Lauper was born to Fred and Catrine Lauper in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in a rough area of Queens. Her mother uses the stagename, "Catrine Dominique" for the music videos in which she has appeared. Her father was of German and Swiss descent and her mother was Italian American (from Campania). She has a sister named Ellen and a brother called Fred (nicknamed Butch).

When Lauper was five, Read more...

In 1978, after Lauper regained her voice, she met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt. Turi and Lauper became writing partners and formed a band called Blue Angel. They decided to put everything they had into making an album of original material.

A few demos were recorded and the tape found its way over to Steve Massarsky, who was managing The Allman Brothers Band. Read more...

On October 14, 1983, She's So Unusual was released, and became a worldwide hit. With help from Rick Chertoff, Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (of The Hooters) as her primary studio musicians, She's So Unusual's popularity spread like wildfire. At the time, Lauper became popular with teenagers and critics, in part due to her hybrid punk image.

Lauper knew she could write songs, but the record company Read more...