VIDEO: Laura Bell Bundy Releases Stirring Rendition & Video For 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun'

Actress, singer and Tony nominated Broadway star, Laura Bell Bundy, is releasing her stirring rendition of the Cyndi Lauper classic "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" today. In honor of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, she is also releasing the harrowing video for her version, which depicts a woman living and triumphing through a DV situation.

"Girls Just Want To Have Fun" is the second single off of Bundy's upcoming Women of Tomorrow album, which explores a myriad of issues women face.

Bundy says, "In the middle of making the record I heard Cyndi's version of the song on the radio. I paid better attention to the lyrics and realized how poignant they are to the experience of being a woman. I thought, if you slow this down, it could be devastating. Jeremy Adelman, the mastermind behind the production and orchestration and I decided that a waltz would be the most haunting and raw."

Video director Ariel Zucker from CNT Productions had a personal experience with domestic violence. She says, "As a survivor of domestic abuse, I know the impact that media can have when reconciling with what is happening to you, I didn't even know I was being abused until I saw it named on TV. Up until that point I thought it was normal, and what everyone was experiencing. At the same time, I object to the way survivors of domestic violence are often portrayed on screen: a busted lip and a black eye staring hopelessly into the camera. How objectifying, how hopeless, how permanent. When mapping out the video, I turned to personal examples of the stages of abuse, because it doesn't typically become physical immediately. It starts with control issues, jealousy, verbal abuse, and eventually turns into bodily violence. I can't speak for everyone, but for me, the emotional abuse was more scarring than anything else, so I wanted to show the significance of that. I wanted to tell a story of how abuse exists in the context of family, healing, and reunion. Many survivors don't get to see themselves have a happy ending on screen. That sort of representation matters, too."

Bundy continues "1 in 4 women experience domestic violence, and in fact most cases of female homelessness stem from this. That is why it was important for me to work with a director and producer who had experienced domestic violence. With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we hoped to do some good by releasing it this month, raising awareness and in doing a virtual fundraiser for victims."

At the end of October Bundy will be partnering with Futures Without Violence for a virtual musical event and roundtable discussion to help raise money for those affected by Domestic Violence during COVID-19.

Esta Soler, Founder & President, Futures Without Violence, says, "Domestic Violence Awareness Month this year is especially critical given the devastating increases in domestic violence we are seeing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of children and adults throughout the U.S. and around the world are living in fear while sheltering in place, with long-term consequences for physical and emotional well-being as well as financial safety. Please consider donating to the Domestic Violence Response Fund (launched in partnership with founding donor The Allstate Foundation) to help survivors heal and rebuild their lives following abuse."

The video was animated by Clair Chin from CNT Productions.

"Girls Just Want To Have Fun" is the follow-up single to Bundy's ultimate female empowerment song "Get It Girl, You Go" off of Women of Tomorrow.

Inspired by the music of Glenn Miller, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, and classic MGM movie musicals, Women of Tomorrow, coming out in Spring 2021, is vintage in sound but not in subject matter. Like the current pop elements sprinkled throughout, this album encapsulates the experiences of today's modern women. These original songs cover issues like equal pay, breaking the glass ceiling, over-apologizing, the mental load of motherhood, pitting women against each other, holding women to unrealistic beauty standards, the obsession with social media, ownership over women's bodies, doing it all, and women's relationship to men.

The project is being released through a partnership with ONErpm.

Bundy also recently announced her musical podcast, Women of Tomorrow, which powerfully and deeply dives into the issues each song on her album presents, examines the history of those matters and provides solutions for moving forward. The first episode, featuring Bundy's interview with Democratic Senate Nominee Amy McGrath, is currently available exclusively at BPN.FM/WomenofTomorrow.

Watch the video here: