Lourdes León turns 28! Madonna's touching birthday message: "You were and always will be my first true love"

On October 14th, Madonna, the “Queen of Pop,” took to Instagram to celebrate a very special occasion—her daughter Lourdes León’s 28th birthday. Madonna shared a touching post dedicated to her eldest child, expressing her deep love and admiration for her.

© Dimitrios Kambouris

“Lourdes, Maria Ciccone Leon!!! Happy Birthday to my first born! My one and only Little Star! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ But there is nothing little about you,” wrote the superstar, along with photos and videos of her daughter. 

The proud mom praised her daughter’s qualities and talent, as she also followed in her footsteps in music. “Big energy. Big heart. Big light. You were and always will be my first true love. Shine Lolita, shine,” she added to the post, which included a video of “Lock&Key,” a song Lourdes released two years ago under her stage name Lolahol.

Madonna wasn’t the only one to celebrate Lourdes’ new milestone —her father, Carlos León, also posted a touching message accompanied by a video compilation of sweet father-daughter moments. 

“Happy birthday to my beautiful, smart, talented daughter ! 28 years young! It felt like yesterday you came into my life! Keep your head up and take no prisoners. You’re a queen and a lioness 🦁! You have the world in your hands! Love you to the moon and back !!!♥️♥️♥️♥️♥,️” Carlos shared on his Instagram.

© © Instagram @carlitoleon

Lourdes’ reflections on growing up with Madonna

In 2021, Lourdes opened up to Interview Magazine about what it was like growing up with Madonna as her mother, revealing that she chose to become independent to break away from the singer’s strict control. “I needed to be completely independent from her as soon as I graduated high school,” the young artist said at the time. She also mentioned that she chose not to accept financial help from her mom, so she had to cover her own expenses by working as a model. “We don’t get any handouts in my family,” she explained.

However, she did acknowledge the advantages of being the child of a world-famous celebrity. “Obviously, I grew up with extreme privilege. There’s no denying that. But I think my mom saw all these other kids of famous people, and she was like, ‘My kids are not going to be like this.’ Also, I feel like if your parents pay for things, then it gives them leverage over you,” she remarked.

© Laurent Viteur

Despite her independence, Lourdes and Madonna maintained a close bond, with Madonna offering her daughter valuable life advice. “My mom is very insistent on me thinking about whether I want people to remember me for my looks. That’s not what I want to be known for. It’s not real,” she said. Lourdes also explained that “financially, modeling is a smart decision,” but it goes beyond that for her. “I enjoy being very involved with the campaigns that I do, so I’m not just modeling.”