Cyndi Lauper

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Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper performing in Australia, 2011, during

the Memphis Blues Tour
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper
Born
June 22, 1953 (age 61)
Queens, New York, U.S.
Occupation
Singer, songwriter, actress, activist
Years active
1980present
Spouse(s)
David Thornton (m. 1991)
Children
1
Musical career
Genres
Pop, rock, new wave, blues, soul
Instruments
Vocals, guitar, dulcimer
Labels
Portrait, Epic, Daylight,

Downtown
Associated acts Blue Angel The Hooters
Website
www.cyndilauper.com
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22, 1953)[1] is an American
singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT activist [2][3] with a career spanning over 30 years.
[4]
Her debut solo album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut female album to
chart four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time
After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night" earned Lauper the Best New
Artist award at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the
soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors
(1986). This album included the number one hit of the same name and "Change of
Heart" which peaked at number 3.
Since 1989, Lauper has released nine studio albums and has participated in many other
projects. Her most recent album, Memphis Blues, became Billboard's most successful
blues album of the year, remaining at #1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart for 13
consecutive weeks. In 2013, Lauper won the Best Score for the Broadway musical
Kinky Boots, making her the first woman in history to win the composing category solo.
[5]
She also became the first artist in over 25 years to top the dance charts with a
Broadway single. In 2014, Lauper was awarded the Grammy for best musical theater
album for Kinky Boots.
Lauper has established herself as a pop icon [6] winning awards at the Grammy, Emmy,
Tony, New York's Outer Critics Circle, MTV VMA, Billboard, and AMA awards.[7]
Lauper won the inaugural Best Female Video prize at the 1984 VMAs for Girls Just
Wanna Have Fun. This music video is recognized by MTV, VH1 and Rolling Stone as
one of the greatest music videos of all time.[8][9][10][11] She is featured in the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame Museum's Women Who Rock exhibit, which illustrates the important
role that women have played in Rock and Roll music.[12] Her debut album is included in
Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[13] while Time After Time is
included in Vh1's list of the 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 years.[14] VH1 has ranked
Lauper No. 58 of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.[15] Lauper is also one of only
twenty artists to achieve "GET" status by winning competitive Grammy, Emmy, and
Tony awards. To date she has sold over 50 million records and 20 million singles.[16][17]
Lauper has also been celebrated for her humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate
for gay and transgender rights in the United States. Her charitable efforts were
recognized in 2013 when the singer was invited as a special guest to attend President
Barack Obama's second-term inaugural ceremony.[18]

Contents

1 Life and career

o 1.1 19531979: Early life
o

1.2 19801982: Blue Angel

1.3 19831985: She's So Unusual

1.4 19861988: True Colors and Vibes

1.5 19891992: A Night to Remember and marriage

1.6 19931995: Hat Full of Stars and Twelve Deadly Cyns

1.7 19962000: Motherhood and Sisters of Avalon

1.8 20012004: Shine and At Last

1.9 20052007: The Body Acoustic

1.10 20082009: Bring Ya to the Brink

1.11 20102012: The Celebrity Apprentice, Memphis Blues, memoir

1.12 2013present: Kinky Boots, She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary

Celebration & more

2 Activism

3 Legacy

4 Discography

5 Filmography

6 Tours

7 Awards and nominations

o

7.1 Tony Awards

7.2 Grammy Awards

7.3 MTV Video Music Award

7.4 Other recognitions

8 See also

9 References

10 External links

Life and career

19531979: Early life
Cyndi Lauper was born in Queens, New York[19] to a Catholic family. Her father was of
German and Swiss descent, and her mother is Italian American (from Sicily). Lauper
has a younger brother named Fred (nicknamed Butch), and an older sister, Ellen.[20]
Lauper's parents divorced when she was five years old,[21] and her mother subsequently
remarried and divorced again.[citation needed]

Lauper grew up in Ozone Park[22] and as a child, listened to such artists as the Beatles,
Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Billie Holiday. At age 12, she began writing her own
songs and playing an acoustic guitar given to her by her sister.[23]
Even when she was young, Lauper expressed herself with a variety of hair colors,
eccentric clothing,[24] and even took a friend's advice to spell her name as "Cyndi" rather
than "Cindy".[22]
Lauper was accepted to a special public high school for students with talent in the visual
arts but eventually dropped out; she later earned her GED.[citation needed] She left home at
age 17, to escape her abusive stepfather,[22] with the intent to study art. Her journey took
her to Canada, where she spent two weeks in the woods with her dog Sparkle, trying to
find herself. She eventually traveled to Vermont, where she took art classes at Johnson
State College and supported herself working odd jobs.[citation needed]
In the early 1970s, Lauper performed as a vocalist with various cover bands in the New
York metropolitan area, singing hits by bands including Bad Company, Jefferson
Airplane, and Led Zeppelin. Although Lauper was performing on stage, she was not
happy singing cover songs. In 1977, Lauper damaged her vocal cords and took a year
off from singing. She was told by doctors that she would never sing again but regained
her voice with the help of vocal coach Katie Agresta.[25]

