Cyndi Lauper
The new wave movement of the early 1980s brought a wave of colorful, eclectic pop artists to mainstream audiences, mixing rock energy with synthesizer-driven arrangements and a distinctly theatrical sense of style. Cyndi Lauper, born on June 22, 1953, in New York City, emerged from that moment as a singer, songwriter, and actress who carved out a space that was entirely her own.
Lauper attended Richmond Hill High School and later Johnson State College before building a career that crossed several creative disciplines. As a performer working within the new wave genre, she brought a vocal and visual sensibility that set her apart from her contemporaries. Her work extended beyond recording and touring into acting, giving her a foothold in television and theater as well as music. That range across multiple entertainment fields proved to be more than a passing experiment — it became the shape of a long and varied career.
The honors she accumulated over the decades reflect how broadly her work was received. Early on, she took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, a recognition that marked her arrival at the top of the industry. She also received the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, placing her at the center of a format that was redefining how pop music reached its audience. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame acknowledged her standing as a figure in American entertainment, while the VH1 Trailblazer Honors added to that recognition later in her career.
Her work in musical theater brought a separate round of critical acknowledgment. She received the Tony Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, wins that demonstrated her range as a songwriter in a demanding theatrical context. On television, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, rounding out a set of honors that spans music, stage, and screen. That Emmy, taken alongside her Tony and her two Grammys, makes her one of the few performers to hold major awards across all three fields.
Quotes by Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper's insights on:
When I got hoarse, the manager would say, 'Drink this. Joplin used to drink this,' and I used to say, 'Joplin? Joplin's dead.
There’s ageism in everything. I don’t give a hoot. It isn’t what other people think; it’s what you think. But it’s hard to come to terms with getting older. I admire people like Vivienne Westwood.
Somebody did complain to me and tell me that my clothes were so loud they couldn’t hear me sing.
The ’80s was a really creative and brave period. Remember, it was a period of ultraconservatism, and so you needed brave people to push ahead like that.
I don’t have good business sense. You never get much money for the arts. But I like independence. I like to grow.
My mother said I was a little odd as a kid. I was alone a lot, but I didn’t feel alone.
I knew Queen Elizabeth didn’t do any laundry! I knew I wasn’t going to be doing laundry. I was going to be singing.