Cyndi Lauper

Lore & Background

Lauper was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Catholic family of Swiss-German and Italian descent. Her parents divorced when she was five, and she grew up in Ozone Park, Queens. At age 12, she began writing songs and playing guitar. She was expelled from Richmond Hill High School but later earned her GED. At 17, she ran away from home to escape an abusive stepfather, spending time in Canada and Vermont, where she took art classes and worked odd jobs. In 1978, she formed the band Blue Angel with saxophonist John Turi. The band released one album in 1980, which sold poorly, and Lauper later filed for bankruptcy after a lawsuit. She temporarily lost her voice due to a vocal cord cyst. After the band broke up, she worked retail and waitressed while singing in clubs. In 1981, she met manager David Wolff, who secured a contract with Portrait Records. Her debut solo album, She's So Unusual (1983), made her the first female artist to have four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from a debut album. The music video for 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' won Best Female Video at the inaugural 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. In 1985, she won Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards and participated in the 'We Are the World' charity single. Her second album, True Colors (1986), produced two more top-five hits. Lauper continued releasing albums into the 2000s, with multiple number-one hits on the Hot Dance Club Play charts. In 2013, she won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for composing the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, becoming the first woman to win that category alone. The musical also won Best Musical. In 2014, she won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast recording. Lauper was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025.

Reader's Guide

Cyndi Lauper's significance lies in her distinctive artistic identity and her role as a trailblazer for female artists in the 1980s. Her debut album, She's So Unusual, broke records by producing four top-five hits, and her music videos helped define the MTV era. Beyond music, Lauper's advocacy for LGBTQ rights has been a central part of her public life. Her achievements include winning three of the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT), with a Tony, Grammy, and Emmy. She has also been recognized by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her work on the Broadway musical Kinky Boots earned her a historic Tony win. Lauper's legacy is that of a versatile performer who used her platform for social causes and left an indelible mark on pop culture.

Did You Know?

• Lauper's debut album She's So Unusual was the first debut by a female artist to have four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
• She won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for Kinky Boots in 2013, the first woman to win that category alone.
• Lauper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025.
• She has sold over 50 million records worldwide.