Cyndi Lauper

From an early image as a lighthearted insurgent, Cyndi Lauper has developed into one of the most highly regarded figures in U.S. popular music. She first captured widespread attention in 1983 upon issuing She's So Unusual, a record that perfectly highlighted her powerful vocals and vibrant persona. The project instantly transformed her into a household name and an MTV favorite, yielding the major singles "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time" while briefly positioning her as a symbol of female empowerment comparable to Madonna. Her multicolored hair, wide-ranging fashion choices, and broad musical approach—incorporating pop, reggae, funk, and dance elements—embodied an open-minded outlook that bridged underground scenes with mainstream audiences.

Although she never again achieved the commercial peak of She's So Unusual, Lauper's work deepened over time; with 1989's A Night to Remember and 1992's A Hat Full of Stars she assumed fuller songwriting responsibility and addressed weightier subjects that once lay beyond her established image. On 2003's At Last she demonstrated her skill with classic standards, and by the 2010s she moved fluidly between pop, blues on Memphis Blues, and country on 2016's Detour while also composing the score for the hit stage musical Kinky Boots.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 22, 1953, and raised in Queens, Lauper left high school as a teenager to perform with several local cover bands. After her voice became overtaxed she studied with vocal coach Katherine Agresta. In 1977 she began composing original songs alongside keyboardist John Turi; together they formed the rockabilly-tinged band Blue Angel. The group cultivated a loyal New York following and issued a self-titled debut on Polydor in 1980. When the album failed to connect, Lauper declared bankruptcy and the band dissolved.

She subsequently performed in neighborhood clubs and restaurants until manager and boyfriend David Wolff obtained a Portrait contract through CBS distribution. She's So Unusual appeared late in 1983. Bolstered by extensive MTV exposure for the lead single and video "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," the album reached number four on the U.S. charts in spring 1984, earned five-times platinum certification, and succeeded in the U.K. and Europe as well. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" climbed to number two, "Time After Time" hit number one, and both "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" entered the Top Ten.

Now an established star, Lauper struggled to sustain that momentum. In 1985 she recorded her next album and contributed only "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough," the theme for the film The Goonies. True Colors arrived in fall 1986; although it peaked at number four, went platinum, and featured a number-one title track, its softer adult-contemporary tone disappointed some listeners. Further setbacks followed when the 1988 comedy Vibes underperformed at the box office. Her third album, A Night to Remember, drew mixed notices in 1989, reached only number 37 despite the Top Ten single "I Drove All Night," and sold modestly. The following year she ended her partnership with Wolff and married actor David Thornton.

After a brief hiatus Lauper returned in 1993 with Hat Full of Stars, on which she co-produced and co-wrote every track; it peaked at number 112. The U.K. compilation Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some arrived the next year, climbing to number two and sending a remixed "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" to number one. An American release followed in 1995 with less impact. Sisters of Avalon appeared in spring 1997 to favorable reviews yet failed to chart, while Merry Christmas...Have a Nice Life! was issued in late 1998.

Following another extended break, Lauper recorded the standards collection At Last in 2003, which earned positive notices and yielded the live DVD Live...At Last. The Body Acoustic, featuring acoustic reinterpretations of earlier hits, appeared in 2005. She issued the dance-oriented Bring Ya to the Brink in 2008 before turning to classic blues material on Memphis Blues in 2010.

Promotion for Memphis Blues included a stint on The Celebrity Apprentice. Subsequent years brought diverse projects: the 2012 autobiography Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir, the score and songs for the Broadway adaptation of Kinky Boots—which received 13 Tony nominations in 2013 and earned Lauper the award for Best Original Score, making her the first solo female recipient—and a 2013 tour marking the thirtieth anniversary of She's So Unusual, accompanied by a deluxe reissue. She maintained television appearances and returned in spring 2016 with Detour, a set of country covers that included contributions from Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Alison Krauss.

In 2022 Lauper rerecorded her 1993 single "Sally's Pigeons" in response to the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Two new songs followed in 2023: "Gonna Be You" for the film 80 for Brady and "Oh Dolores" for the series The Horror of Dolores Roach, in which she also appeared as an amateur detective. At the close of 2023 she joined Cher on the seasonal single "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart."