Furious at leaks, Madonna releases songs early

New York

MADONNA on Saturday suddenly released six new songs months ahead of schedule, furious that early versions had leaked online in what she had described as "artistic rape". The songs will appear on the pop icon's first album in three years, Rebel Heart, which comes out in March. The six tracks show Madonna going further in a hip-hop direction and include a collaboration with leading female rapper Nicki Minaj.

The Material Girl said that she decided to put the songs on sale online after in-studio versions of her tracks dripped onto the Internet.