Introduction to a Legendary Career
Cyndi Lauper has long been considered one of the most vocal supporters of pop music for women and the LGBTQ community. In the midst of her upcoming farewell concert tour, her introduction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was recently announced, which seems to be the legacy that she wants to leave behind.
The Importance of Recognition and Creating Change
"I think it’s nice to get awards. It really is. And it’s nice to be recognized after you have really worked hard in something. But I also think: What can I do to create changes? What can I do to do better?" Lauper emphasized the importance of using her platform to make a positive impact, particularly through her True Colors: Women in Music program. "Not only for me, not even for my gender, but for the people who come afterwards: the planet, the people, the children. If you look at the young artists, the painters, and look at what they do a lot, some of them are very apocalyptic, that is because they don’t have hope, and I think the most important thing you hope and what I want to try."
Upcoming Tour and Induction into the Rock Hall
Lauper was announced last month as an inductee for the 2025 class of Rock Hall alongside Bad Company, The White Stripes, and Outkast. Her Girls Just Want to Have Fun farewell tour will resume in the United States in July and conclude with two nights at the Hollywood Bowl in August. Lauper’s complete interview will air on SiriusXM on May 22nd.
Praise for Emerging Artists
Elsewhere in the interview, Lauper praised emerging artist Chappell Roan, whom several critics have compared to Lauper. Lauper promoted Roan to the pop superstar last year, and Majewski suggested that Roan should include Lauper in the rock hall, although Lauper had not addressed that directly. "I think she is really great. There are many great young artists, I think she is really great," said Lauper.
Advocacy for the LGBTQ Community
Majewski himself called Roan "a modern Cyndi Lauper" and a "direct descendant" of the icon, both because of the music and on the basis of Roan’s advocacy for the LGBTQ community. "She is LGBTQ, and for me, I am a friend and family [to the community]" said Lauper. "I don’t think you should ever allow this kind of discrimination and prejudices against a community."
Remembering the Past to Build a Better Future
Lauper then remembered the well-known poem by German pastor Martin Niemöller’s famous poem "First they came" about the Second World War and the Holocaust and talked about injustices to other groups than her own. "It is really important that people remember [the poem’s message] If you say: ‘Never forget.’ It seems like they all have it," she said. "You have to share your story so that people understand that we are a community of people. And people, we are all different. And thank God, we are all different. Because if everyone were the same, there would be no new ideas. There would be no new food recipes. There would be nothing, no color. There would be nothing."
Empowering Women’s Rights
When asked about the "Girls Just Want Basic Rights" shirts from Lauper’s sale of the same name to collect money for women’s health and rights, Lauper remembered to bring younger women with the same message and women’s marches in recent years. She confirmed that it inspired her to start the fund in 2022. "When I talked about women’s rights in the 80s, everyone said: ‘What do you talk about? Why can’t you just hold and sing the flap?’ I said, ‘Yes, when I got this lobotomy,’" said Lauper.
Giving Back to the Community
After seeing the signs of rallies, she contacted those who helped her to start True Colors United – an organization aimed at fighting homelessness for LGBT young people – and gave her help to start the new fund. At the end of April, Girls Just Want Basic Rights announced a donation of $150,000 to eight organizations around the world. "I found it really important to be able to help in these times and to recognize these young women. They heard me. Well, I heard them too," she said. "And I will also help. I can’t just be available and do nothing."
