The Truth About Madonna & Cyndi Lauper's '80s Feud

Throughout the history of music, women have often been pitted against each other as if there could only be one successful woman in the industry. This happens currently with female rappers like Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, but in the 1980s, there was a different feud for women in pop: Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. They were both incredibly talented and popular, with debut albums released in the same year, and both had several big hits. For instance, Lauper's many talents include creating timeless hits like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," "Time After Time," and "True Colors." Madonna has big hits like "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," and "Vogue."

Cyndi Lauper is currently on her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour and she sat down with E! News to discuss it along with reflecting on her career in general. During the interview, she talked about her feud with Madonna in the 1980s and the sexism that went along with it. She called it "sad" and wished that it never happened. "I didn't like it," she stated during the interview. 

Cyndi Lauper and Madonna's debut albums were released in 1983, bringing a fresh, youthful female perspective to pop, along with music videos during the height of the MTV era, so naturally, comparisons were made. However, Lauper confirmed that the "feud" was not really a feud despite the many rumors about it in an interview with People Magazine. 

"As soon as I saw her do 'Like a Prayer,' I was like, 'Oh my God. Ah, I love her!' And I've loved her ever since." That was in 1989. Yet, she wishes that she could have been more supportive and laments the struggle with the industry. She told The Guardian in 2024, "As if you could only have one woman who is successful. What the hell is that about?"

In the interviews, she mentioned women being pitted against each other but focused on the fact that there was actually no feud at all. She did confess to E! News though that she never had a chance to discuss it with Madonna saying, "I didn't think she liked me that much."

Lauper said she did try to stand out from Madonna, who was a fashion trendsetter, so as not to appear as if she was copying her style. For instance, Madonna rocked her blonde hair, so when Lauper went blonde, she added a black patch to distinguish herself so as to not seem like a copycat. She tried to create her own style to stand out.