15 Often Overlooked Stories About Famous Female Musicians from the ’80s - MON SIX

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15 Often Overlooked Stories About Famous Female Musicians from the ’80s

A woman with blond hair wearing a shiny black strapless outfit holds a microphone and smiles with her arms outstretched on stage under bright lights.

Last Updated on November 10, 2025 by Matt Staff

The 1980s gave rise to pop goddesses, rock icons, and soul revolutionaries who defined a generation. Yet behind the glitter, fame, and chart-topping hits lie lesser-known tales, moments that reveal their struggles, risks, and quiet victories. Here are 15 legendary, overlooked stories about famous female musicians of the '80s you probably never heard in full.

1. Madonna's Lost NYC Apartment Tapes

A woman with curly brown hair, wearing a brown lace top and cross necklace, stands in front of a fiery background, looking intense with her mouth slightly open and her eyebrows furrowed.

Before she became the "Queen of Pop," Madonna recorded early demos in a dingy East Village walk-up. The tapes were nearly lost when her landlord threatened to toss them out after the unpaid rent. A friend rescued them; those same recordings helped secure her first Sire Records deal.

2. Whitney Houston's Rejected Rock Career

A woman with curly dark hair sits at an outdoor table with a striped tablecloth and napkin, resting her chin on clasped hands. She wears a blue sweater and looks thoughtfully ahead. Other people sit in the background.

In the early '80s, Whitney wanted to be a rock singer. Clive Davis steered her away from that path, convinced her soulful tone was better suited for pop ballads. Before "How Will I Know," she was rehearsing Pat Benatar-style tracks that never saw the light of day.

3. Tina Turner's Spiritual Transformation in the Mid-'80s

A woman with short blonde hair, wearing a shiny black strapless outfit, smiles widely while holding a microphone on stage under bright lights, arms open in an energetic gesture.

Tina's comeback wasn't just musical, it was spiritual. After leaving Ike Turner, she embraced Nichiren Buddhism, chanting daily before shows. The discipline grounded her through the making of Private Dancer, which became one of the best-selling albums of the decade.

4. Cyndi Lauper's Secret Struggle with Exhaustion

A young woman in a sleeveless top stands in a kitchen, looking at the camera with a puzzled expression. She has one hand raised and appears mid-gesture. There are cabinets, a stove, and a paper bag in the background.

During her She's So Unusual tour, Cyndi was hospitalized for severe exhaustion…but she kept it hidden from the press. Behind her colorful persona was an artist working tirelessly to prove women could headline pop tours as powerfully as men.

5. Stevie Nicks' "Sisters of the Moon" Recording Myth

A woman sings passionately into a microphone on an outdoor stage. She has long hair, wears a flowing outfit, and holds one hand on her head. The background shows stage scaffolding. The image is black and white.

During Fleetwood Mac's Tusk sessions, Stevie reportedly sang "Sisters of the Moon" in one take, fully improvised, and couldn't remember the lyrics afterward. The original demo is said to sound like a spell. Half poetry, half trance.

6. Pat Benatar's Early MTV Rebellion

Black and white portrait of a young woman with long, wavy hair, wearing a pearl necklace, looking slightly upward and smiling softly against a plain background.

Benatar's video "You Better Run" was the second video ever played on MTV (right after "Video Killed the Radio Star"). What few recall: MTV almost banned it for being "too aggressive."

7. Debbie Harry's Acting Detour

Black and white photo of a woman with blonde hair wearing a

While fronting Blondie, Debbie Harry filmed Videodrome with David Cronenberg. The role was so psychologically intense that she took a hiatus from music for months.

8. Kate Bush's Reluctant Fame

A woman with long brown hair sits on a green sofa, smiling and holding an open decorative fan. She wears a white top and blue jeans with embroidered flowers, and there is a framed artwork on the wall behind her.

When Wuthering Heights made her an overnight star, Kate Bush nearly quit performing. The spotlight terrified her. She turned down several world tours, preferring to control her sound from the studio.

9. Grace Jones' Studio Standoff

Three people pose together indoors. On the left, a woman wearing a fur hat and a dark dress smiles. In the center, a man in a suit smiles with his arms around the others. On the right, a person in glasses and a leather jacket looks at the camera.

Grace once walked out of a session for Slave to the Rhythm after producers tried to "soften" her vocals. She returned the next day with a whip and told them to keep the sound "raw and dangerous."

10. Annie Lennox's Androgynous Vision

A person with short, platinum blonde hair wears a black leather suit and white shirt, holding a microphone and performing on stage under dramatic lighting.

Eurythmics' breakout hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" shocked record execs because of Annie's cropped hair and men's suit. They begged her to change her look.

11. Belinda Carlisle's Hidden Punk Past

A woman with long red hair sings into a microphone on stage, wearing a black off-the-shoulder top and large hoop earrings, with a spotlight illuminating her face.

Before leading The Go-Go's, Belinda was in the punk band The Germs under the name "Dottie Danger." She left before recording but carried the punk energy into the polished sound that made The Go-Go's one of the first all-female bands to top the Billboard charts.

12. Janet Jackson's Quiet Rebellion

A woman with long dark hair performs energetically on stage, wearing a black and white costume, raising her fist and singing passionately against a dark background.

Janet's 1986 album Control was her emancipation manifesto, but few know she secretly financed parts of it to gain ownership leverage.

13. Sheena Easton's Bond Dilemma

A woman with curly, voluminous hair stands on stage holding a microphone, wearing a sparkly, dark blue dress with sequins and fringe details, under dramatic lighting.

Easton's sultry performance in the For Your Eyes Only Bond theme almost didn't happen. Producers wanted a different singer until Roger Moore personally insisted she stay.

14. Joan Jett's Label War

A man in a gray suit with slicked-back hair stands beside a woman with spiky black hair, wearing a colorful embellished jacket and a sheer lace top. Both are smiling and posing together at an indoor event.

Joan was rejected by 23 record labels before releasing Bad Reputation on her own label, Blackheart Records. When it charted independently, those same labels came knocking.

15. Sade's Studio Mystery

A woman wearing a patterned navy cardigan, white shirt, and light blue jeans stands in an airport terminal, holding a passport and a large black bag, smiling at the camera.

Sade Adu rarely speaks about her creative process. During the making of Diamond Life, she reportedly insisted on recording vocals alone in the dark, claiming the mood shaped the intimacy of songs like "Smooth Operator."

Explore more vintage content:

These moments show the 1980s weren't just about neon lights and synthesizers. They were about women fighting to create, to own their voices, and to redefine power in an industry built for men. If you loved this content, check out20 Strange Photos Of People With Even Stranger Stories, or

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