Cyndi Lauper's farewell tour comes to Jones Beach; saying goodbye has 'been emotional'

Jones Beach is quite familiar to Cyndi Lauper. Not only has she performed on the amphitheater stage eight times in the past 40 years, but the 72-year-old pop singer also grew up in Ozone Park, Queens, and spent many days in the sand.

"My family is around Jones Beach and I used to go there when I was little," says Lauper in an interview. She will take her final bow at Wantagh's Northwell at Jones Beach Theater when her "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour" arrives on July 19.

"At times it’s been emotional," she says about saying goodbye to her fans. "But once you are in the show you become like a racehorse and I worked at Belmont Park."

Back in October 1983, Lauper dropped her solo debut, "She’s So Unusual," produced by Rick Chertoff of Great Neck. On her first tour, she played Stony Brook University in the winter of 1984.

"To play at Stony Brook or any college was a great gift," she says. "Back then there was a sense of freedom because you don’t know who you are yet."

At first, Lauper fronted the rock band Blue Angel and attended the Lennie Tristano Jazz Studio and School in Jamaica, Queens.

"I wanted to become a really good singer. They had me singing to Billie Holiday breath-for-breath, then I went on to Ella Fitzgerald," Lauper says. "I was still in my rock band then I lost my voice, but they felt I should quit the band and just be a jazz singer. I said, ‘No, I can’t.’ Then they asked me to leave the school."

Blue Angel made a self-titled record in 1980 that bombed, but then Lauper was offered a solo deal.

"At first the record executives wanted me to be a balladeer," Lauper says. "They said, ‘We wanna make you the next Barbra Streisand!’ I said, ‘Umm, nah. Don’t ya have somebody else for that? There’s already a Barbra.’ I didn’t want to make a career singing like somebody else, even if you adore them."

Lauper’s brand of pop with a punky approach brought her national acclaim and massive success. Today her hit songs "Time After Time," "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "True Colors" have become generational anthems.

"Many people call pop music disposable, but I never went about my work thinking it was disposable," Lauper says. "I put in effort to make music that would stand the test of time and inspire people. If you climb to the top of the mountain, you have to make sure you have something good to say."

Her career longevity has now scored her a place in the Class of 2025 to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. What’s her secret?

"You don’t stop and keep working hard," Lauper says, adding that she lives by the motto of proper preparation prevents poor production.

Next up, Lauper is writing songs for the upcoming musical "Working Girl," based on the 1988 Mike Nichols film.

"It’s set in the 1980s, therefore it’s got that flavor," Lauper says. "I wrote a lot of music with Rob Hyman of the Hooters to make it authentic. I also had Salt [Cheryl James, of Melville] from Salt-N-Pepa write a rap for one of the songs."

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.