Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and LGBT rights activist whose career has spanned across five decades. Her debut solo album She's So Unusual (1983) was an instant commercial success. The album 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" -- earning Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack from the motion picture The Goonies and her second record, True Colors (1986), which included the number one hit of the same name, and Change of Heart, which peaked at number 3 and earned Lauper two nominations at the 29th Grammy Awards in 1987.
Since 1989, Lauper has released nine studio albums to varying critical acclaim, and has participated in several other projects. Her most recent album, the Grammy-nominated Memphis Blues, became Billboard's most successful blues album of the year, remaining at number one on the Billboard Blues Albums chart for 13 consecutive weeks. In 2011, Lauper released an autobiography detailing her battle with child abuse and depression; the book became a New York Times Best Seller.
In 2013, Lauper completed writing both the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, which led the 2013 Tony Awards with 13 nominations and six awards including Best Musical. The musical also won Best Score, making Lauper the first woman to win the composing category solo. In 2013, she became the first artist in over 25 years to top the dance charts with a Broadway single. In 2014, Lauper, as the producer, composer and lyricist, was awarded the Grammy for best musical theater album for Kinky Boots. That same cast album spent 51 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Over the course of her career, Lauper has released over 40 singles and (as of 2014) has sold more than 80 million records worldwide. She is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum's "Women Who Rock" exhibit, which illustrates the important roles that women have played in rock and roll history. Lauper has won at the Grammy, Emmy, Tony, MTV VMA, Billboard, and AMA awards. In 1999, VH1 ranked Lauper No. 58 of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. Lauper is also one of only twenty artists to achieve "GET" status by winning competitive Grammy, Emmy, and Tony awards.
Lauper has been celebrated for her ongoing humanitarian work over the last 30 years, 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.
- 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)
- Detour (2016)
- A Date with Rosie Palms: "She-Bop".
- The Ditz: Has been known to effect a ditzy persona, both on stage and off.
- Let's Duet: Most famously with Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: While Lauper is (in)famous for her almost ludicrously-thick New York accent, personal anecdotes from some who've worked with her indicate it's an act and she drops it around those to whom she's close or for whom she has a strong professional respect.
- Strange Girl: Her debut album was entitled She's So Unusual, after all; and at the time she became famous she was sporting a deliberately bizarre look, including thrift store clothing and a partially-shaved head with the rest of her hair long and brightly dyed.