Madonna, Raped at Knifepoint [PHOTOS]: 'Music' Songstress Reveals Hardships from First Moving to NYC 35 Years Ago

In a new cover story with Harper's Bazaar, Madonna writes about her struggles when first coming to New York City 35 years ago and the harrowing events life events that she had to go through. In 1982, Madonna Louise Ciccone was a dancer from Michigan wanting to make it in the big city, but she explains in her new essay for the magazine that the city "did not welcome me with open arms." 

"New York wasn't everything I thought it would be," she explains. "It did not welcome me with open arms. 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."

Despite this terrifying incident, the singer was still very excited by the city.

"The tall buildings and the massive scale of New York took my breath away," she continued. "The sizzling-hot sidewalks and the noise of the traffic and the electricity of the people rushing by me on the streets was a shock to my neurotransmitters. I felt like I had plugged into another universe. I felt like a warrior plunging my way through the crowds to survive. Blood pumping through my veins, I was poised for survival. I felt alive."

Madonna also talks about her controversial behavior from when she was just starting to take over the world.

She says: "When you're 25, it's a little bit easier to be daring, especially if you are a pop star, because eccentric behavior is expected from you. By then I was shaving under my arms, but I was also wearing as many crucifixes around my neck as I could carry, and telling people in interviews that I did it because I thought Jesus was sexy. Well, he was sexy to me, but I also said it to be provocative. I have a funny relationship with religion. I'm a big believer in ritualistic behavior as long as it doesn't hurt anybody. But I'm not a big fan of rules. And yet we cannot live in a world without order. But for me, there is a difference between rules and order. Rules people follow without question. Order is what happens when words and actions bring people together, not tear them apart. Yes, I like to provoke; it's in my DNA. But nine times out of 10, there's a reason for it."

Click here to read more and see photos of Madonna's cover story!