Madonna happy out of saddle back on stage

LISBON - Pop queen Madonna is ecstatic to be back on stage, especially so soon after a horse riding accident which she said had threatened her performing career.

Speaking after the first live televised performance of her new single Hung Up, the 47-year-old American appeared to have lost little of her desire to please the crowd.

"After I fell off my horse it was amazing to be able to get up and dance," she said backstage at the MTV Europe Music Awards, where she kicked off the Lisbon show with an energetic display in purple boots and matching leotard.

The singer cracked three ribs and broke her collar bone and a hand when she fell off her horse in August at her English country estate.

She had been celebrating her 47th birthday with husband Guy Ritchie and two children Lourdes and Rocco.

She said she had feared that performances like the one in Lisbon would no longer be possible after the injuries. Doctors said her high level of physical fitness had helped her recover quickly.

"Being in front of all the people, waiting for it to come up, and waiting to see the audience, my heart was just pumping out of my chest," Madonna said.

She burst on stage from a giant glitter ball, a nod to the disco influences of her new album Confessions on a Dancefloor.

"You don't beat singing live, you don't beat it. Reaching out to a lot of people across the world, I think it's great."

Asked whether she felt pressure after her last album failed to sell well, the Material Girl replied:

"I've been making records for over 20 years. I've had an incredible run, highs and lows, but I keep going."

Madonna has sold more than 160 million albums throughout her career, but her last album sold only an estimated two million.

She said she was still hungry for success, and that personal and spiritual changes went hand in hand with creativity.

"It's first always about the music. The reinvention part is my growth as I move through my life and continue to be an artist, so my soul has been reinvented and hopefully that will affect the music."

- REUTERS