Cyndi Lauper

‘One year on, Cyndi is coming home to Japan,’ runs the publicity blurb. While much of the world only remembers her as that ’80s pop-queen advocate of girly fun, Cyndi Lauper enjoys a special standing here in Tokyo, on account of the concerts she played in the immediate aftermath of March 11. At a time when practically everyone else was cancelling their tours, the singer braved the threats of radiation and aftershocks and went ahead with her shows at Orchard Hall, turning her into something resembling a folk hero in the process. Others may hesitate to schedule gigs on the first anniversary of the quake and tsunami; for Lauper, it's a no-brainer.