Cyndi Lauper (born Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper on June 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, United States), is a Grammy Award-winning singer (who possesses a four-octave vocal range) and Emmy Award-winning film, television and theatre actress. She was lead singer of the rockabilly band Blue Angel before her rise to fame as a solo singer. Her melodic voice and wild costumes have come to epitomize the 1980s and New Wave — the decade and genre in which she first came to fame. Born in Queens, New York to Swiss German-American Fred Lauper and Sicilian Italian-American Catrine Dominique, she began her career in a cover band, but soon began performing her own songs (though she almost quit singing altogether due to strained vocal chords in 1977).