Cyndi Lauper on Not Being Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame—”As a Rocker, You Have to be an Activist”

Cyndi Lauper is holding no resentment toward the fact that she isn’t getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

When the nominees were announced in February, Lauper was among the 14 artists up for consideration. Though she didn’t make it in this year, Lauper says she’s going to continue to focus on the music and her work as an activist. “I always felt that rock ‘n’ roll could save the world, and as a rocker, you have to be an activist,” Lauper told People at the premiere of the documentary about her life and career, Let the Canary Sing, at Tribeca Festival.

Throughout her more than four-decade career, the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” singer has long been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, including forming True Colors United in 2008, a nonprofit that provides a variety of resources to support LGBTQ+ youth who are homeless. She also founded and headlined the True Colors Tour in 2007 and 2008, which raised money for LGBTQ organizations the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG, and the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Lauper says that her true rock and roll spirit is rooted in her activism. “I don’t need a badge,” she continues about not being inducted into the Hall of Fame, adding that rock and roll has always been “counterculture.” “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…That will never change with me, whether I get a badge or not.”

Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners, and Kate Bush are among the artists across genres who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2023. The induction ceremony will take place on November 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

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