Cyndi Lauper's Catholic School Rebellion: Twice Expelled for Speaking Up

The "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" hitmaker singer Cyndi talked about her early school experiences during a conversation with singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams, for Rolling Stone's Musicians on Musicians feature, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Discussing her difficulties with reading and songwriting, she said: "Listen, I can't even read a regular book without a piece of white paper underneath every line. I don't know if that's because I got hit in the head with a lot of erasers. I have no idea."

Lauper added: "I went to Catholic school, but we had a lot of political differences, so I was asked to leave."

She shared she was expelled "twice, once in third grade, and then again in fourth grade".

When asked if she had been removed for talking too much, she said: "Oh, no, no, no. For talking back."

The singer, who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025, has earlier talked about her turbulent childhood.

In an old interview with people.com, she described running away from home at 17 and later earning her high school equivalency diploma after leaving formal education behind.

She said: "I spent years not accepting who I was. In high school I felt out of step. Everything became unreal for me. I felt there just wasn't any room for me in this world. But you can't escape yourself. 'Why was I alive?' I'd ask. I didn't fit in, didn't have nobody to do things with that I liked. I did them by myself."

Lauper is known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range. She has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

- IANS