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Chappell Roan let a certain word slip, despite trying to keep her speech family-friendly during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
While introducing Cyndi Lauper to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday, Nov. 8, the “Pink Pony Club” singer found herself struggling to read the teleprompter — which quickly led to an unexpected slip of the tongue.
“I think we can all agree that the best art comes from the most authentic people,” Roan, 27, began onstage while wearing a replica of the skirt Lauper, 72, wore during her “True Colors” music video. “When artists stay true to themselves, even when some people say they’re too much, too loud, too eccentric, or all of the above, that honesty becomes their greatest strength.”
As she visibly squinted and struggled to read the words, Roan continued, “I f—,” before immediately covering her mouth while the audience chuckled and clapped in surprise. “I messed up so bad by refusing to get contacts. Holy cow.”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Once the chatter in the crowd died down, Roan continued her speech.
“It’s that courage that not only creates incredible art, it gives everyone who experiences the permission to be themselves. It opens their hearts, it changes their mind, and that is its power,” she said. “Tonight, we honor a woman who redefined what a pop star could look like, sound like, sing like, and be. A music legend whose authenticity has inspired us for the last four decades with her four-octave range and the amazingly fabulous Cyndi Lauper.”
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Lauper then made her way onstage to accept the honor and perform a medley of her hits, including “True Colors,” “Time After Time” and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” She even had special guests Avril Lavigne and Salt-n-Pepa join her during her performance.
“I just want to say that I stand on the shoulders of the women who came before me, and my shoulders are broad enough to have the women who came after me stand on mine,” Lauper said moments later in her acceptance speech. “The little kid in me still believes that rock and roll can save the world.”
She added: “I just want to say, now of all times, let’s come together again and do good in the world because it needs us.”
As for how the two-time Grammy winner reacted when she found out she was going to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she told Rolling Stone in May that she “didn’t know what to think.”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
“You know me — I was thinking about what I’m doing at the moment. And if accolades come, they come,” Lauper explained at the time. “That said, I still think rock and roll can save the world, and so you never stop moving forward and trying to help out, since I am in the field of humanities anyway.”
“I do appreciate the fact that all the women actually voted for me, and they were a lot, and that’s humbling,” she added. “You just hope you can live up to their expectations.”