19801982: Blue Angel

Main article: Blue Angel
In 1978, Lauper met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt.
Turi and Lauper formed a band named Blue Angel and recorded a demo tape of original
music. Steve Massarsky, manager of The Allman Brothers Band,[26] heard the tape and
liked Lauper's voice. He bought Blue Angel's contract for $5,000 and became their
manager.[citation needed]
Lauper received recording offers as a solo artist, but held out, wanting the band to be
included in any deal she made. Blue Angel was eventually signed by Polydor Records
and released a self-titled album on the label in 1980. Lauper hated the album cover,
saying that it made her look like Big Bird, but Rolling Stone magazine later included it
as one of the 100 best new wave album covers (2003). Despite critical acclaim, the
album sold poorly (or "went lead", as Lauper says) and the band broke up. The members
of Blue Angel had a falling out with Massarsky and fired him as their manager. He later
filed an $80,000 suit against them, which forced Lauper into bankruptcy.[27] After this
Lauper temporarily lost her voice due to an inverted cyst in her vocal cord.[28]
After Blue Angel broke up and due to her financial problems, Lauper spent time
working in retail stores, waitressing at IHOP (which she quit after being demoted to
hostess when the manager made a pass at her[22]), and singing in local clubs. Her most
frequent gigs were at El Sombrero.[28][citation needed] Music critics who saw Lauper perform
with Blue Angel believed she had star potential due to her four-octave singing range,[29]
and a unique vocal style. In 1981, while singing in a local New York bar, Lauper met
David Wolff, who took over as her manager and had her sign a recording contract with
Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic Records.[30]

19831985: She's So Unusual

Main article: She's So Unusual
On October 14, 1983, Lauper released her first solo album, She's So Unusual. The
album peaked at No. 4 in the US, and became a worldwide hit. The primary studio
musicians were Rick Chertoff, Eric Bazilian, and Rob Hyman (of The Hooters), Richard
Termini and Peter Wood. Lauper became popular with teenagers and critics, in part due
to her hybrid punk image which was crafted by stylist Patrick Lucas.[31]
"Girls Just Want To Have Fun".

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Lauper was interested in writing her own songs, but the record company provided her
with songs to record that were written by other writers. Lauper sometimes changed the
lyrics in the material she was given by the record company, such is the case with "Girls
Just Want to Have Fun". Lauper found the original lyrics to be misogynistic, so she
rewrote the song as an anthem for young women.[32]
"Time After Time"

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The album's second single "Time After Time" was co-written by Lauper and Rob
Hyman. "Time After Time" hit No. 1 on both Billboard Hot 100 and Adult
Contemporary charts. The song would earn Lauper an RIAA Gold certification for
record sales that reached 500,000 copies.
The other Billboard Hot 100 singles on She's So Unusual were "She Bop" (No. 3), "All
Through the Night" (No. 5), written by Jules Shear and "Money Changes Everything"
(No.27).[citation needed]

The album also includes two cover songs, The Brains' new wave track "Money Changes
Everything" (No.27 on the Billboard Hot 100) and Prince's "When You Were Mine".
The album made Lauper the first female to have four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 top
five hits from one album. The LP stayed in the Top 200 charts for more than 65 weeks,
and since has sold 22 million copies worldwide.[33]
Lauper won Best New Artist at the 1985 Grammy Awards. She's So Unusual also
received nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance (for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"), and Song of the Year (for "Time After
Time"). It also won the Grammy for Best Album Package, which went to the art
director, Janet Perr.[citation needed]
The video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" won the inaugural award for Best Female
Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, and made Lauper an MTV staple. The
video featured professional wrestling manager "Captain" Lou Albano as Lauper's father,
her real-life mother, Catrine, as her mother,[citation needed] and also featured her attorney, her
manager, her brother Butch, and her dog Sparkle.[citation needed] In 1984-1985, Lauper
appeared on the covers of Rolling Stone magazine, Time, and Newsweek. She appeared
twice on the cover of People, and was named a Ms. magazine woman of the year in
1985.[34]
In 1985, Lauper participated in USA for Africa's famine-relief fund-raising single "We
Are the World", singing a climactic soprano part in the bridge.[citation needed]
Lauper appeared with professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, who played her "bodyguard".
[citation needed]
She later would make many appearances as herself in a number of the World
Wrestling Federation's "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection" events, and played Wendi
Richter's manager in the inaugural WrestleMania event.[35] Dave Wolff, Lauper's
boyfriend and manager at the time, was a wrestling fan as a boy, and engineered the
rock and wrestling connection.[citation needed]
In 1985, Lauper released the single "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough", from the
soundtrack to the movie The Goonies, and an accompanying video which featured
several wrestling stars. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
[citation needed]

19861988: True Colors and Vibes

Lauper received two nominations at the 1986 Grammy Awards: Best Female Rock
Vocal Performance for "What a Thrill" and Best Long Form Music Video for Cyndi:
Live in Paris.[citation needed]
Lauper released her second album, True Colors, on September 15, 1986. It reached
No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and sold 2 million copies in the United States. Lauper
increased her involvement in production and songwriting on her second album, and she
co-wrote most of the songs with Essra Mohawk, John Turi, Billy Steinberg, and Tom
Kelly. Guests on the album included Angela Clemons-Patrick, Nile Rodgers, Aimee
Mann, Billy Joel, Adrian Belew, The Bangles, Ellie Greenwich, and Rick Derringer.
[citation needed]

