Getting to Know the Legend, Cher
Cherilyn Sarkisian, aka, Cher celebrates her 74th birthday today. The star has made a prominent mark on the music industry as she’s often hailed, ‘The Goddess of Pop’. Over the years, Cher’s gained praise for shining through in a male-dominated industry. Not only is she known for her stellar, rather unique voice but also for her sense of style that has evolved and bloomed over her six decade long career.
And so, here’s a trip down memory lane, tracking her finest moments in the industry.
1. When Cher was in fifth grade, she produced a performance of the musical Oklahoma! for her teacher and class. She did pretty much everything from directing to the choreography. Sadly, no boys wanted to participate but that didn’t dampen her spirit, because she went on to act the male roles and sing their songs. By age nine, she had developed an unusually low voice.
Photo Credit: Harry Langdon
2. Fascinated by film stars, one of Cher’s biggest role model’s has always been Audrey Hepburn. Cher’s particularly loves her role her role in the 1961 film ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’. The young star drew inspiration from Hepburn’s unconventional outfits and behavior of the characters she’s played on the big screen.
Photo by Kevin Mazur
3. Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song, ‘I Got You Babe’ claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts and others across the globe.
Photo Credit: Silver Screen Collection
4. Her dance pop album, ‘Believe’ took the world by storm due to its pioneering use of Auto-tune to distort her vocals, known as the “Cher effect”.
Photo Credit: Harry Langdon
5. It’s no surprise that Cher’s had countless chart topping hits. But did you know that she’s the only artist to date to have a number-one single on the Billboard charts in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s.
Photo Credit: Harry Langdon
6. Cher has gone on to inspire a whole generation of artists. In fact, P!nk, who’s known for her extravagant stage sets and acrobatic stage presence, actually started off by studying Cher’s ‘Living Proof: The Farewell Tour’ in 2004.
Photo Credit: Harry Langdon
7. Believe it or not, artists have drawn inspiration from Cher for, well, certain animated characters. Cher was the inspiration for Mother Gothel, from Disney’s animated film, ‘Tangled’. Be you can’t un-see that. huh? It appears that it’s time for all of us to re-watch tangled.
Photo Credit: Harry Langdon
8. They say, fashion chooses you. And that’s exactly why we’re going to ahead and call Cher “the Chosen One’. Cher emerged as a fashion trendsetter in the 1960s, popularizing “hippie fashion with bell-bottoms and bandanas”. She’s truly a pioneer when it comes to celebrity fashion, because after all, Cher was the one to pave the way.
Photo Credit: Harry Langdon
9. Cher is often revered by the LGBTQ community and this is often attributed to her career accomplishments, her sense of style, and her longevity. Cher is considered a gay icon, and has often been imitated by drag queens.
Photo Credit: Ethan Miller
10. In 2018, Cher embarked on her ‘Here We Go Again’ tour, marking her first world tour since 2005. Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the tour dates have been pushed, but Cher planned to conclude on December of this year.
Photo Credit: Bob King
Oh and speaking of extravagant, raunchy stage looks, you can also get a taste of all that fun from the Rap Queen, Cardi B.
