SimplyAbuDhabi XLVII

“I wanted to make mu- sic that had courage and would provide light in the dark.” – Cyndi Lauper S ome icons burn brightly in their moment. Others evolve, expand, and illuminate generation after generation with unwavering originality. Cyndi Lauper is of the latter kind. With her unmistakable voice, kaleidoscopic style, and irrepressible spirit, she has built a career not merely on hit songs or statement looks, but on authenticity – a quality that never goes out of fashion. Cyndi Lauper first electrified the world in the early 1980s with the release of She’s So Unusual , a debut album that turned the pop landscape on its head. It wasn’t just the sound – though that alone, a punchy mix of new wave, punk, and irresistible pop, was revelatory – it was the feeling. Here was a woman who was entirely herself: funny, fierce, emotionally honest, and gloriously unfiltered. Girls Just Want to Have Fun wasn’t just a chart-topper – it was a manifesto. But Lauper was never content to be a novelty. With songs like Time After Time and True Colors , she revealed her deeper register – both vocally and emotionally. There is a haunting tenderness in her delivery, a sincerity that tempers the flam- boyance. Her music invites joy, but also speaks to vulnerability, individuality, and the right to be wholly seen. It is precisely that duality – of playfulness and poignancy – that defines Lauper’s enduring appeal. She is exuberant without artifice, eccentric without calculation. Her style has always been a vivid extension of her personality: clashing prints, whimsical accessories, and hair in shades of electric blue, platinum blonde, or candy-apple red. In a world that often urges women to tone it down, Lauper never has – and never will. Simply Abu Dhabi | 145