father rewarded her with 25 cents for every A she received, so she focused and did well academically as well as in dance and theater. Though she describes herself as an outcast, her classmates describe her as popular, funny, and a bit of a show-off. She received a scholarship for dance and attended the University of Michigan for a few semesters but left for the allure of New York City and the fame and fortune that it offered. Her intellect served her well throughout her career, giving her a foundation to formulate her own image and her own future. Like many starving artists before her and after, she did whatever it took to get noticed and get a break. That break came when star DJ Mark Kamins created a hit on the club scene with one of her demo singles, "Everybody," in 1982, fol- lowed by "Physical Attraction" in 1983. Many of Madonnas subse- quent hits would encompass the sounds, rhythm, and beat of her dance club heritage, which kept her earliest fans connected to her music through the next several decades. Her first album, titled sim- ply Madonna, was released in 1983, and its first single, "Holiday," reached the top 40 within one month, eventually reaching the top 20 in the United States and the top 10 in Europe. Madonnas second sin- gle release, "Borderline," spurred a string of 17 consecutive top-10 hits, including "Papa Dont Preach," "Like a Prayer," "Dress You Up," "Justify My Love," "Rescue Me," "Express Yourself," "Like a Virgin," and "Material Girl." These singles were released in the MTV heyday-if any medium had ever been created for a performer, the music video was created for Madonna. Fueled by the visuals in her videos, Madonna quickly became a household name, not just because teens, college students, and twenty-somethings were singing her songs, but because they dressed, looked, and danced like her. Soon, girls were ripping their sweatshirts to hang over one shoulder, tying big bows on top of their heads, and wearing stacks of rubber bracelets and big earrings. The hair was fairly long and big, as were the layered skirts that were worn over tights. The makeup was bright and noticeable. The girls were labeled "Madonna wannabes," and some continue to dress in vintage Madonna to this day (after work, of course). ma d onna a nd n e i l d i a mond : s ex i n br a nd i ng |     Madonnas second album, Like a Virgin (1984), propelled her popularity to even greater heights, with the single of the same name becoming her first number-one hit. Who can forget the "Like A Vir- gin" music video or footage of Madonna performing the song during