Madonna on the Celebration Tour in February 2024. (Getty/Kevin Mazur)
Up until today, Dallas Austin wasn’t exactly a name on most people’s lips: but all that has changed, as the music producer has been officially “publicly shamed” by none other than Madonna herself.
The 65-year-old pop icon is currently working her butt off on her worldwide Celebration tour, which recently stopped at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. It was there that she spilled the piping hot tea about her crush.
She told fans that she’d been in love with a music producer while recording her 1994 album Bedtime Stories, explaining “I was madly in love with him and he treated me like s**t,” adding: “I’m just saying, you did, you dogged me, bro. It’s ok, I understand. You were just a boy. But I hope you’ve grown up by now.”
Then she blew the lid off the affair entirely by unexpectedly naming the producer in question: Dallas Austin.
She abruptly declared: “I am publicly shaming you. Did I say your name yet? His name is Dallas Austin.”
She then followed up by hinting that she used supernatural means to try and win Dallas Austin’s heart, saying: “I am telling you, I was so in love with him that I had this house in Miami and I studied with this Santería, and not one of them worked. Oh well, your loss.”
Santería, which translates as “Way of the Saints”, is a religion that integrates elements of many faiths, in particular the Yoruba of West Africa and Catholicism.
Followers of Santería often believe that people can influence each another through supernatural means, either by giving them the mal de ojo (evil eye), or through brujería (witchcraft).
This isn’t the first time Madonna’s Celebration Tour has made headlines for reasons other than her music skill.
During her appearance at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, Madonna, who sent fans wild by duetting with Kylie Minogue for the first time during a recent show, singled out a concertgoer who wasn’t standing.
“What are you doing sitting down over there, what are you doing sitting down?” the singer was seen saying before walking towards the end of the stage for a closer look. It turned out the fan was in a wheelchair.
Who is Dallas Austin?
So, who is Dallas Austin: the man who is now famous for fumbling Madonna?
The songwriter and music producer was born in 1970, making him 23 at the time he was the object of Madonna’s affections – she was 35. In 1990, he was involved in producing the debut albums for Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men.
After working with Madonna on her 1994 album Bedtime Stories, Dallas Austin went on to work with other pop acts and produced hit singles including TLC’s “Unpretty”, Pink’s songs “Don’t Let Me Get Me” and “Just Like a Pill”, and Gwen Stefani’s 2004 single “Cool”.
Austin has three children, including a son, Tron, born in 1997 to TLC singer Chilli (sorry, Madonna).