a dance-pop, industrial and electropop song with brittle hits, blips and a buzz-saw break as its main instrumentation. Its sound was compared to that of West's album Yeezus (2013). The song's lyrics discuss Illuminati conspiracy theories; it names celebrities who had also been accused of being part of the group, and religious imagery. Madonna sings, "It's like everybody in this party's, shining like Illuminati". The song received favorable reviews from music critics, who commended West involvement with the track, and its ambitious sound and lyrics, while some chose it as one of the album's highlights. It charted in some European territories and on the Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Songs. On the singer's Rebel Heart Tour (2015–16), the track was used as an interlude featuring dancers strapped to tall, flexible poles; it was considered one of the show's main highlights.