True Colors was not as commercially successful as She's So Unusual, but it did contain
three high-charting singles, including the title track, "True Colors", which became
Lauper's second song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; "Change of Heart" (No. 3);
and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (No. 12). A fourth single from the
album, "Boy Blue", did not reach the top-40, but the proceeds of that song were donated
to AIDS research. The song "True Colors" (written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly)
was licensed to Kodak for use in its commercials.[citation needed]
In 1986, Lauper appeared on the Billy Joel album The Bridge, with a song called "Code
of Silence". She is credited as having written the lyrics with Joel and she sings it as a
duet with him. In the same year, Lauper also sang the theme song for the series Peewee's Playhouse, though she was credited as "Ellen Shaw". In 1987, David Wolff
produced a concert film for Lauper called Cyndi: Live in Paris. The concert was
broadcast on HBO.[citation needed]
Lauper made her film debut in August 1988 in the quirky comedy Vibes, alongside Jeff
Goldblum, Julian Sands, Elizabeth Pea, and Peter Falk. Lauper played a psychic in
search of a city of gold in South America. Ron Howard produced the film, with David
Wolff as associate producer. To prepare for the role, Lauper took a few classes in finger
waving and hair setting at the Robert Fiance School of Beauty in New York, and studied
with a few Manhattan psychics. The film was poorly received by critics and flopped
commercially.[citation needed][citation needed]
Lauper contributed a track called "Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" for the
Vibes soundtrack, but the song was not included. A music video was released, a high
energy, comic action/adventure romp through a Chinese laundry. The song stalled at a
disappointing No. 54 on the US charts, but fared better in Australia, peaking at No. 8
and becoming her fifth and final Top 10 single in Australia. "Hole in My Heart (All the
Way to China)" was performed as the opening song on her 2008 Australian tour.[citation
needed]

19891992: A Night to Remember and marriage

A Night to Remember Lauper's third album was released in the spring of 1989. The
album had only one hit, the No. 6 single "I Drove All Night". Lauper received a
Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1990 Grammy
Awards for "I Drove All Night", but overall album sales for A Night to Remember were
disappointing. The music video for the album's song "My First Night Without You"
made history as one of the first to be closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.[36]
On July 21, 1990, Lauper joined Roger Waters' and other artists performing "Another
Brick in the Wall, Part II" as part of the concert The Wall in Berlin. As part of the
concert, Lauper also performed "The Tide Is Turning" with Waters, Joni Mitchell, Bryan
Adams, Paul Carrack, and Van Morrison. Three hundred thousand people attended the
concert and over five million people worldwide watched on live television.[citation needed]
Because of a friendship with Yoko Ono, Lauper took part in the May 1990 John Lennon
tribute concert in Liverpool, performing the Beatles song "Hey Bulldog" and the John
Lennon song "Working Class Hero".[37] She also took part in a project Ono and Lennon's

son Sean developed called "The Peace Choir", performing a new version of Lennon's
"Give Peace a Chance".[38]
In November 1991, Lauper married actor David Thornton.[39]

19931995: Hat Full of Stars and Twelve Deadly Cyns

Lauper's fourth album, Hat Full of Stars was released in June 1993 and was met with
much critical acclaim. However, due to a lack of support from her record label, the
project was not adequately promoted and was a sales failure. The album, which tackled
such topics as homophobia, spousal abuse, racism, and abortion sold less than 120,000
copies in the United States and peaked at No. 112 on the Billboard charts.[40] The video
for the album's song "Sally's Pigeons" features the then-unknown Julia Stiles as the
young Cyndi.[citation needed]
Lauper co-wrote several songs for the album with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ailee Willis,
Nicky Holland, Tom Gray, Hugh Masekela, and The Hooters. That same year, Lauper
recorded "Boys Will Be Boys" with The Hooters for their album Out of Body. The
Hooters dedicated their song "Private Emotion" to her.[citation needed]
The greatest hits album, Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some, was released outside of
the US in 1994 and reached US audiences in summer of 1995. It included two rerecorded tracks, "I'm Gonna be Strong", originally recorded with Blue Angel, and a
reworking of her first hit, newly christened "Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun)".
Twelve Deadly Cyns sold over five million copies worldwide.[citation needed]
In 1993, Lauper returned to acting, playing Michael J. Fox's ditzy secretary in Life with
Mikey. She also won an Emmy Award[41] for her role as Marianne on the sitcom Mad
About You.[citation needed]

19962000: Motherhood and Sisters of Avalon

Lauper performing in 2000

On November 19, 1997, Lauper gave birth to her son Declyn Wallace Lauper Thornton.
[42]
Her fifth album, Sisters of Avalon, was released in Japan in 1996 and elsewhere in
1997. The album was written and produced with the help of Jan Pulsford (Lauper's
keyboard player) and producer Mark Saunders. As in Hat Full of Stars, some of the
songs in Sisters of Avalon addressed dark themes. The song "Ballad of Cleo and Joe"
addressed the complications of a drag queen's double life. The song "Say a Prayer" was
written for a friend of hers who had died from AIDS. "Unhook the Stars" was used in

the movie of the same name. Like Lauper's previous album, her record label did not
support the alternative and controversial songs and with a lack of major promotion it
failed in America, spending a single week on the Billboard album chart at No. 188.
Despite the commercial failure, like her previous release the album was met with much
critical praise including People magazine, which declared it "90s nourishment for body
and soul. Lauper sets a scene, makes us care, gives us hope."[43] The album was written
and produced with the help of Jan Pulsford (Lauper's keyboard player) and producer
Mark Saunders.[citation needed]
In November 1998, Lauper released the Christmas album Merry Christmas...Have a
Nice Life. The album contained both original material and standards, and was coproduced and mixed by William Wittman.[citation needed]
On January 17, 1999, Lauper appeared as an animated version of herself in The
Simpsons episode "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken". In the episode, Lauper sings the
National Anthem to the melody of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". In the same year,
Lauper opened for Cher's Do You Believe? Tour alongside Wild Orchid.[citation needed] She
also appeared in the films Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle and The Opportunists.
[citation needed]

