At the beginning of her career, Cyndi Lauper had to cope with a lot of comparisons to other pop performers.
The 71-year-old “True Colors” singer talked candidly in an interview with The Guardian published on Tuesday, June 25, about how the record company she signed with Blue Angel intended to market her as a solo performer.
Lauper claimed that they wished for her to resemble Barbra Streisand.
“Observe; you had a Streisand,” she told the newspaper.
The label also matched Lauper up against Madonna, who had just released her first album in 1983.
It’s as though you could only have one successful woman in your life. What on earth is that related to? The “Time After Time” performer made a statement. She’s been entertaining us for years. She has created excellent pop music. I want to be competitive, but not in a gender-specific sense. That doesn’t appeal to me.”
Lauper also discussed in the interview how difficult it was for her to get along with other music industry executives, and whether or not she thought her career would have been easier if she had done so.
She responded, “Yes, I probably would have, but I wouldn’t be who I am.” “I don’t know what that path would have been.”
Lauper went on, “I wanted to learn, even if it could have been easier for a moment. To be honest, my goal has always been to become a superb artist.”
The actress and activist and the 65-year-old “Frozen” hitmaker shared some similarities.
Lionel Richie revealed in February that he preferred Lauper to Madonna for the 1985 smash song “We Are the World.”
With only half a line to sing, it’s one of the most intriguing queries ever. I’ll say this now, in just a few sentences. Thus, we needed voices that people could instantly recognize,” he remarked on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
“And so, for whatever reason, we didn’t know whether Cyndi was coming,” Richie, 75, went on. ‘Are you coming?’ I asked Cyndi after the show. ‘I spoke to my partner, and he says he doesn’t say it’s a hit,’ she continued. ‘Don’t miss this session,’ I warned, and she turned up and was excellent.”
The “Stuck on You” singer acknowledged that he had made a “mistake” by leaving out Madonna when host Jimmy Kimmel questioned him about it.
“I’m going to say this now on national and international television—you’re right,” stated Richie.