Madonna has opened up about her collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Timbaland on her forthcoming album 'Hard Candy'.

The album, which will be the singer's 11th studio effort, will be released on April 28, with first single '4 Minutes' out on physical release a week before.

"I really enjoy writing with Justin, he's a fun person to write with," she said of her collaboration with Timberlake on the single.

"We kind of of had psychoanalytic sessions whenever we wrote songs. We'd start talking about relationships with people. That was the only way because you know, writing together with somebody is intimate.

"I haven't worked with a lot of songwriters where I'm instantly connected and started riffing and playing with the rhythm of words. He's as interested in the rhythm of words as the meaning of words."

The singer also revealed how her collaboration with Kanye West on 'Beat Goes On' was rush recorded so that he could make a flight and how she briefly picked up a guitar during her recording with Timbaland.

She told Interview Magazine: "There was this big sense of urgency. Kanye only had four hours and I had to finish it before he had to catch an aeroplane. On 'Miles Away' I did play the guitar, but I got double tracked by one of Timbaland's musicians.

"Right now I'm operating in the mode, 'Live everyday like it's your last day'. So there's a sense of urgency in everything I do."