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Our 23 Favorite Photos of Madonna & Second-Eldest Daughter Mercy James

Legendary singer and proud mama Madonna may reserve most of her Instagram posts for saucy selfies, but she never misses a chance to post a photo of her babies. Whether it’s a one-off video of one of the kids or a family photo featuring Lourdes Leon, 25, Rocco Ritchie, 21, Mercy James, 16, David Banda Mwale, 16, and twins Estere and Stella, 8 — we can’t get enough. But as second-eldest daughter Mercy James turns 17 years old, we’re digging deep through the Madonna archives for some of our favorite pics of the quickly-growing teen.

From Madonna showing off her budding piano skills to silly holiday videos together, Mercy James and her mom have a truly beautiful mother-daughter bond. Born in a village called Thwonde, in southern Malawi, Africa, Mercy was adopted by Madonna at 4-years-old back in 2009, and Mercy has since grown up in the US with Madonna and her five siblings.

Back in 2020, Madonna wished her daughter Chifundo Mercy James “Happy Birthday” on-stage in Lisbon, saying “The best birthday present I can give you is to teach you to never settle for second best.” Mercy responded by saying she “really looks up to” her and thanked her for giving “me a life that I would never have if you didn’t adopt me.” You can watch the video here.

With Mercy’s birthday around the corner, let’s take a look at our favorite photos of Madonna and Mercy James over the years.

2021 Birthday Selfies

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfsLj2hwns/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=85673dc4-747e-4b63-9ad7-34bba2d9459d

Madonna showed off her all-grown-up daughter for her birthday in 2021.

Christmas 2021

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This past Christmas, Madonna shared a plethora of photos of her and her children on her Instagram story. In this snapshot, we see Madonna, Mercy James rocking a plaid dress, and little twins Estere and Stella rocking monochromatic dresses.

Matching Elves

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXKhFh_s22P/

Madonna’s family really knows how to decorate to the fullest for Christmas — and we’re loving the matching onesies.

Hilary Clinton Pride

https://www.instagram.com/p/_ufJb7GEXI/

Proud mama Madonna showed off her daughter Mercy James in a paper crown and showed their love for former Presidential candidate Hilary Clinton.

Sassy Duo

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Sass and glam truly run in this household.

Father Day 2021

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQWz6SVhXQN/

Mercy James stole the show with her dazzling smile in this Father’s day post.

Family Photo (In Style)

Everyone showed up to Madonna’s iconic family gathering. Madonna and Mercy James look so ethereal for the event! You can see all the photos here.

Tennis & Horses

Flash em those dazzling smiles! You can see all the photos here.

Black Tie Event

https://www.instagram.com/p/COtYiJ6FECl/

About last night: everyone looks stunning for a black-tie event.

Fathers Day 2020

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBt3PlohEpj/

Proud mama and papa Madonna wanted to show her beautiful children off for the world to see.

Mercy James’ Medals

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNnB5tpBdvr/

Back in 2016, Madonna couldn’t help but brag about Mercy James nabbing four medals for Gymnastics.

Skating Queen

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDuZuGsBi3W/

Mercy James is as cool as her mama and now knows how to shred!

Queen Bey Kiss

https://www.instagram.com/p/iIWIFpmERy/

Mercy James accomplished everyone’s collective dream: getting a kiss from Beyoncé.

NYC Adventure

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQB7JaRC4Pg/

Just like her mama, Mercy James loves to travel.

Black Tie

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWyN3HsFAg9/

The Madonna kids know how to style for any occasion. You can see the video here.

Piano Princess

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A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)

Mercy James is already a supreme talented piano player, rocking Bach’s Solfeggietto.

Piano Princess Part Two

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A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)

And rocked it again for Easter.

Piano Princess Again

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And again to start off 2021.

Cooking Baby

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Along with being a gifted piano player, Mercy James knows how to cook like a champ — and Madonna loves showing off her daughter whenever she can.

Photographer in the Making

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIubhi_BxoU/

Along with that, she’s a gifted photographer. Seriously, what can’t Mercy James do?

Birthday 2020

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKXlE00hENY/

For Mercy’s birthday in 2020, Madonna wanted to show the world the light of her life having fun on the beach.

Mama & Daughter Video

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKVAk_fBMuL/

Madonna and Mercy James never pass up a photoshoot opportunity.

Rocking It Out Like Mama Madonna

https://www.instagram.com/p/CI6rseNBQ8Z/

And it seems like Mercy James has more musical chops in her repertoire.

Before you go, click here to see more celebrities with huge families.

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