Lauper contributed a cover version of The Trammps's "Disco Inferno" to the soundtrack
for the film A Night at the Roxbury. The song was also released as an EP and earned
Lauper one nomination at the 1999 Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording. In
2000, Lauper contributed the song "I Want a Mom That Will Last Forever" to the
children's movie Rugrats in Paris. The song was written with Mark Mothersbaugh. In
2000, Lauper also co-wrote the song "If You Believe" with Faye Tozer of the British
pop group Steps, for the band's third studio album, Buzz.[citation needed]

20012004: Shine and At Last

In 2001, Lauper prepared a new album Shine. The album was a return to her early punkrock sound and featured Japanese pop superstar Ryuichi Sakamoto, and George Fullan
of Train. Just weeks before the album's scheduled release on September 11, 2001, her
label (Edel America Records) folded. A five-song EP of Shine was released in June
2002, but the full-length album was released exclusively in Japan. An album of Shine
remixes was eventually released through Tower Records.[citation needed]
On October 12, 2000, Lauper took part in the television show Women in Rock, Girls
with Guitars performing with Ann Wilson of Heart and with the girl group, Destiny's
Child. A CD of the songs performed was released exclusively to Sears stores from
September 30 to October 31, 2001, and was marketed as a fundraiser for breast cancer.
[citation needed]

In 2002, Sony issued a best-of CD, The Essential Cyndi Lauper. Lauper also released a
cover album with Sony/Epic Records entitled At Last (formerly Naked City), which was
released in 2003. At Last received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards: Best
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), for "Unchained Melody". The
effort was also a commercial hit, selling 4.5 million records [44]

In April, 2004, Lauper performed during the VH1's benefit concert Divas Live 2004
alongside Ashanti, Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, Joss Stone and Patti LaBelle, in
support of the Save the Music Foundation.[45]

20052007: The Body Acoustic

In 2005, under a new contract with Sony Music, Lauper released The Body Acoustic, an
album that featured acoustic reinterpretations of tracks from her back catalog. The
album also included two new tracks one of which was "Above the Clouds". Guest
performers on the album included Shaggy, Ani DiFranco, Adam Lazzara of Taking
Back Sunday, Jeff Beck, Puffy AmiYumi, Sarah McLachlan, and Vivian Green. "Time
After Time" with Sarah McLachlan charted on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
[citation needed]

While she wasn't making music, Lauper stayed busy. She made appearances on
Showtime's hit show Queer As Folk in 2005, directed a commercial for Totally 80s
edition of the board game Trivial Pursuit in 2006, served as a judge on the 6th Annual
Independent Music Awards and made her Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated The
Threepenny Opera as Jenny. She also performed with Shaggy, Scott Weiland of Velvet
Revolver/Stone Temple Pilots, Pat Monahan of Train, Ani DiFranco, and The Hooters
in the VH1 Classics special Decades Rock Live. In 2007, she sang "Beecharmer" with
Nellie McKay on McKay's Pretty Little Head album, and "Letters To Michael" with
Dionne Warwick.[citation needed]
On October 16, 2006, Lauper was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.[46]

20082009: Bring Ya to the Brink

Cyndi Lauper performing in 2008

In 2009, Lauper took a role and wrote a song for the Serbian movie Here and There,
which stars her husband, David Thornton, in one of the main roles.[citation needed]
Lauper's sixth studio album, Bring Ya to the Brink was released in the United States on
May 27, 2008. By the time of the album's US release, the single "Set Your Heart"
already had significant airplay in Japan and Lauper had already begun an Australian
tour with Katie Noonan and Kate Miller-Heidke. The album featured dance tracks
written with artists including Axwell, The Scumfrog, Basement Jaxx, Digital Dog,

Dragonette, Kleerup, and others. Bring Ya to the Brink received one Grammy
nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album and charted two #1 hits on the Billboard
Dance chart. "Set Your Heart" was used in the Japanese advertising campaign for the
2008 Toyota Car Model (MarkX ZIO).[citation needed]
"Into the Nightlife"

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Other projects for 2008 included the 2008 True Colors Tour and a Christmas duet with
Swedish band The Hives, entitled "A Christmas Duel". The song was released as a CD
single and a 7" vinyl in Sweden.[47] Lauper also performed on the "Girls Night Out",
headlining it with Rosie O'Donnell in the US.[48]
Lauper's TV appearances in 2009 included performing on the American soap opera As
the World Turns, performing "Time After Time" as a duet with Allison Iraheta on the
season 8 finale of American Idol, and appearing at the 2009 TV Land Awards on April
19 dressed as the "Empress of Evil" for a musical tribute to Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft.
Lauper performed a duet with Leona Lewis on VH1 Divas on September 19, 2009,
singing "True Colors", and performed a comedy skit with Eminem at the MTV VMA's
in September 2009. She also played herself in 30 Rock's third season finale and
appeared as Avalon Harmonia, a psychic, on the Season 5 premiere of Bones.[citation needed]
On November 17, 2009, Lauper performed a collaborative work with Wyclef Jean
called "Slumdog Millionaire" and performed it live on the Late Show with David
Letterman.[49] The collaborative effort stems from Jean's latest album: Toussaint St.
Jean: From the Hut, To the Projects, To the Mansion.[citation needed]

