Cher (English: Cher, birth name Cherilyn Sarkisian, Armenian: Շեռլին Սարգսյան; born. May 20, 1946, El Centro, California, United States) is an Armenian-American singer, actress, film director, music producer and songwriter, widely referred to by the media as the "Goddess of Pop" and described as the embodiment of female autonomy in a male-dominated industry.
She is known for her distinctive contralto and for having worked in a variety of entertainment businesses for over six decades, adapting to different styles and trends.
Her first success came in 1965 when, as part of the duo Sonny & Cher with her husband, she recorded the song "I Got You Babe," which reached the top of the American and British charts. By the end of 1967, the couple had sold over 40 million copies of their recordings. Concurrently, Cher was working on a solo career. In 1966, she released the song "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", which became one of her most popular songs of the 1960s, reaching number two in the US and number three in the UK. Cher subsequently hosted the popular American television variety show The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour with an audience of over 30 million viewers per week for three years, for which she was awarded a Golden Globe, as well as hosting her own variety show, Cher. In the productions, Cher appeared in elaborate costumes that made her a trendsetter of the '70s.
While working in television, Cher established herself as a solo artist, releasing the singles "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady", which reached the top of the US charts, and after releasing the disco album Take Me Home in 1979, she performed in Las Vegas for three years from 1980 to 1982 for $300,000 a week.
In 1982, Cher made her Broadway debut in the production of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, and starred in its film adaptation. She subsequently received positive critical acclaim for her roles in films such as Silkwood (1983), The Mask (1985), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), and Charmed by the Moon (1987), the latter of which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She continued her musical career with the rock albums Cher (1987), Heart of Stone (1989) and Love Hurts (1991), each accompanied by the successful singles "I Found Someone", "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "Love and Understanding".
Another peak of commercial success awaited Cher in 1998 with her album Believe, the title track from which to this day in the UK represents the biggest-selling song ever released by a female singer. During the recording of the song, the first ever autotune technique was used, which later became known as the "Cher effect".
The Living Proof: The Farewell Tour (2002-2005) was recognized as the most commercially successful tour by a female singer at the time and is still on the list of the most successful tours, grossing over $250 million. In 2008, Cher signed a $180 million contract to perform at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where she performed her show Cher at the Colosseum until February 5, 2011. In 2018, Cher returned to the big screen for a cameo in Mamma Mia! 2 for the first time since 2010, when she starred in Burlesque. Inspired by her role, she released the album Dancing Queen (2018), which, like her previous album Closer to the Truth (2013) reached number 3 on the US charts.
Cher has been honored with an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or, CFDA Special Fashion Award, Kennedy Center Award, among others. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Cher has become one of the performers with the highest number of records sold in the history of the music industry (over 100 million copies). She is the only artist in music history whose songs topped the U.S. charts for 6 decades (from the 1960s through the 2010s). In addition to her success in music and movies, Cher is also known for her political views, philanthropic work, and social activism