Cyndi Lauper is once again in the running for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, earning her second nomination for the class of 2025 after first appearing on the ballot in 2023. Despite the recognition, the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" singer, 71, says the nomination doesn’t define her career.
"I've been singing rock and roll most of my life, so I know I'm a rocker," Lauper tells PEOPLE. She recalls how her dedication to rock music once got her expelled from a jazz school. "I got thrown out because I wouldn't quit that rock band," says the "Time After Time" artist, who performed with Blue Angel before launching her solo career with 1983’s She’s So Unusual.
Lauper joins a diverse list of nominees for the 2025 Rock Hall class, including Mariah Carey, Billy Idol, Oasis, OutKast, The White Stripes, and more. Last year’s inductees featured artists like Mary J. Blige and Cher, a shift Lauper finds promising. "It's exciting that more women are being acknowledged," she says.
Reflecting on music’s evolution, she adds, "We all stand on the shoulders of those before us, and the next generation will stand on ours. It’s a musical chain, and everything influences your music."
The final list of inductees will be announced in late April, with the induction ceremony set for fall in Los Angeles. In the meantime, Lauper is on the road for her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour, recently announcing a second North American leg for the summer.
Source: People