20102012: The Celebrity Apprentice, Memphis Blues, memoir

In January 2010, American toy company Mattel released a Cyndi Lauper Barbie doll as
part of their "Ladies of the 80s" series.[citation needed]
In March 2010, Lauper appeared on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice, coming in sixth
place.[50] She donated her winnings to her own True Colors Fund. Lauper also performed
a song from her upcoming album Memphis Blues in the show's live season finale.[51]
Memphis BluesLauper's 7th studio albumwas released on June 22, 2010 and
debuted on the Billboard Blues Albums chart at No. 1, and at No. 26 on the Billboard
Top 200. The album remained No. 1 on the Blues Albums chart for 14 consecutive

weeks; Memphis Blues was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2011
Grammy Awards.[52]
Lauper made international news in March 2011 for giving an impromptu performance
of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" while waiting for a delayed flight at Aeroparque Jorge
Newbery in Buenos Aires. A video of the performance was later posted on YouTube.[53]
[54]

In November 2011, she released two Christmas singles exclusive to iTunes. The first
release was a Blues-inspired cover of Elvis Presley's classic "Blue Christmas", and the
second was a new version of "Home for the holidays", a duet with Norah Jones. In June
2012, Lauper made her first appearance for WWE in 27 years, to promote WWE Raw's
1000th episode to memorialize "Captain" Lou Albano[55]
In September 2012, she performed at fashion designer Betsey Johnson's 40 year
Retrospective Fashion show.[56]
During 2012 Lauper also released a New York Times Best Selling memoir that detailed
her struggle with child abuse and depression.[57]

2013present: Kinky Boots, She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary

Celebration & more
Lauper composed music for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots with Harvey Fierstein.
The musical, based on the 2006 independent film Kinky Boots, opened in Chicago in
October 2012,[58] and opened on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on April 4,
2013.[59] In May, Lauper won for best score for Kinky Boots at the 63rd annual Outer
Critics Circle Awards.[60] The musical led the 2013 Tony Awards, with 13 nominations
and a season high of six wins including Best Musical and Best Actor. Lauper won the
award for Best Original Score.[61] This award named Lauper as the first woman to win
solo in this category.[62]
In the summer of 2013, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of her debut album She's
So Unusual, Lauper embarked on an international tour covering America and Australia.
The show consisted of a mix of fan favorites and the entirety of the She's So Unusual
record. She will also be a special guest performer on 36 dates of Cher's Dressed to Kill
Tour, starting April 23, 2014.[63] A new album has been confirmed by Lauper on a
website interview,[64]
Lauper presented the GRAMMY Pre-Telecast which took place at the Nokia Theatre,
L.A. on Jan. 26[65] where she later accepted a Grammy for Kinky Boots (Best Musical
Theater Album).[66]
On April 1 (March 1 in Europe), Lauper released the 30th Anniversary edition of She's
So Unusual through Epic Records[67] It featured a remastered version of the original
album plus three new remixes and the Deluxe Edition featured bonus tracks such as
demos a live recording as well as a 3D cut-out of the bedroom featured in the 'Girls Just
Want to Have Fun' music video with a reusable sticker set.[68] She also appeared as a
special guest on Cher's Dressed to Kill Tour,[69] where she performed a set-list mostly
consisting of songs on the She's So Unusual album.[70]

On the 17th of September, Cyndi Lauper sang on the finale of America's Got Talent.[22]
[71]

On the 25th of September, as part of NBC's TODAY's Shine a Light series, Lauper rerecorded True Colors in a mash up with Sara Bareilles' Brave to raise awareness and
money for children battling cancer.[72] As of October 2014, the project raised over
$300,000 for Paediatric Cancer [73] and donations continue to grow.
The SongWriters Hall of Fame included Lauper in its nomination list on October 2014.
[74]
Also during October, Lauper's fourth consecutive 'Home for the Holidays' benefit
concert for homeless gay youth was announced. Acts included 50 cent and Laverne Cox
with 100% of the net proceeds going to the True Colors Fund [75]

Activism
This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may
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(November 2014)

