BBC Radio 1 deny they have blacklisted Madonna due to age

BBC Radio 1 have denied they have excluded Madonna from their playlist because of her age.

It has been suggested in the media in the past week that the station have turned down the chance to play the Queen of Pop's new track 'Living For Love'.

It was reported that this was because the 56-year-old's music doesn't fit the network's younger demographic.

However, BBC Radio 1 posted on Facebook today (February 17) a statement to clarify the reports. They said:

"Radio 1 does not ban anyone – please don’t believe the papers.

"The tracks played on Radio 1 are chosen on musical merit and their relevance to our young audience on a case-by-case basis, and whilst around 40% of the country's 15 to 29-year-olds tune into Radio 1 each week, an artist's age is never a factor.

"In fact, Paul McCartney currently has two tracks - 'FourFiveSeconds' and 'Only One' - on the Radio 1 playlist."

McCartney, however, is more of a feature on the two songs, with the main artists Rihanna and Kanye West respectively.

Listen to Madonna's 'Living For Love' below: