Madonna and Lourdes Leon’s new song is like a little prayer. 

As the queen of pop released her latest album Confessions II July 3, she included a duet alongside her daughter—whom she shares with ex Carlos Leon—that shares rare insight into their mother-daughter dynamic. 

“Little star / I tried to put you on a pedestal,” Madonna sings in the first verse. “You didn’t ask for all the flashing lights / I didn’t think of how it could disturb / Or how it hurt / I wish I knew.”

Indeed, the 67-year-old—also mom to Rocco Ritchie, 25, with ex Guy Ritchie, as well as David, 20, Mercy, also 20, and 13-year-old twins Stella and Estere through adoption—appeared to admit her fame caused pain, adding, “My butterfly was always being watched.”

However, Lourdes and Madonna go on to admit their differences actually compliment each other in the song’s chorus. 

“I know they tried to put us to the test,” the chorus professed. “We're not the same, but I'm treading on your footsteps / Sometimes I think you wish I'd go away / But my shadow stays and it's okay to be yourself.”

The 29-year-old joined her mother in singing, “You made me whole when I was broken too / And I hope and pray I can do the same for you.”

Meanwhile, the fashion model shared how her mother has informed her own development in the second verse. 

“You are my reason to be / Or what I want, or look like,” Lourdes, also known as Lola Leon, sang. “What I wear, all the clothes on my back / And what I attract / I trace the line of what you have sewn / Keep my own design / Make it a landscape / Make it alive.”

Lourdes joining her mother on her latest release comes after the “Like a Prayer” singer revealed it was an olive branch of sorts that inspired her entire comeback. 

“She approached me about writing a song together as a way to heal our relationship,” Madonna said in an Interview magazine conversation published last month. “It was a really important moment, and it solidified the idea that now is the time to make this record.”

Meanwhile, Lourdes has shared how she’s come to respect her mom’s craft even more in the last few years. 

“My experience with my mom’s music has changed so much as I’ve gotten older, because I’m increasingly able to recognize how influential and amazing this woman is,” Lourdes said in an Interview conversation in 2021, “and how empowering to other women and ahead of her time she has always been.”

As she put it, “She’s probably the hardest worker I’ve ever seen.”

For a deeper look into Madonna’s family, keep reading… 

Madonna shared this photo of her with all her kids—Lourdes Leon, Rocco Ritchie, David Banda, Mercy James, Estere and Stella—on Thanksgiving 2022.

In August 2024, the "Like a Prayer" artist celebrated Rocco's 24th birthday in Italy.

After her 2023 hospitalization, Madonna penned a tribute to her kids saying that "love from family and friends is the best Medicine."

"As a Mother you can really get caught up In the needs Of your children and the seemingly endless giving," she wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of herself and her kids. "But when the chips were down my children really showed up for me."

"I saw a side to them I had never seen before," the Grammy winner added. "It made all the difference."

The pop superstar and Lourdes watched Estere dance during the opening night of the Celebration Tour in October 2023. 

Madonna was also joined by Mercy, who played the piano, during the October 2023 concert.

David helped his mom rehearse for her Celebration Tour. As Madonna noted in an April 2024 Instagram post, "I think what my children learned the most this year of rehearsing and performing is that if you want to follow your dreams, you have to work hard for them."

"And if all of them choose something different later in life, they will never forget this year of blood, sweat, and tears," she added. "Nor will I."

Madonna rang in her 66th birthday in 2024 with her six kids.

Before adopting twins Estere and Stella, Madonna rang in 2017 with this family photo, writing that she's starting the year "with The 4 things that I love the most!"

"I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi," Madonna shared after welcoming Estere and Stella in the clan, "and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family."

Madonna caption this photo of Mercy and her twin sisters, "My Joy!" 

Estere and Stella rocked matching outfits, with Madonna quipping in the caption, "Rascals." 

"Happiness is Contagious!!" Madonna wrote on Instagram 2017. "Happy Independence Day!"

David was all smiles during a bike ride with his twin sisters. As Madonna noted in the caption of her post, "Big. Brothers Are the Best!!"