An inimitable trailblazer for women in music and an icon of style, stage, and screen, Cher’s voice and charisma have garnered her seven decades – and counting – of success.
An artist so iconic she needs only one name, Cher has used her distinctive voice, stage presence, and avant-garde fashion to achieve unprecedented success while blazing a trail for women performers. A musician who personifies female creative freedom in a male-dominated industry, Cher is the only woman to have a Number One hit on a Billboard chart in each of the past seven decades.
Cher’s breakthrough came from her work with then-husband Sonny Bono in the duo Sonny & Cher. Their 1965 signature hit “I Got You Babe” was a definitive musical moment for the early hippie counterculture. Amid the pair’s success, Cher launched a solo career, scoring hits like “Bang Bang.” In 1971, The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour TV variety show helped establish Cher as a consummate entertainer and fashion icon. From bell-bottom jeans to feathered headdresses to navel-baring evening gowns, Cher has always brought personality and bold irreverence to her looks.
In the early 1970s, Cher gained even more popularity as a solo performer, and for more than five decades, she continuously reinvented her style and mastered multiple musical genres. Equally adept at the earthy folk pop of “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” the melodic disco of “Take Me Home,” and power ballads like “I Found Someone,” Cher’s versatility is evident. With acting roles in Silkwood (1983) and Mask (1985), Cher also became a star of the silver screen, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Moonstruck in 1987.
Cher released the quintessential dance-pop classic “Believe” in 1998, pioneering the use of Auto-Tune as an artistic tool. This worldwide hit became an enduring queer anthem, solidifying her role as a longtime ally of – and inspiration to – the LGBTQIA+ community. Cher’s work has influenced other trailblazing artists including Madonna, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga. She has continued to fill dance floors with singles like “Woman’s World” and her 2018 ABBA covers album Dancing Queen. A tenacious performer who has triumphed over adversity and made comeback after comeback, Cher has earned her status as the Goddess of Pop.
“I Got You Babe” (Sonny and Cher) (1965) • “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” (1966) • “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” (1971) • “I Found Someone,” “We All Sleep Alone,” Cher (1987) • Heart of Stone (1989) • Believe (1998) • “A Song for the Lonely,” Living Proof (2001) • “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (2010) • “Woman’s World,” Closer to the Truth (2013)
