Chappell Roan Lauds Cyndi Lauper at Rock Hall Induction for ‘Showing Us You Can Be Bold, Quirky, Loud, Glamorous and Have Any Hair Color You Want’

Before there was the self-proclaimed Midwest Princess, there was the queen of Queens in New York. They came together in a glittery cosmic convergence Saturday night at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony as Chappell Roan formally inducted Cyndi Lauper, giving an earnest speech that touched on her own adoration for the honoree as a teenager and ongoing respect for her as one of pop’s most longstanding allies to the LGBTQ community.

“Cyndi embodies every quality of an artist that I admire,” Roan said from the stage of L.A.’s Peacock Theatre. “She’s a born performer and a revolutionary songwriter, a forever fashion icon, and a fierce advocate and ally. And from the very beginning, she owned every ounce of who she was — the manic, panicked hair, all of those rad Fingerless gloves and those unbelievably layered, dynamic and one-of-a-kind vocals… Can I hear a little commotion for the vocals?”

Roan looked back to Lauper’s impact at the very start of her nascent career: “One of Cyndi’s most inspiring songs to me personally is ‘True Colors.’ When I was 14 years old, I performed ‘True Colors’ at a talent show in my hometown in Missouri. That was my first time ever winning a competition for singing, and that has been so important to me ever since. ‘True Colors’ has gone on to be an anthem synonymous with love and acceptance in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond — a message that still stands the test of time.”