If Cyndi Lauper could travel back to the ‘80s, she would squash her feud with Madonna.
The 70-year-old “True Colors” singer and the 65-year-old “Popular” vocalist were pitted against each other throughout their rise to fame as two top female powerhouse vocalists of the era.
But in Lauper’s opinion, the rivalry wasn’t necessary and was instead just “sad.”
Lauper spoke to E! News, confessing she didn’t like the competition between them, especially because there can be more than one talented female artist in every music genre.
“Isn’t that sad, there can only be room for one? I didn’t like it,” she admitted to the outlet.
Even if fans weren’t pinning them as rivals, the “Time After Time” artist believes she and Madonna wouldn’t have been friends anyway. In fact, Lauper thought Madonna wasn’t her biggest fan, regardless of the exaggerated animosity.
“I didn’t think she liked me that much,” Lauper admitted.
In conversation with The New York Times, Lauper said she wished they were confidants, supporting one another rather than succumbing to the hatred. “It was a shame. I would have liked to have a friend,” Lauper confessed.
Since they weren’t friends, Lauper was forced to find ways to avoid more trash talk and comparisons. So, Lauper strategically styled herself differently – hair, clothes, everything.
When Madonna unofficially trademarked the stark blonde hairdo as her own in the mid-‘80s, Lauper changed her coloring.
“I said, ‘OK doll, I’ll just put a black spot here so they know the difference between the two of us,’” she explained to E! News.
Years later, their feud is mostly nonexistent. Fans are happy to dance and enjoy their different sounds in a live setting once again.
Madonna closed out her Celebration Tour in May, while Lauper is currently preparing to embark on her “The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour” across North America that is set to start in Montreal on October 18.
Ahead of the concert series, the “True Colors” creator is exercising, eating healthy and warming up with vocal coaching sessions. Lauper has settled on the conclusion this will be her last tour, understanding her body won’t be able to perform how she wants it to a few years down the road.
“‘I don’t think I can perform the way I want to in a couple of years. I want to be strong,” she remarked. “When you’re a singer, you have to be an athlete. You can’t f*** around. When you’re 20, yeah. But when you get older? No.”
As of now, it’s not confirmed whether Madonna’s Celebration Tour will be the last for her.