Everything you need to know about 80s icon Cyndi Lauper

American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper released her debut album 'She's So Unusual' in 1983 and became a pop sensation seemingly overnight - she's now synonymous with the 80s and her hit songs have been enjoyed for decades.

Praised for her passion, creativity, powerful vocals and of course her distinctive look, the 80s wouldn't be complete without Cyndi! Here on Greatest Hits Radio, we can't get enough of the pop sensation who performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2024!

From awards she's won, to her film appearances, and her collaboration with Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle and Gloria Estefan on 'Gonna Be You', find out more about the 'Time After Time' singer as we enjoy her documentary 'Let The Canary Sing', and look forward to her 2025 tour.

What is Cyndi Lauper's real name?

Her full name is Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper.

Where is she from?

Cyndi was born in New York in 1953, and she still lives there.

How old is she?

Her birthday is 22nd June 1953, making her 71-years-old.

How many albums has Cyndi Lauper released?

The 'She Bop' singer has released 11 studio albums and seven compilation albums - to top it all off, she has sold around 50 million albums worldwide!

Some of her most popular albums are 'Twelve Deadly Cyns and Then Some', 'A Night To Remember', 'True Colors' and of course her debut album 'She's So Unusual'.

What awards has Cyndi Lauper won?

In 1984, Cyndi won a Grammy award for Best New Artist following the amazing success of her debut album which was released the year before.

It's no surprise that since then she has taken home many more awards, including the MTV Music Video Award for Best Female Video in 1984 for 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun', the Billboard Music Awards for Top Female Artist and Top New Artist in 1984, an ASCAP Pop Music Award for Most Performed Song in 1986 for 'Time After Time', and countless other nominations.

She was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015, and nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

Cyndi Lauper as an LGBTQ+ advocate

Cyndi has been a long-standing ally of the LGBTQ+ community, with her song 'True Colors' becoming an anthem. She founded True Colors United, a nonprofit to support homeless young LGBTQ+ people. Cyndi became involved in LGBTQ+ rights activism very early on in her career in support of her sister, who is a lesbian.

She opened up in an interview with us about the importance of the song 'True Colors' (also spelt 'True Colours' in the UK, saying: "By the time I really started to answer letters (fan mail), I was pregnant with my son in '97.

"And that's when everything started to settle, and I was reading them online, and that's when I started reading all the letters about 'True Colours'. And I never realised before what it meant, you know, like that.

"And their people felt so disenfranchised that talked about getting fired from their jobs, losing their friends, their families, and I always hated that, 'fit that round peg in the square hole no matter what', so, you know. When I saw these emails I called my sister Ellen and I said 'You know, we should do something', and I read them to her, and she said: 'Absolutely'.

"And then we started with 'P flags stay close', to you and your family, because you know, you always have to stick up for when you know something is wrong, that became the charge!"

Has Cyndi Lauper been in any films?

As well as being a singer, Cyndi has tried her hand at acting, she had a cameo in Prime Cuts in 1984, and went on to appear in Vibes, Life with Mikey, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, The Opportunists, The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie, and Here and There.

She has also been in a number of TV shows including Bones, Happily Divorced, and Mad About You, which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for in 1995.

What is Cyndi's latest song called?

On 20th January 2023, Cyndi released her collab called 'Gonna Be You' for the soundtrack of the film 80 For Brady. The song was written by Grammy Award-winner Diane Warren.

Is there a Cyndi Lauper documentary?

On 3rd March 2023, Sony Music announced that a documentary about Cyndi Lauper was in production. Called Let the Canary Sing, it follows her incredible rise to fame and 'offers an immersive journey into the world of the iconic and history-making singer-songwriter, actor, activist, and best-selling musical composer.'

In May 2024, it was announced the new documentary will air on exclusively on Paramount+, landing in the UK on Wednesday 5th June.

Speaking about the new documentary, Cyndi said: “Over the years I’ve been asked to do a documentary about my life and work, but it never felt like the right time. Until now. When I first met Alison Ellwood, I knew right away I could trust her to tell my story honestly, which was incredibly important to me, and she succeeded in that. I'd like to thank Alison, the producers, and all of the amazing documentary participants who agreed to be interviewed!”

Did Cyndi Lauper write the music for Kinky Boots?

Cyndi wrote the music for the theatre production Kinky Boots by Harvey Fierstein. It went on to win six Tony Awards including Best Musical. Cyndi is the only solo female who has won in the Best Musical category. The soundtrack also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album in 2014.

Is Cyndi Lauper married?

The singer married actor David Thornton in 1991 and they have a son together who is called Declyn.

What are Cyndi Lauper's biggest songs?

Cyndi Lauper shot to fame with her girl-power anthem 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' and has released numerous other big hits since.

From her chart-topping hits to some gems you might have forgotten about, take a look through some of Cyndi Lauper's best songs.

When did 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' hit 1 billion YouTube views?

The digital milestone was reached in January 2022 and Cyndi took to social media to share her excitement, sharing a clip of the music video and thanking her fans.

Speaking about creating the song, she said: "When I got my feminist hands on it, I knew I wanted to make it into an anthem for all women. Sonically, I wanted the song to be uplifting and joyful. When it came time to make the video, it was really important to me to make sure we included women from every walk of life.

"I wanted every little girl watching the video to have the joyful experience of seeing herself on that screen. I wanted us to be a community."

Glastonbury Festival

In March 2024, Cyndi was announced to perform at Glastonbury on the Pyramid Stage. She joined a line-up which included Shania Twain in the Legends slot and Paul Heaton, also on the iconic Pyramid Stage.

Royal Albert Hall, London

Along with her date at Glastonbury, Cyndi performed her hits at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 26th June. The singer told her fans: 'I haven’t played at the Royal Albert Hall since 1995, when I was there for my Twelve Deadly Cyns tour.

'I was dressed like a Queen surrounded by Queens singing “Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun) in all my glory! I had a blast. And not only is the Royal Albert Hall one of the most important music venues but over 20 Suffragette rallies were held there! That makes it great for me.' (sic)

When is Cyndi Lauper on tour?

Cyndi has now announced dates for her 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour', the singer will be performing four UK dates in February 2025.

Where can I listen to Cyndi Lauper's best songs?

On Greatest Hits Radio we play the biggest and best songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s, including Cyndi Lauper's classic tracks.

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