These days, struggling and aspiring artists can take the fast track to fame thanks to American Idol, but back in the day, you had to work your way up and no one knows that better than Madonna.

“I did it the hard way,” she tells New York radio station Z100 in an interview to air tomorrow. “I had to teach myself how to play the drums, I had to get into a band. [I played] in crappy little clubs for years before anybody would even pay any attention to me. [ I had to] take my tape around to record companies and have them shut the door in my face. It took a long time. I came up the hard way.”

WENN