Venezuelan experimental artist and producer Arca has offered a glimpse into her studio experiences with Madonna and Björk, describing the longtime collaborators as “two maternal figures, but very different.”
Speaking with Resident Advisor, Arca described Madonna as a disciplined presence in the studio. The pair most recently worked together on Madonna’s new album CONFESSIONS II, with Arca producing “I Feel So Free” and “The Test,” the latter featuring Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon, aka Lolahol.
“Madonna is a working mother, a professional, she wants to get down to business,” Arca said. “I’d go out to smoke and she’d come out halfway and tell me to put my cigarette out because we have work to do!”
Björk, meanwhile, takes a different approach, Arca explained. “She makes you food, sets flowers out for you, lights candles, offers you tea,” she said. “Two maternal figures, but very different. I love them both.”
Arca first met Björk backstage in 2013 and went on to co-write, co-produce, and mix her 2015 album Vulnicura. Their creative partnership has since continued across multiple projects, including Utopia.
Björk, in the meantime, offered her own perspective on their working relationship, saying one of her favorite things about collaborating with Arca is “how many roles we’ve played to each other: beatmakers, co-songwriters, being the third ear.” She added, “There’s a lot of hat swapping.”
