Live televised performances are already fraught, but live televised sets going awry during New Year’s Eve are now a grand tradition. And in the grand tradition of Mariah Carey’s infamous 2016 Times Squares performance, the online viewing audience was agog at Cyndi Lauper’s stage time during ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2021.
In case you missed it, in a nutshell, the singer joined Billy Porter, one of the evening’s correspondents with Lucy Hale and host Ryan Seacrest, for a slightly off-key rendition of “True Colors,†after which the singer had to undergo a super awkward transition. During the lull, her glam squad took the stage and attempted to freshen up her look. “I’m on camera! I’m on camera!,†Cyndi declared, before launching into a surreal solo number. Was every note perfect? No, but it was perfect for America’s dedication to hours of live New Year’s Eve coverage. Hopefully Mariah is texting Cyndi as we speak.