Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (born June 20 or June 22 (sources vary), 1953) is, as Cyndi Lauper, a singer whose melodic voice and wild costumes are a classic image of the 1980s, when she first came to fame.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Discography 3 Filmography 4 External link |
Cyndi Lauper was born in Queens, New York. She started in a band named Blue Angel, then in 1983 started dating her manager David Wolff, and together they released She's So Unusual, a worldwide hit, which propelled Lauper into fame. A mixture of soft pop-rock and edgier sounds, the album's most popular song, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" became a female anthem.
That album also produced the punk-rockish "She Bop" and the soft and romantic "Time After Time", a song that has been covered by over 70 artists. Cyndi was popular with teenagers, in part because of her quirky image that took the popular 1980s punk look and tamed it down.
At this period of her career, many compared her to Madonna.
In 1986, after she recorded the song "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" for the 1985 film The Goonies, starring Corey Feldman, Lauper released another album, True Colors. Showing a more mature sound and attitude, it reached number 4 on the US album charts, the title song reaching number 1, and earning Platinum status once again.
Her next album, 1989's A Night to Remember, did not do as well, spawning only the US hit "I Drove All Night", orriginally intended for Roy Orbison. Orbison's version was not released until 1992, three years after Lauper's version and four years after Orbison's death. During this time Cyndi also appeared as the female lead in the quirky comedy Vibes, which was critically panned and a box office dissapointment. The soundtrack song "Hole In My Heart (All the Way to China)" also flopped.
In 1990 she joined many other guests for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin.
Lauper's singing career took a pause after that, but she didn't disappear from show business, and in 1993 participated in My Life With Mikey, with Michael J. Fox, playing his secretary. She released an album entitled Hat Full of Stars, which was again a commercial failure, but a critical hit. With a smooth new R&B sound and production by Junior Vasquez, she tackled topics like spousal abuse and abortion.
In 1995 Lauper won an Emmy award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of wealthy contessa Marianne Lugasso in Mad About You. She also released 12 Deadly Cyns...and Then Some, a greatest hits compilation that included two new tracks. Among them was a remix of her first big hit, newly titled "Hey Now (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun)." The album was released with various titles and packaging and track listings around the world.
Her 1997 album Sisters of Avalon put her back in the spotlight. Its subject matter even more adult than before, it was quickly embraced by the gay community for its disco and dance music influence. The topicality of the album also appealed to gay people: the song "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" addressed the complications of a drag queen's double life, while "You Don't Know" tackled the idea of coming out of the closet. The album's singles were remixed with great success, and Lauper began performing as a featured artist at gay pride events around the world.
In 1999 she co-headlined a tour with Cher, and contributed a cover version of the disco classic "Disco Inferno" to the soundtrack of the film A Night at the Roxbury. At this point she had also received critical praise for her roles in several independent films including The Opportunists with Christopher Walken, and Off and Running.
In 2001 Lauper prepared an album, Shine, which drew back to her initial fun pop sound without losing some of the "grown woman" maturity that she had embraced on later records. However, the album's label, Edel America Records, folded just weeks before its scheduled release. Then the tracks were leaked to the public. Cyndi expressed anxiety over this, and although an E.P of five songs called "Shine" was made available through her website and at Tower records, the full length album concept was scrapped.
She undertook her second co-headlining tour with Cher in 2002
In 2003, an E.P. of remixes from the never released "Shine" full length project were sold on the Edel America Records website. Additionally Cyndi's former label Sony issued a new greatest hits CD called "The Essential Cyndi Lauper." She has re-signed with Sony/Epic Records, the label that made her a star, and her album "Naked City" is in the works. She maintains a devoted fan base and lives in New York with her husband David and their child.
In November 2003 an album of standards was released called "At Last".
Biography
Discography
Albums
E.P.s
Soundracks and other albums
Filmography
External link
