80s pop icon admits her label tried to ‘pit’ her against Madonna-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

Cyndi Lauper and Madonna kicked off their careers at the same time (Picture: Getty)

1980s pop legend Cyndi Lauper shared the struggles she faced in the music industry after being pitted against one of the biggest icons of the time, Madonna.

The American singer-songwriter, 71, rose to fame after dropping her first album She’s So Unusual in 1983.

The album contained enduring classics including Time After Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

The same year Madonna dropped her self-titled debut studio album which set her on the track to stardom.

In a new interview, however, Cyndi explained that her record company tried to compare her to other major artists, starting with Barbra Streisand.

‘Look, you already had a Streisand,’ she told the Guardian.

The 1980s were not a good decade to be a woman in the industry (Picture: Laubach/Mediapunch/REX/Shutterstock)

Madonna’s fame only grew and grew during this time (Picture: WireImage)

Next, they tried to put her up against Madonna, which Cyndi heavily resisted.

‘As if you could only have one woman who is successful. What the hell is that about?” Cyndi continued.

‘That woman’s been entertaining us for years. She’s made great pop songs. I want to be competitive, but not pitted against another woman. I’m not into that.’

In a separate interview with E! News Cyndi delved into their strange relationship. In 1984, when Madonna dyed her hair blonde Cyndi changed her hair so people know ‘the difference’ between the two singers.

‘I didn’t think she liked me that much,’ she added.

But her conviction to build her career on her own terms resulted in her clashing with plenty of music executives over the years. Although she admits she may have had a different career had she been more adaptable.

Cyndi has enjoyed a lucrative career, filled with accolades (Picture: AFP/Getty)

‘Yes, I probably would have, but I wouldn’t be who I am,’ she explained.

‘I don’t know what that path would have been. It might have been easier for a while, but I wanted to learn. And, honestly, I just always wanted to be a great artist.’

The music artist’s wild music career is portrayed in Paramount documentary Let The Canary Sing, from filmmaker Alison Ellwood, which chronicles her life and ever-evolving punk style which influenced an entire generation of music.

On the One Show, the pop icon discussed her initial reluctance to immortalise her legacy in the form of a documentary.

‘Well I’m not dead,’ she told host Alex Jones.

‘I just felt like I don’t think so! And then they said well if you’re alive then you can tell them what’s wrong, you know, fact-check.’

Meanwhile, she is set to play at Glastonbury and Royal Albert Hall and will embark on the UK leg of her farewell tour in 2025.

Her iconic, four-decade, career has seen the True Colors hitmaker land two Grammy awards, an Emmy for her guest appearance in US sitcom Mad About You and a Tony award.

She became the first woman to win a solo Tony for best score and is just an Oscar shy of an EGOT.

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