VMAs 2018: Madonna faces backlash for ‘disrespectful’ Aretha Franklin tribute

Madonna paid tribute to Aretha Franklin at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), but her chosen method left a lot of viewers rather confused.

The musician was presenting the award for Video of the Year which she preceded with a lengthy speech honouring the Queen of Soul who passed away last week at the age of 76. Instead of talking about Franklin's life, however, the Queen of Pop decided to share a 10-minute long anecdote about her own journey to becoming a singer.

“Aretha Louise Franklin changed the course of my life,” she said, before delving into the story of how one of the icon's songs had successfully aided her in an audition that launched her career.

The song in question was “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” which Madonna decided to sing when put on the spot during an audition to become a backing dancer for “a French disco sensation.”

“I could see that they didn't take me seriously, and why should they?” she continued. “Some skinny-ass white girl is going to come up here and belt out a song by one of the greatest soul singers who ever lived? A capella? I said, 'Bitch, I'm Madonna.' No, I didn't. I didn't say that. Because I wasn't Madonna yet. I don't know who I was.”

Viewers expressed their confusion regarding the singer's attempts to pay tribute to Franklin on social media with some criticising MTV for not finding an artist of colour to honour the Queen of Soul.

You can find a list of all the evening's big winners here.

Madonna - who turned 60 on the same day Franklin passed away (16 August) - went on to announce Camilla Cabello as the winner of Video of the Year.