Cyndi Lauper ‘sad’ she was pitted against Madonna in the 80s: ‘I would have liked a friend’
"I didn't think she liked me that much"
Cyndi Lauper has reflected on being pitted against Madonna when both were starting out their pop careers in the 1980s.
The women both broke through in 1983: Madonna with her hit ‘Holiday’, and Cyndi with ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’.
The ‘True Colours’ singer discussed her relationship (or lack of one) with M at the time in a new interview with E! News.
“Isn’t that sad, there can only be room for one? I didn’t like it” – Cyndi Lauper
“Isn’t that sad, there can only be room for one?” the 70-year-old told the publication. “I didn’t like it.”
Asked if she ever talked to Madonna about it, Cyndi replied: “Nah. I didn’t think she liked me that much.”
Speaking about going blonde like her peer, having initially been redheaded, the star recalls saying “‘OK doll, I’ll just put a black [bow] here so they know the difference between the two of us.’”
Cyndi also recently addressed Madonna in an interview with the New York Times, saying: “It was like apples and oranges.” She added: “I would have liked to have a friend.”
Cyndi, known for hits like ‘Time After Time’ and ‘I Drove All Night’, has sold over 50 million records worldwide. Later this year, she’ll embark on the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour.
In 2008, she founded True Colours United to combat homelessness among LGBTQ youth; she is also appreciated for her outspoken HIV advocacy.
“I know that I probably lost business because I talked about AIDS a lot,” she told the NYT. “[But] I ought to stand up like any good Italian and stick up for my family, you know?”