Cyndi Lauper Responds to Rock Hall Induction Snub

Cyndi Lauper was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, but she didn’t make the final list of inductees. The rock star has recently spoken about how she feels about not making the final cut. Here’s what she had to say. 

Nominees and inductees for the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Along with Lauper, fellow nominees for this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were Sheryl Crow, George Michael, The White Stripes, Missy Elliot, Iron Maiden, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, A Tribe Called Quest, Warren Zevon, Kate Bush, Joy Division/New Order, Soundgarden, and The Spinners. 

The 2023 inductees were announced in May. Bush, Crow, Elliott, Michael, Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, and The Spinners made it in the performer category. The musical influence award is set to go to DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray and the excellence award is set to go to Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, and Bernie Taupin. The Ahmet Ertegun award, which is given to “non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock and roll and music that has impacted youth culture,” is going to Don Cornelius.  

Cyndi Lauper isn’t bothered by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snub

At the premiere of the documentary about her life, Let the Canary Sing, Lauper said she’s fine with not making it into the Rock Hall’s 2023 class. She has bigger things to focus on. 

“I always felt that rock ‘n’ roll could save the world, and as a rocker, you have to be an activist,” she told People. 

Lauper has always felt it was her duty, as a rock star, to “make the place better than” she found it. 

“That will never change with me, whether I get a badge or not,” she said. “I don’t need a badge. I need to be able to continue the work and help to make a difference… You have to remember to be human and help other humans.”

Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund

Lauper has been politically and socially active for the entirety of her career. Last year, she launched the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The organization supports the fight for the right to abortion and reproductive healthcare. 

“In October 2022, the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund was launched as a donor advised fund at the Tides Foundation to support efforts that advance women’s rights and health,” reads the organization’s website. “The Fund will be conducting various fundraising efforts and the net proceeds will be granted to organizations that are having a positive impact on the lives of all women and girls.”

The “Time After Time” singer has always been a proud feminist. 

“When most women would say, ‘What are you, a feminist?’ And people would go, ‘Well, I’m really a humanist.’ I would say, ‘Yeah, I’m a feminist. I burned my training bra,'” she said. “Then in 2017, I saw these young girls with these ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights’ signs, and I felt like, ‘You know what? It was all worth it.’ The little ones, they heard me.”