Cyndi Lauper

An 80’s pop starlet that skyrocketed her way to the top of the mainstream game, Cyndi Lauper has made her mark as an artist both socially and musically.

Beginning her solo career in the 1983 with hit debut album She’s So Unusual, Lauper came to be a household name with the four top-five hits that came with the record, including breakthrough single “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and the visceral, chart-topping “Time After Time”. Her camp attitude, electrifying vocals, and unrelenting earworms made an impression on the general public, and she would take home Best New Artist and Best Album Package at the Grammy’s for She’s So Unusual, amidst 4 other nominations. Lauper would never reach the same sort of stardom again musically following She’s So Unusual, but her legacy was far from over.

She’s So Unusual set the ground for her next work: True Colors. Released in 1986, the album most notably contained title-track “True Colors”, which would grow to become a primary anthem of the gay rights movement. Lauper would later serve as a key advocate of the LGBT community, and she has fairly consistently addressed homophobia throughout her career.

She released seven more studio albums since then, including a notable best-hits collection and a cover album title At Last. Though none would reach the same commercial success as her previous records despite general critical acclaim, they have expanded Lauper’s sound and topical direction. She’s due to release her next album, Detour on May 2, 2016.

Lauper has also made a significant imprint on the theatre aspect of culture. In 2013 – 30 years after her initial solo debut – she became the sole composer and lyricist of hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots to accompany Harvey Feirstein’s book. Boots brought home six Tony Awards, including Best Score for Lauper, making her the first woman in history to receive the award by herself. With the award, Lauper is only missing an Oscar to become one of the legendary EGOT winners.

In the last 30 years, Lauper has solidified her status as a pop culture icon, selling over 50 million records in the process.