Lauper performing at the Gay Games VII, Wrigley Field, July 22, 2006
Lauper has been an LGBT rights supporter throughout her career, campaigning for
equality through various charities and gay pride events around the world for almost two
decades. Lauper has stated that she became involved in gay rights advocacy because her
sister Ellen was a lesbian, and because Lauper herself was passionate about equality.
Lauper's sister Ellen was a role model, actively participating in charity work in the gay
community, including working at a clinic for AIDS patients.[citation needed]
The title track of Lauper's second album, "True Colors", became an anthem of
acceptance and inspiration, particularly for the gay community. Throughout the 1980s
and 1990s, Lauper consistently performed at pride events throughout America.[citation needed]
Her album Hat Full of Stars contains lyrics that address the issue of homophobia and
her song "Above the Clouds" celebrates the memory of Matthew Shepard, a young man
beaten to death in Wyoming solely because he was gay. Lauper also wrote the music

and lyrics for the Tony Award winning musical Kinky Boots, a show which addresses
the problems of acceptance for drag queens. As a member of the Matthew Shepard
Foundation Board, Lauper devoted a concert tour to promoting the Foundation's
message of understanding and acceptance.[citation needed]
She co-founded the True Colors Tour for Human Rights through the United States and
Canada in June 2007. The tour was sponsored by Logo, the MTV Networks channel
targeting gay audiences. Fans who attended were given purple "Erase Hate" wristbands
by the Matthew Shepard Foundation.[76] The 2007 tour featured Lauper, Deborah Harry,
Erasure, The Dresden Dolls, and Gossip, with Margaret Cho as MC and special guests
in different cities. A dollar from every ticket sold was earmarked for the Human Rights
Campaign, which advocates equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
people.[77]
The True Colors Tour 2008 debuted on May 31, 2008. Joining Lauper at various venues
were Rosie O'Donnell, The B-52's, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Cliks, Indigo
Girls, Kat Deluna, Joan Armatrading, Regina Spektor, Tegan and Sara, Nona Hendryx,
Deborah Cox, and Wanda Sykes, among others. The MC was Carson Kressley from
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Sarah McLachlan was also featured at the Burnaby,
British Columbia show.[citation needed]
In April 2010, Lauper's True Colors Fund launched the Give a Damn campaign to
encourage straight people and the LGBT community to stand up together against
discrimination of LGBT people, and to highlight the problems that LGBT students face
in school from verbal and physical bullying and harassment as well as prejudice in the
work place. Other celebrities associated with the campaign are Whoopi Goldberg, Jason
Mraz, Elton John, Judith Light, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Kardashian, Clay Aiken, Ricky
Martin, Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, and Anna Paquin.[citation needed]
Lauper also became a very powerful advocate for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act,
which sought to include assault based solely on an individual's sexual orientation or
gender identity as a hate crime. In 2009 Lauper was present in the White House when
President Barack Obama signed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law.[citation needed]
In 2012 Lauper started the Forty to None Project after learning that although only 10%
of American youth identify themselves as LGBT, up to 40% of the homeless youth in
America are LGBT. Lauper's project also raised awareness of the problems of LGBT
homeless youth by informing the public that LGBT youth are more likely to be sexually
victimized than straight homeless youthand three times as many LGBT homeless
youth commit suicide. To tackle this problem, Lauper set up the True Colors Residence
in New York City, which is open for LGBT homeless youth. The 40-bed facility offers
temporary shelter and aid for homeless LGBT youth as well as permanent housing,
along with job placement help.[citation needed]
Lauper's performances at gay pride events include the closing ceremonies for the 1994
Gay Games IV in New York City).[citation needed] On June 24, 2012, Lauper appeared as a
grand marshal for the annual Gay Pride Parade in New York City.[78]
Lauper's activism is not limited to LGBT activities. In August 2008, she contributed an
article titled "Hope" to The Huffington Post, encouraging Americans to vote for Barack

Obama in the upcoming United States presidential election.[79] Lauper performed

alongside Thelma Houston, Melissa Etheridge, and Rufus Wainwright at the 2008
Democratic National Convention.[citation needed]
Lauper was also one of the celebrities who designed a T-shirt for the second Fashion
Against AIDS campaign in 2009, a collaboration between H&M and Designers Against
AIDS to raise HIV/AIDS awareness worldwide, particularly amongst young people.
[citation needed]

Legacy
As one of the earliest female icons to harness MTV's influence, Lauper has been
described by All Music's Lindsay Planer as an iconoclastic vocalist who revolutionized
the role of women in rock & roll during the 1980s.[80] With a pop career of over thirty
years, the singer's influence can be seen in multiple recording artists including Alanis
Morissette, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Indie.Arie, Jewel, Jill Scott, Joan
Osborne, Kasey Chambers, Maximum Balloon, No Doubt, P!nk, Sophie B. Hawkins
and Vanessa Paradis.[81] Other artists influenced by Lauper include Nicki Minaj, Kelly
Clarkson, Lil Kim, Lady Gaga, Little Boots and Yelle.[82] Katy Perry has stated that
Lauper was her 'idol' growing up.[83]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Spotify notes that the singer's debut solo album and
distinctive idiosyncratic appearance "helped popularize the image of punk and new
wave for America, making it an acceptable part of the pop landscape".[81] As Rolling
Stone states, Lauper's debut was "arguably the first time explicitly punk-influenced
elements were front-and-center on the pop landscape, both musically and via Lauper's
Patrick Lucas-styled ensembles, dressing up the droll Reagan decade in feminist
chutzpah."[84] The album ranked at #487 on Rolling Stone' s list of The 500 Greatest
Albums of All Time in 2003. The album ranked at #41 on Rolling Stone's list of Women
Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2012.[85] In reviewing the album in
his 1984 Rolling Stone review, Kurt Loder wrote, "A wild and wonderful skyrocket of a
voice... Lauper's extraordinary pipes connect with the right material, the results sound
like the beginning of a whole new golden age." Thirty years after its initial release, the
album was praised for standing the test of time, being noted as 'everlasting' and a 'once
in a lifetime album'.[86] The record has gone on to influence generations of boundarypushing musicians since its release, evident in everything from the ska-infused punk of
No Doubt, the attitude of P!nk, the infectious pop of Katy Perry, the fluorescent
personality of Nicki Minaj and, of course, in Lady Gaga's fashion.[87]
Her iconic cover and re-arrangement of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" established her as
a 'a feminist idol'.[44] Sheila Moeschen of the Huffington Post argues that the song
'embodied a different kind of feminine aesthetic that ran counter to the raw sensuality
and edginess of her contemporaries like Madonna or veteran rockers Joan Jett and Pat
Benatar' that introduced 'a nation of women to a new kind of female role model, one that
celebrated difference and encouraged playfulness in self-expression'.[88] John Rockwell,
The New York Times music critic, wrote that the song was "a giddily upbeat attestation
to female pleasure that simultaneously made a feminist statement, fulfilled male
fantasies andespecially in its often-played video versionevoked the warmth of
family and friends."[89] The video for "Girls", which won the first-ever Best Female
Video prize at the 1984 VMAs, featured a multicultural cast of Lauperized women

