Cyndi Lauper

• Genre: Pop
• Hometown: New York City
• Cyndi Lauper Website

About

Cyndi Lauper is forever linked to the early 1980s, but her talent is such that her career has weathered the subsequent decades well. Bright, sassy and brimming over with goofball charisma, Lauper never hid her Brooklyn-accented street smarts, and she's smiled publicly through career ups and downs. Lauper's 1984 debut, She's So Unusual, became one of the defining albums of the "leg warmer and shoulder pads" era with such hits as "Time After Time," "She Bop" and the irrepressible "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." If anyone else had sung "She Bop"'s "proud to practice self-abuse" lyrics during the early-'80s it would have caused major controversy, but Lauper's emphasis on good cheer instead of overt sexuality defused any potential public outcry. Her cartoon pop take on new wave may have hurt her career as times changed, but most of her subsequent recordings sound better and have sold more than most people would guess. Lauper also has a parallel acting career, and she's starred in movies with two of cinema's greatest eccentric talents, Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum. She's also won an Emmy for her recurring role on the '90s sitcom, Mad About You.

- Nick Dedina