By Bradley Stier
Thirty years ago, on a brand new music network called MTV, an icon was born. Flame haired and wearing a vintage prom dress, Cyndi Lauper danced across television screens to her signature tune, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” In celebration of that anniversary, Cyndi is taking to the road and again touring behind her debut album She’s So Unusual, performing it in its entirety across the country.
2013 has been a big year for Lauper. The smash Broadway musical, Kinky Boots, which she scored, cleaned up at this year’s Tony Awards, including wins for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and, for Cyndi herself, Best Score. That brings her one step closer to joining the exclusive, fabled EGOT club, those artists who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award. Lauper has secured all but the Oscar.
It’s another jewel in Cyndi’s crown. Her thirty year music career has spawned such seminal hits as “True Colors,” “Time After Time,” and “She-Bop,” songs that no 80’s archivist can ignore as they helped define the era’s aesthetic. But Lauper’s musical output has never been confined to that time. She has explored many genres and styles, from alt-rock (1993’s Hat Full of Stars) to jazz (2003‘w At Last) to electronica (2008’s Bring Ya To the Brink). Her last world tour supported 2010’s stellar album of original blues music Memphis Blues and found Cyndi revisiting some of her famous tracks from the ’80s through a blues filter to thrilling results.
This last Saturday, Lauper celebrated her 60th birthday. She continues to be an inspiration to the up and coming pop stars of today, a tireless advocate of LGBT rights, and a powerhouse performer dedicated to reinventing herself and challenging her audience to do the same. Sure to light the stage at Symphony Hall on fire when she brings this current tour to Atlanta on July 2nd, Lauper promises to show that even at 60 she’s still so unusual.
