Last night, at the annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio, Cyndi Lauper was inducted by Chappell Roan. Afterwards, the ’80s pop star performed a medley of career-spanning hits with accompaniment from Avril Lavigne, Raye, and others to celebrate the occasion. Watch a replay of those moments below.
While inducting Lauper, Roan shared that she covered “True Colors” during a singing competition as a child, and has held Lauper’s music close ever since then. “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,” she said of Lauper. “Tonight, we honor a woman who redefined what a pop star could look like, sound like, and be.”
Lauper then took the stage to perform a collection of her songs, beginning with “True Colors” as a solo effort. Afterwards, she sang her massive 1984 hit “Time After Time” with accompaniment by British singer Raye, before welcoming Lavigne over for “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” During the end of the latter track, Lauper encouraged audience members to sing along and brought Salt-n-Pepa onstage to join in.
Afterwards, Lauper gave a speech to recognize her induction to the Rock Hall and thank her supporters. “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,” she said. “The little kid in me still believes that rock ‘n’ 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.”
This year’s other Rock Hall inductees are the White Stripes, OutKast, Soundgarden, Warren Zevon, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, and Joe Cocker.