teased, sideways hair, neon eye shadow, et al.singing the hook alongside the star.[9]
The video is widely noted for being one of the first to feature women of multiple races;
the result was a song and video that caught the attention of the mainstream by defying
it.[89] Her role as a musical feminist has also been celebrated in her record breaking
musical achievements for women including being the first woman to have four Top 5
hits from a debut album, being the first woman to win the composing category solo
during the 2013 Tony Awards as well as being one of only four women in the history of
American entertainment to have won a competitive Grammy, Emmy and Tony award.
[citation needed]

Lauper's song "Time After Time" has been covered by over 100 artists and was ranked
at #22 on Rolling Stone' s 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years[90] and at #19 on VH1's
100 Greatest Songs of the 80s[91] and in 2008 was given the BMI Millionaire Award for
5 million spins on US radio.[citation needed]
"She Bop", the third single taken from Lauper's debut solo album made history for
being the first and currently only top ten song in music history to directly mention a gay
porn magazine.[92] The single was also included in the PMRC's "Filthy Fifteen" list
which led to the parental advisory sticker being placed on both albums and singles.[92]
Rolling Stone in their retrospective review of 1984, a year the publication believed to be
a high point of American pop music listed She Bop as the 36th best song of that year,
praising it fr its unusual playfulness regarding sexuality.[93]
Her song "True Colors" is recognized by many as an LGBT anthem and due to her
continued involvement with charities such as Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG and the
Matthew Shepherd Foundation as well as her many projects that have highlighted
LGBT issues such as Kinky Boots and songs like "The Ballad of Cleo and Joe", Lauper
is now recognized as a gay icon.[94]

Discography
Main article: Cyndi Lauper discography
Further information: Blue Angel (band) Discography
She's So Unusual (1983)
True Colors (1986)

A Night to Remember (1989)

Hat Full of Stars (1993)

Sisters of Avalon (1996)

Merry Christmas... Have a Nice Life (1998)

At Last (2003)

Shine (2004)

Bring Ya to the Brink (2008)

Memphis Blues (2010)

Filmography
List of theatre, television, and film credits
Theatre
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2000
Matters of the Heart
Herself
Broadway concert
Jenny (Ginny Jenny/Low2006
The Threepenny Opera
Broadway musical
Dive Jenny)
2013
Kinky Boots
Broadway musical (writer)
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
Mother Goose Rock 'n'
1990
Mary (Had a Little Lamb) TV movie
Rhyme
1990
The Wall Live in Berlin
Young Pink
TV movie
1993
Mad About You
Marianne Lugasso
4 episodes
1999
Happily Ever After: Fairy
1 episode: "The Happy
1999
Pidge (voice)
Tales for Every Child
Prince"
1 episode: "Wild Barts Can't
1999
The Simpsons
Herself (voice)
Be Broken"
1999
The Happy Prince
Pidge
TV movie
1 episode: "Smooth
2004
Higglytown Heroes
Operator Hero (voice)
Operator/Stinky Situation"
2005
That's So Raven
Ms. Petuto
1 episode: "Art Breaker"
2005
Queer as Folk
Herself
1 episode: "I Love You"
1 episode: "International
2007
The Backyardigans
Super Spy"
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the
1 episode: "Fly the Super
2008
Herself
D-List
Gay Skies"
1 episode: "Bonfire of the
2008
Gossip Girl
Herself
Vanity"
2009
30 Rock
Herself
1 episode: "Kidney Now!"
The Apprentice: The
2009
Herself/Contestant
Season 3
Celebrity Apprentice 3
2009
Bones
Avalon Harmonia
3 episodes
2013
2012
Bob's Burgers
Performer (voice)
1 episode: "The Belchies"
1 episode: "Follow the
2012
Happily Divorced
Kiki
Leader"
Cyndi Lauper: Still So
12 episodes (executive
2013
Herself
Unusual
producer)
2014
Front and Center
Herself
1 episode
Film
Year
Title
Role
Notes
1984
Prime Cuts
Herself
Cameo
1985
Girls Just Want to Have Fun Woman in Diner
Uncredited
1988
Vibes
Sylvia Pickel
1991
Off and Running
Cyd Morse
1993
Life with Mikey
Geena Briganti
1994
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Picnic Guest
Uncredited

