We are on our final week of our “divas” selection! First we start out with someone quite popular today, the inimitable Mother Monster herself, who has shown herself to be an iconoclast in music and fashion. Cyndi Lauper is having a great month coming straight off an emotional win at the Tony Awards. Celine Dion, queen of the ballad, is showcasing her greatest hits and covers of her favorites in Las Vegas. Finally…
We are on our final week of our “divas” selection! First we start out with someone quite popular today, the inimitable Mother Monster herself, who has shown herself to be an iconoclast in music and fashion. Cyndi Lauper is having a great month coming straight off an emotional win at the Tony Awards. Celine Dion, queen of the ballad, is showcasing her greatest hits and covers of her favorites in Las Vegas. Finally, there’s Tina Turner, the oldest diva in this competition, yet she’s quick to showcase range and energy of a woman half her age! Stop by our contest to vote for your favorite diva. Next week we start our voting for recording artists.
Lady Gaga: Born March 28, 1986
This diva (real name Stefani Germanotta) has been on the top of her game ever since the release of her aptly-named 2008 album “The Game,” which shattered chart records throughout the world and was certified platinum three times over in the United States. She seems to speak to a lot of us due to her celebration of “outside culture” and being “misfits,” which many of us can relate to very well! (I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that she always keeps heads turning with her hairstyles and makeup and WHO can forget that meat dress?) She rocked crowds here in Florida during New Year’s 2010 and in April 2011, but an injury kept her from seeing us during her most recent tour this spring.
Cyndi Lauper: Born June 22, 1953
This New York girl has enthralled listeners ever since her 1983 debut “She’s So Unusual,” and that she was! With an edgy punk look and a distinct (to say the least) vocal register, we just wanted to have fun with her and the rest of the girls. She’s sold over 50 million albums and nine of her singles have reached the Top 10 on the Billboard pop charts. Her range varies from pop hits like “She Bop” to ballads like “Time After Time” and the soulful sounds of her “Memphis Blues” album. Just this past week she won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for the musical Kinky Boots. She’s making yet another resurgence and we can’t help but love her!
Celine Dion: Born March 30, 1968
This diva loves her torch songs and we love her back. Born into a family of 14 children (Celine is the youngest), she emerged originally as a teen star in Francophone Canada. After winning the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, she was placed into a special English immersion program so she would be suitable for a launch into the English-speaking music industry. Starting with 1990’s album “Unison,” Celine embarked on a successful new part of her career which included ten Top 10 singles in the U.S., with some of the most famous being 1993’s “The Power of Love” and 1997’s “My Heart Will Go On,” (the latter featured on the soundtrack of the film Titanic). She’s currently on the third year of her second (!) multi-year contract in Las Vegas; her last show for the year is September 1.
Tina Turner: Born November 26, 1939
This indomitable lady was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, a small blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town in western Tennessee. From her humble beginnings, she was discovered by Ike Turner and the rest is history: she has been entertaining people all over the world for six decades! Under ex-husband’s Ike’s tutelage, Anna Mae became “Tina” and she earned worldwide success with hits such as “Proud Mary” while weathering abuse from Ike during their 16-year marriage. Her 1984 album “Private Dancer” brought her back to the limelight and cemented her reputation as the “Queen of Rock.” Tina has earned eight Grammys and sold over 100 million records. To turn a phrase from one of her songs, for her to persevere after so many troubles throughout the years makes her “simply the best.”
