Cyndi Lauper is singing the blues – and it has nothing to do with being fired from Celebrity Apprentice.
Next month, Lauper, 56, will release Memphis Blues, a collection of covers of classic tunes, featuring appearances by legends including B.B. King and Allen Touissant. While the genre might seem like a departure for Lauper, she explains, "Everything I ever sang, from jazz to rock to pop to dance, is based on rhythm and blues."
When it came to choosing which songs she wanted to include on the album, Lauper explains, "I looked at what was going on in our country and I really felt like everybody's singing the blues, so I needed to take the blues music and make it uplifting."
The song "Early in the Morning," she says, "kind of reminded me of the 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' video."
Boardroom Prediction
Lauper plans to tour this summer but she'll be in New York City this Sunday to attend the live Celebrity Apprentice finale.So who does she think win: Bret Michaels or Holly Robinson Peete?
"Bret almost died," she says of the rocker, who plans to attend the finale, according to his rep. "I think if he makes it back there, he should definitely win. But it's up to Donald Trump."
Memphis Blues hits stores June 22.
See what other readers have to say about this story – or leave a comment of your own