1996
2000
2005
2009
2011
2014

Circle
Sesame Street Elmocize
The Opportunists
The Naked Brothers Band:
The Movie
Here and There
Dirty Movie
Henry & Me

Twyla
Sally Mahon
Herself

Cameo
Cameo

Rose
Little Johnny's Mom
Nurse Cyndi

Tours
Main

Fun Tour (198384)

True Colors World Tour (198687)

A Night to Remember World Tour (1989)

Hat Full of Stars Tour (199394)

Twelve Deadly Cyns World Tour (199495)

Sisters of Avalon Tour (headlining dates in California and Japan only; dates
opening for Tina Turner)(199697)

Summer Tour '99 (headlining dates as well as dates opening for Cher) (1999)

Shine Tour (headlining dates as well as dates opening for Cher) (200103)

At Last Tour (200304)

The Body Acoustic Tour (200506)

Bring Ya to the Brink Tour (2008)

Memphis Blues Tour (201011)

She's So Unusual: 30th Anniversary Tour (headlining dates as well as dates

opening for Cher) (201314)

Co-headlining
American Music Awards Concert Series (1991)
True Colors (2007, 2008)
Opening act
Wildest Dreams Tour (See Sisters of Avalon Tour above) (1997)
Do You Believe? Tour (See Summer Tour '99 above) (1999)

Living Proof: The Farewell Tour (See Shine Tour above) (2005)

Special guest
Dressed to Kill Tour (See She's So Unusual: 30th Anniversary Tour above) (2014)

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Cyndi Lauper

Tony Awards
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known
informally as the Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The
awards are presented by The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York
City. Lauper is the first woman to win a Tony solo for Best Score.[95]
Year Production
2013 Kinky Boots

Category
Best Original Score

Result
Won

Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts
and Sciences. Lauper has won two awards from 15 nominations.
Year

Recipient
Cyndi Lauper
She's So Unusual
1985 "Time After Time"

1986
1987
1988
1990
1999
2005
2009
2011
2014

Award

Result
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won

Best New Artist

Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Record of the Year
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
"What a Thrill"
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
"True Colors"
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
"911"
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
"Cyndi Lauper in Paris"
Best Performance Music Video
"I Drove All Night"
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
"Disco Inferno"
Best Dance Recording
Best Instrumental Arrangement
"Unchained Melody"
Won
Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Bring Ya to the Brink
Best Electronic/Dance Album
Won
Memphis Blues
Best Traditional Blues Album
Won
Kinky Boots
Best Musical Theater Album
Won
She's So Unusual won the Grammy for Best Album Package. This Grammy was
awarded to the art director Janet Perr and not to Cyndi Lauper.
Cyndi Lauper was one of the various artists on the "We Are the World" single
which won four Grammys; however, none went to Lauper.
Lauper received a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Arrangement
Accompanying Vocalist(s), as she was one of the three arrangers along with
Steve Gaboury and Don Sebesky.

MTV Video Music Award

The MTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top
music videos of the year. Lauper won three award from 16 nominations, being the first
win in the category Best Female Video.
Year

Recipient

Award
Video of the Year
Best New Artist
Best Female Video
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
Best Concept Video
1984
Viewer's Choice
Best Overall Performance
Best New Artist
"Time After Time"
Best Female Video
Best Direction
Video of the Year
Best Group Video
"We Are the World"
1985
Viewer's Choice
Best Overall Performance
"She Bop"
Best Female Video
"True Colors"
Best Female Video
1987
"What's Going On"
Best Cinematography

Result
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won
Won

Other recognitions
Year

By
Rolling
1993
Stone
VH1
1999 MTV
Rolling
Stone
Rolling
2000 Stone
MTV
2001 VH1
2002

Rolling
Stone
VH1

2003

Rolling
Stone

2006 VH1

List

Work
Ranked
"Girls Just Want to Have
No. 22
Fun"

The 100 Top Music Videos[96]

100 Greatest Women of Rock &
Roll[15]

Cyndi Lauper

100 Greatest Videos Ever Made[97]

"Girls Just Want to Have

No. 39
Fun"

100 Best Albums of the '80s[98]

She's So Unusual

No. 75

100 Greatest Pop Songs[99]

"Time After Time"

No. 66

100 Greatest Videos[100]

"Girls Just Want to Have

No. 45
Fun"

50 Essential "Women in Rock"

Albums[101]
100 Best Songs of the Past 25
Years[102]
The 500 Greatest Albums of All
Time[103]
100 Greatest Songs of the 80's

[104]

No. 58

She's So Unusual

No. 41

"Time After Time"

No. 22

She's So Unusual

No. 494

"Time After Time"

No. 19
"Girls Just Want to Have
No. 23
Fun"

See also

Book: Cyndi Lauper

List of artists who reached number one in the United States

List of awards and nominations received by Cyndi Lauper

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of number-one hits (United States)

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External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Cyndi Lauper
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cyndi Lauper.

Official website
"Cyndi Lauper" the song, by Mat Shearer

Cyndi Lauper Fansite

Paul Burston, "Cyndi Lauper is Back, and the Girl still wants to Have Fun"
(interview), The Times, August 2, 2008