The Big Picture

  • Dive into Cyndi Lauper's journey from Queens girlhood to pop stardom in Let the Canary Sing on Paramount+ June 4.
  • The documentary features interviews with friends and celebrities like Billy Porter, Boy George, and Patti LaBelle.
  • Directed by Alison Ellwood, the film explores Lauper's impact as a gay icon and her activism for LGBT+ causes.

If you're lost, you can look, and you will find the new Cyndi Lauper documentary, Let the Canary Sing, on Paramount+ this summer. The doc chronicling the life and career of the iconic 1980s pop star will debut on the streamer June 4, as revealed in a new trailer. A companion soundtrack album, featuring some of Lauper's biggest hits, is also slated to be released.

The trailer takes the audience on a journey from Lauper's hardscrabble Queens girlhood, to her meteoric rise to fame on the then-nascent MTV, with chart-topping hits like "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", "True Colors", and "Time After Time", and to her current status as a gay icon and Tony-Award-winning composer for Kinky Boots. It also focuses on her unusual style and activism for LGBT+ causes. It also features interviews from friends, fans, and contemporaries like Billy Porter, Boy George, and Patti LaBelle, as well as Lauper herself. The movie takes its name from a lawsuit filed after Lauper split from her original band, Blue Angel, to go solo; the judge who resolved the matter capped off his ruling with an order to "let the canary sing".

What Else Has Cyndi Lauper Been In?

Lauper is no stranger to the screen - which is no surprise, given that she dominated the early days of MTV with her energetic music videos, and even ventured into the world of pro wrestling in her 1980s collaboration with the World Wrestling Federation. After contributing to the hit soundtrack for The Goonies, Lauper landed a starring role in the paranormal romantic comedy Vibes, alongside Jeff Goldblum and Peter Falk. Although Vibes was not a success by any measure, Lauper has continued to act, with appearances in the films Life With Mikey, The Opportunists, and the animated movie Henry & Me. She has made a number of TV appearances, with recurring roles on Mad About You, Bones, and The Horror of Dolores Roach. She recently appeared in The Greatest Night in Pop, Netflix's documentary about the recording of the charity single "We Are The World".

The film is directed by Alison Ellwood, who has music documentary bonafides, having directed docs on the Lauren Canyon music scene of the 1960s, 1970s rock hitmakers The Eagles, and Lauper's girl-group contemporaries The Go-Go's. It was produced by Fine Point Films with Trevor Birney, Eimhear O’Neill, Andrew Tully, and Ellwood. Executive producers include Lisa Barbaris and Gregory P. Cimino II; Tom Mackay, Richard Story and Rebecca Teitel for Sony Music Entertainment; and Sophia Dilley and Wesley Adams for Concord Originals.

Let the Canary Sing will premiere on Paramount+ on June 4, 2024. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the new trailer below.