Cyndi Lauper's True Colors is one of the most iconic songs of the 80s, as is the singer herself; in a shocking move, she surprised America's Got Talent audiences across the country as she sang her hit it alongside runner-up Emily West.
The star-filled season finale featured some of the biggest names in the music business. Cyndi Lauper's True Colors performance alongside Emily West joined other superstars announced to perform, such as Jennifer Hudson, Ed Sheeran, Pitbull, Lenny Kravitz and Train.
Emily started off singing the famous ballad by herself, and then was joined by the very recognizable high-pitch voice of its original singer. However, the America's Got Talent runner-up certainly held her own against the living legend, singing one of the 80s most popular songs in an odd two-voice performance.
Cyndi Lauper, now pop veteran at age 61, became famous in the 80s with hit singles such as Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time, some of the decade's most recognizable songs. True Colors has been covered by many artists, among them Vanessa Paradis and Phil Collins, and remains one of the anthems of a decade remembered for its electronic sounds and pop feel, as well as for having introduced Madonna to the music world.
The 80s pop star Cyndi Lauper's True Colors single was launched in the summer of 1986, reaching the number 1 spot in the Billboard Top 100 upon its release that year for two weeks in the next fall. Also, Cyndi Lauper's True Colors became a standard in the gay community afterwards, from its theme of loving someone because the singer saw the person's "true colors", which is seen as a metaphor for coming out of the closet.
Later on, Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund was created in collaboration. The non-profits organization dedicates its time and resources to eradicating homelessness in LGBT youth.
You can watch Emily West and Cyndi Lauper's True Colors performance on the video below.
