Cyndi Lauper showed fans exactly how she earned her place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. During the 2025 induction ceremony on Nov. 8, Lauper wowed with an all-female performance.
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With Gina Schock on drums and Lisa Coleman on keys, Lauper began her time on stage by performing her 1986 hit “True Colors.”
Raye came up on stage for the next tune, with the two women singing 1983’s “Time After Time.”
The three-song set concluded with a performance of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” For that song, Lauper was joined onstage by both Avril Lavigne and fellow 2025 inductees Salt-N-Pepa.
Lauper opting to give an all-female performance was no surprise. When her induction was announced in April, Lauper paid tribute to all the women who came before her.
“I’m humbled to be in the company of so many of my heroes – Aretha, Tina, Chaka, Joni, Wanda, to name just a few,” she wrote on Instagram. “Women have made so many important contributions to music and to rock n roll and a win for one of us is a win for all of us.”
“Thank you to the voting members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for this honor,” Lauper added. “And thank you to my fans for supporting me throughout my career. I could not do any of this without you.”
Cyndi Lauper Is Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Before her time on stage, Lauper was introduced by Chappell Roan.
“It’s that courage that not only creates incredible art that gives everyone who experiences it the permission to be themselves—it opens their hearts, it changes their mind, and that is its power,” Roan said. “Tonight, we honor a woman who redefined what a pop star could look like, sound like, and be.”
Lauper’s speech came next, and the icon once again spoke about the power of women.
“I just want to say that I stand on the shoulders of the women who came before me, and my shoulders are broad enough to have the women who came after me stand on mine,” Lauper said. “… “The little kid in me still believes that rock & roll can save the world. I just want to say now of all time, let’s come together again and do good in the world because it needs us.”
In addition to Lauper, 2025 Hall of Fame inductees included OutKast, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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