Cyndi Lauper Was ‘Thrown Out of Jazz School’ for Playing Rock Music. Now She’s a 2-Time Rock Hall Nominee (Exclusive)

Could this be the year Cyndi Lauper gets inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

The “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” singer, 71, is among the artists nominated for potential induction into the Rock Hall’s class of 2025, marking the second time her name is on the ballot after 2023.

Lauper tells PEOPLE it’s an “exciting” moment, but whether or not she gets in doesn’t define her as an artist. “You know, I’ve been singing rock and roll most of my life, so I know I’m a rocker,” she says.

“I even got in trouble several times in my life for not quitting the rock band. I got thrown out of a jazz school because I wouldn’t quit that rock band,” recalls the “Time After Time” singer, who performed as a member of Blue Angel before launching her solo career with 1983’s She’s So Unusual album.

In addition to Lauper, other performers nominated for induction into the Rock Hall’s 2025 class are Bad Company, the Black Crowes, Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Maná, Oasis, OutKast, Phish, Soundgarden and The White Stripes.

Last year, inductees included Mary J. Blige and Cher, among others, and the Grammy winner feels it’s “exciting that more women are being acknowledged” by the organization.

“I am very much a believer that we all stand on the shoulders of the people that came before us, and we know that the people that come after us will stand on our shoulders,” she says. “It’s a whole musical chain, and everything affects your music.”

“I love the history of music. I love modern music. I love performance art, and performance, and a lot of color,” adds Lauper. “But I’m excited, I’m grateful. And we’ll see what happens.”

The performer inductees will be revealed in late April. This year’s ceremony will take place in Los Angeles in the fall.

Lauper is currently in the midst of her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour, and she recently announced a second North American leg set for this summer.