Before Madonna was Madonna she was just another blonde girl looking to make it big in New York City. In a recent cover story for the November issue of Haper’s Bazaar, the Queen of Pop opened up about her early days starting out in the Big Apple, and how it was no walk in the park.

In an essay written for the magazine, Madonna wrote,

The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of a building I was dragged up to with a knife in my back, and had my apartment broken into three times. I don’t know why; I had nothing of value after they took my radio the first time.

Madonna said that it was not an experience she would ever glamorise and,

Although it was devastating at the time, I know that it made me a much stronger person in retrospect. It forced me to be a survivor… much more street smart and savvy.

Read the full article here.

[Source : SkyNews, Harper’s Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly]