The pop star Debbie Harry was "completely in awe of"

Artists going into the music industry are not usually equipped for the sudden onslaught of fame. Although it may seem alluring to the casual musician to have millions of people singing songs back to them every time they play live, things get a bit complicated when everything they thought was private becomes lost instantly. While punk was meant to be a subversion of the traditional rock star fame, Debbie Harry had something else in mind when working with Blondie.

Despite playing the same clubs that punk stalwarts like the Ramones were playing around the same time, Blondie had a pop flair to them that few could match. No matter how much glamour Harry played up her image for those in the audience, she kept the audience in the palm of her hands, stirring up the beginnings of new wave music on songs like ‘Call Me’.

Then again, fame was also a mixed bag for Harry. Blondie may have enjoyed the idea of people singing along to ‘One Way or Another’, but that many eyes on them every day started to eat away at Harry’s calm demeanour both on and off the stage.

Once the band started to gain notoriety across the country, Harry found herself becoming more self-conscious about her appearance. Being the female presence in the band and the centre of attention whenever they played, Harry eventually realised that she no longer needed to have the same hang-ups she had before becoming famous.

Speaking to the NZHerald, Harry knew she would be toying with her sanity if she focused solely on her looks, recalling, “There was a time when I had to take down all the mirrors in my house. I felt like I was looking at myself too much. The world made such a big deal of how I looked. It’s problematic. I’m lucky I was born this way. It’s perfect for showbiz”.

Compared to her rock and roll contemporaries, Harry remembered getting her peace of mind when she saw Madonna’s career trajectory. Opting towards pop music rather than rock, Madonna used her image to her advantage, changing with every generation and not caring for a second what anyone else thought of her.

Despite her controversial moments, Madonna became a model for Harry, recalling: “I am completely in awe of Madonna. She’s able to take that success and live with it and remain sane. I say that with a smile, you know”. That said, fame was just one of the marks that Madonna would leave on Harry.

When speaking out against Donald Trump in the 2010s, Harry’s reaction was to begin using her platform like Madonna. While not as drastic as ‘The Material Girl’s claim that someone should ‘Bomb the White House’, Harry thought that her platform was better suited to support causes she believes in, explaining, “There’s gotta be a resistance of some sort — a protest. Music is about to regain its edge”.

Although Madonna and Debby Harry belong on two separate sides of music history, there’s a lot more in common than meets the eye. They may not have played the same music or had similar voices, but they both powered through the hang-ups of fame to become the wise mothers of the next generation of female superstars.