Lauper grew up in Queens , New York. An indifferent student, she eventually dropped out of high school , and for the next several years, she worked at a number of assorted jobs and sang popular songs in nightclubs. After she suffered an injury to her vocal chords in , she began to study under a vocal coach. That same year she and fellow musician John Turi formed the rockabilly band Blue Angel, and for the first time, Lauper publicly performed songs that she had had a hand in writing. Commercial success eluded them, however, and in Blue Angel was dissolved. Although subsequent albums, including True Colors and Hat Full of Stars , failed to ignite the charts, Lauper remained an enduring pop icon and appeared regularly on television variety programs and talk shows. She also took guest roles on television, notably on several episodes of the s sitcom Mad About You —which garnered her an Emmy in —and in episodes —13 of the crime show Bones. In Lauper wrote the score for the Broadway play Kinky Boots , which was based on a British movie of the same name. The play, which featured a book by Harvey Fierstein , was a huge success, and Lauper won a Tony Award for best original score, becoming the first solo woman to win the prize.
Who Is Cyndi Lauper?
Where people listen
Cyndi Lauper burst onto the charts with her debut album, She's So Unusual Her earliest childhood days were spent in Brooklyn, but when she was about four years old, the family moved to Ozone Park, Queens, where she lived in a railroad-style apartment through her teenage years. Growing up, Lauper felt like an outcast. Her parents divorced when she was five. Lauper and her two siblings were raised by her mother, who worked as a waitress to support the family — and who loved the arts and frequently took her children to Manhattan to see Shakespeare plays or visit art museums. Lauper did not do particularly well in school, and was reportedly kicked out of several parochial schools in her youth.
Quick Facts
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper born June 22, [1] is an American singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors This album included the number one single " True Colors " and " Change of Heart ", which peaked at number three. Since , Lauper has released eleven studio albums and participated in many other projects. In , 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 , Lauper won the Tony Award for best original score for composing the Broadway musical Kinky Boots , making her the first woman to win the category by herself. Lauper has sold over 50 million records worldwide.
We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Cyndi Lauper is a groundbreaking Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning songwriter and performing artist with global record sales in excess of 50 million. Her iconic voice, influential punk glamour, and infectious live shows have catapulted her to stardom. Lauper won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist with her first album, She's So Unusual, and became the first woman in history to have four top-five singles from a debut album. She contributed a Tony-nominated song to the score of the Broadway musical SpongeBob SquarePants and is currently writing the score for the Broadway adaptation of the feature film Working Girl. Listen to Cyndi Lauper now. To play this content, you'll need the Spotify app.
