NEW YORK – Madonna wants you to be free. The singer made a statement of epic proportions (following her appearance at Coachella during Sabrina Carpenter's headlining set) ahead of her new album at a surprise pop-up performance in the middle of Times Square Thursday. Madonna appeared amid the chaos of hundreds of screaming fans at the secretive June 4 event, a partnership with dating app and self-proclaimed "Global Gayborhood" Grindr. Kicking off Pride Month with a bang – and a raunchy wink and nod – the pop music icon encouraged everyone to be free and dance as she turned Times Square into a sweaty rave and previewed new music.Massive screens above the melee of Midtown opened up to reveal the "Like a Virgin" singer on a stage with her name flashing in pink and black lights. Madonna, 67, stripped off her silver cropped jacket to reveal a skintight lacy pink corset bodysuit and blue bra, paired with silver boots, blue sunglasses, sheer pink gloves and thigh-high stockings.She kicked off her performance with her latest single, "I Feel So Free.""Sometimes I need to just hide in the shadows," her voice whispered to the pulsing backbeat, "create a new persona, a different identity. I can be whoever I want to be. … Honestly, I wish I can be like other people."The "Hung Up" singer in April announced her upcoming "Confessions II," a sequel to 2005's "Confessions on a Dancefloor," marking her 15th studio album and her first since 2019's "Madame X.""All right New York City!" Madonna shouted out over the microphone to the crowd. "Are you ready for this? I said are you ready? Come on, gays! Girls, guys, dolls! Happy Pride!" (The show was also streamed live on Grindr.)Madonna moved to the beat, showing off her dance moves and spinning around on a moving platform. She also performed her new song with Carpenter, "Bring Your Love," an anthemic pop hit where Madonna chants that "you'll never break me" and "you cannot take me down.""It's mutha!" Madonna proclaimed before launching into "Love Sensation" off the upcoming album, as a group of dancers joined her on stage. Images of LGBTQ+ activists flashed on the screen as the stage lights lit up in a rainbow.She ended the show with two classics from 2005: "I Love New York," "I wrote this song just for this city!" she said, "I want to feel you rocking out with me." And "Hung Up," which earned screams from the crowd as she did some of her original choreography.Her high-energy performance kickstarts her album rollout, which includes an appearance at New York's Tribeca Film Festival, before the official release on July 3. The new music will be sure to make a splash and deliver a message about freedom ahead of the country's 250th birthday celebration. Madonna concert NYC: Inside the surprise showThe show capped Madonna's collaboration with Grindr, in a move that continues to tap into her queer fanbase as she releases new music.Ahead of the Times Square performance, special guests entered Midtown's Sony Hall and entered a sweaty dancefloor underneath the slow turn of a disco ball with red and purple lights reflecting off it, as a circle opened up with dancers vogueing to house music and Troye Sivan. Grindr CEO George Arison revealed his shock when Madonna's manager Guy Oseary reached out about collaborating (to the point where he didn't respond for months because he thought it was fake).The group then followed Grindr employees waving pink fans and wearing "gay sex" shirts to the steps in the midst of hundreds of onlookers. A large Grindr bus was revealed in the crowd with another disco ball and more dancers atop it.After the performance, pink flyers with "CLUB CONFESSIONS TIMES SQUARE" that thanked people for coming littered the floor, as fans were then ushered over to an afterparty at the Times Square Edition hotel. Stars from "RuPaul's Drag Race" as well and Beyoncé and Lady Gaga favorite, Ballroom dancer Honey Balenciaga, were spotted in attendance.