A Ranking of the Top Female Vocalists in Music History

Unruly hair. Neon clothes. A voice like a kazoo possessed by a Broadway belter. Cyndi Lauper didn’t just burst onto the scene—she zipped in like a confetti cannon. Her tone? Shrill, nasal, electric—and completely unforgettable. “Girls Want to Have Fun” was bubblegum rebellion, while “Time After Time” revealed a soft ache beneath the neon.

She was weird, wonderful, and willing to be exactly who she was—before it was trending. Beyond music, she championed LGBTQ rights and won a Tony for her score in Kinky Boots. Cyndi never chased normal. She made “unusual” the new fabulous.