 After Madonna gave birth to her daughter Lourdes , in 1996 , she enrolled in Kabbalah and started studying Hinduism and yoga , all of which helped her " step outside [ myself ] and see the world from a different perspective . " The singer was inspired by these activities , as she began <unk> herself . " That was a big catalyst for me . It took me on a search for answers to questions I 'd never asked myself before " , she said to Q magazine . During the same year , Madonna began writing and producing Ray of Light with British electronic musician William Orbit . " I was a huge fan of William 's earlier records . [ ... ] I also loved all the remixes he did for me and I was interested in fusing a kind of futuristic sound but also using lots of Indian and Moroccan influences and things like that , and I wanted it to sound old and new at the same time " , Madonna said . When asked about its producing process , she said , 
