I like to do dopey things

After releasing a memoir last year and composing the music for award-winning musical Kinky Boots, American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper has forayed into reality television with a 12-episode series titled Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual.

My Paper recently caught up with the 1980s icon and Grammy winner to talk about her past and present accomplishments.

What can we expect from the show?

It's (about) the struggle with the juggle. I always wanted to do television and I like comedy.

People would say to me: "You know, Cyn, the reality of your life is pretty funny. Why don't you just do that?." So I did.

It's not a lot of fighting. It's just, honestly, (about) people trying to do a good job at work and at home. It's a slice of my life.

Did you learn anything while filming?

I realised a lot of other working mums, maybe their job isn't singing in front of a lot of people, but (juggling family and work) is still the same thing.

Kinky Boots was the first musical you have composed for. What was the experience like for you?

That was kind of a game changer for me. I didn't really think whether I could do it or not. It was a break for me because it wasn't...like the pop world, where there're so many rules all the time.

Harvey (Fierstein, the playwright) kept telling me to take the braces off my brains and write. And it was a great experience - very creative. How have you evolved as an artist and a person since your debut album in 1983?

I don't know. You live and you learn. You constantly learn. And that's what this gig - being alive - is all about.

What does Cyndi Lauper do to have fun these days?

I like to go for bike rides with my husband. I like to do a whole bunch of nothing sometimes, because my work is so much the opposite.

I like to do as many dopey things as I can, even if it's just playing a game of Uno.

Songs like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun are popular even today. How do you feel about them now?

I think that it's great to be a part of something that is a legacy for women - a song about entitlement (that says) all women are entitled to have a joyful experience in life.

Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual airs at 11.30pm every Thursday on WE tv (SingTel mio TV Ch 259)

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