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Niki Haris, who spent many years as one of Madonna's backup singers and dancers, is now a solo act.

She opened up about her time with the Queen of Pop ahead of her Aspen debut ...

In an interview with The Aspen Times, Haris says she learned much from Madonna, including:

I learned discipline about creating your own vision and sticking to it. And making sure that you're living your own narrative, not judging yourself through somebody else's eyes.

She also discounts anyone calling Madonna a trend-chaser, saying:

People talk about how calculating she is, but I saw so many times when she would not do that and go with her gut.

More here.