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Connect the World
Interview With Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper
Aired March 03, 2010 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One is famous for her poker face, the other is a girl who just wants to have fun.
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ANDERSON: Between them, Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper have sold tens of millions of records worldwide. And now they're in London, putting their weight behind the M.A.C. AIDS Fund. Entitled "From Our Lips," the initiative aims to support the millions of men, women and children affected by HIV around the world.
NANCY MAHON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, M.A.C. AIDS FUND: The company has grown. The money keeps growing. We've raised $165 million for AIDS. That's a lot of lipstick.
ANDERSON: Known for her in your face style and sensational vocals, Lady Gaga recently got Three Gongs at London's Brit Awards.
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ANDERSON: And after more than 20 sterling years, Cyndi Lauper has proved she's got the heart and soul to keep her fans entranced.
Although the pair were born to different generations, their journey to pop fame couldn't be closer, making this dynamic duo your Connectors of the Day.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And recently, Becky caught up with the dynamic duo, Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper, of course, teaming up to support the fight against AIDS via the sale of M.A.C. Lipstick.
Becky began by asking Lady Gaga why she got involved.
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LADY GAGA, SINGER: I have been a huge, huge fan of M.A.C. since I was very young. M.A.C. is a lifestyle. M.A.C. is sort of this -- this place and this mecca near my house where I knew I could be whoever I wanted to be and really find myself as an individual and feel confident and secure.
And this year, depending on where you are in the world, of course, women are the most infected at the highest rate train with HIV. And Cyndi and I represent, in the U.S., the age brackets for those women that are most affected. And here in the U.K., as well, we are sort of on a -- on a mission this year to really, really talk about how -- how many women are not getting tested for HIV, which is three quarters of the women in the U.K., as well as 83 percent of women who are in what they believe are committed relationships and are having unprotected sex.
CYNDI LAUPER, SINGER: It's a great reminder of how to protect yourself before you go out at night. Put a little lipstick on, remind yourself. Give it to your kid sister. Give it to your mom. Give it to your aunt. You know, sisterhood is a powerful thing.
ANDERSON: We have some viewer questions in -- lots of viewer questions for you guys today.
Josh says: "What an amazing way to educate women about HIV. How will," he says, "this campaign reach the women of Africa and the Third World to help educate them about the disease?"
Cyndi?
LAUPER: Well, the -- this -- the M.A.C. AIDS Fund does a lot of intervention by education. And a large percentage of the sales will go straight to those areas that are mostly affected, like in South Africa, like through Africa and on -- and the Caribbean, and, unfortunately, Washington, D.C. and the Bronx, New York.
And the thing is to educate women. They're also working on -- with a pharmaceutical company on a female condom. No longer having the bedroom a negotiation.
ANDERSON: Now a question from the viewers.
Keira, Lady Gaga: "What prompted the both of you to become advocates for this and, indeed, for the gay and lesbian community as a whole?"
We're not just talking about the gay and lesbian community here, of course, we're talking about women in general. But she says kudos for both of you for doing so.
So...
(CROSSTALK)
LADY GAGA: Well, I would like to clarify, though, that's one of the very first things that Cyndi and I spoke about, is that I didn't want -- or we didn't want people to think that this was -- you know, me and Cyndi, who love the gay community and actually met playing out in lots of gay clubs in the same neighborhoods. This is not a gay disease. This is a disease that's affecting women. And I just wanted to clarify that, because I think that that's the very sort of pre-assumption that is the reason that women aren't getting tested and the reason that women are allowing the negotiations to go on in the bedroom and not really putting their foot down.
And -- and, you know, these lipsticks, you know, don't just give them to your single friends, give them to your taken friends and to your taken mother as a reminder to protect their own life, because we see every day people are in committed relationships for years that are betrayed and people are disloyal. And it's very important to at least remind yourself to get tested, and your partner, as well.
LAUPER: I lost a lot of friends in the '80s and the '90s -- and the early '90s and it was a big heartbreak. And I can't just stand by. And I've always -- you know me, I love makeup. It's not as -- there's only one face to put all that makeup on...
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LADY GAGA: We wish she had two faces...
(CROSSTALK)
LADY GAGA: Many faces.
LAUPER: "The Many Faces of Eve," that's another good picture. No, as if the many faces -- oh, never mind. We talk about these things all the time.
ANDERSON: Listen, I had a lot questions from many viewers asking you both whether you have any plans to visit places. Bishop Kelly, for example: "Love the music from both of you. Any plans to visit Africa, most especially Nigeria? Your style, Lady Gaga, has made huge waves there amongst the females. It would be an opportunity, perhaps."
LADY GAGA: Well, I -- I am planning to go to Africa at some point to perform. Maybe that would be the -- maybe that's the thing, Cyndi. Maybe we go to Africa and do -- do a show. That could be very great.
ANDERSON: Well, let me just indulge of you for a couple more minutes.
Grant asks Cyndi: "How is the new blues album going and when, oh when, will it be released?," he asks.
LAUPER: I'm -- I'm going as quick as I can. It's been an extraordinary experience and I promise to write about it and film it. I'm putting those flicks up so that they can see it. And, you know, I'm going as quick as I can. Probably in the spring.
ANDERSON: Leland Sacahis asks Lady Gaga: "Do you feel a burden of responsibility to how you have influenced a generation of girls?"
LADY GAGA: It's not a burden, right?
It's not a burden at all, it's a privilege. And I -- I'm so blessed that I am here. I'm absolutely not one of those people that -- I'm sort of a self-obsessed, master pictorial (ph) artist that doesn't care about my fans and doesn't care about my effect on my friends. I have a very keen understanding of my -- my affect or my sort of -- what I can do. And when you are in the public eye, you are a role model whether you want to be or you don't. And I -- I want to be.
ANDERSON: From one of our viewers. He says: "Cyndi, a pop diva, I absolutely love you. Some might say denied a fitting recognition because of that Material Girl, other blonde, but we do it all."
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: And Lady Gaga, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. Put the three of them together and we have the holy trinity." Would you entertain that?"
She says, "Go for it girls, because we all know you just want to have fun."
Should we ever believe that that might happen, three of you together?
LAUPER: I don't know.
Who knows?
You always keep it open. But, you know, I don't know.
ANDERSON: We've got a lot of questions from people who ask you both where you get your inspiration from.
Lewis Akon David Salak (ph) from the Middle East asking both of you: "Where do you get your inspiration?"
And specifically to you: "Do you write your songs yourself?," they ask.
LADY GAGA: People are still asking that question?
ANDERSON: They are.
LADY GAGA: I have written every single song that I have ever sang and I have also produced a lot of the music on both my records. So, yes. And my -- Cyndi is one of my inspirations. Cyndi and the gays.
ANDERSON: Excellent.
Did you know that, Cyndi?
LAUPER: Well, I...
(LAUGHTER)
LAUPER: Well, she's said that.
(CROSSTALK)
LAUPER: No, that's sweet. It's -- you know, the truth -- and, you know, I get inspired by her. I get inspired to remember myself.
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FOSTER: That was Becky speaking definitely to Cyndi Lauper and we're assured it was Lady Gaga. Yes, it was Lady Gaga.
Now, tomorrow, our Connector of the Day is a footballer with a host of trophies to his name. Clarence Seedorf is also known for his work of (INAUDIBLE). His charitable foundation, Champions for Children, helps support young people growing up around the world.
This is your part of the show, so what do you want to ask the star?
Send in your questions. We love to hear what you're writing about and where you're writing from, so head to CNN.com/connect.
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