Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (born June 22, 1953, in Queens, New York) is an American singer, songwriter and actress.

She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the debut solo album She's So Unusual in 1983, which included four Billboard Hot 100 top-five songs-"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night"-She's So Unusual was the first album in history to have four top five singles by a female. The album earned Lauper Best New Artist at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985.

Her success continued with the follow-up, True Colors in 1986, which included two Billboard Hot 100 top-ten songs-"True Colors" and "Change of Heart", and earned two nominations at the 29th Grammy Awards.

Since 1989, she has released nine studio albums to critical acclaim, including A Night to Remember (1989), Hat Full of Stars (1993), Sisters of Avalon (1996), Merry Christmas... Have a Nice Life (1998), Shine (2001), At Last (2003), The Body Acoustic (2005), Bring Ya to the Brink (2008).

In 2010, her eleventh studio album, Memphis Blues, topped the Billboard Blues Albums chart for thirteen consecutive weeks at number one, and included five Billboard Digital Blues Songs top-five songs-"Just Your Fool", "Crossroads", "How Blue Can You Get?", "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and "Early in the Mornin'", became her most successful album on the charts since She's So Unusual and True Colors.

Lauper has also released over 40 singles, and as of 2011 had sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, and 1 million DVDs and 20 million singles, which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time.

Throughout her career, Lauper has won numerous awards, including Grammy, Emmy, MTV VMA, Billboard and AMA. In 1999, Lauper ranked #58 of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll by VH1.