Cyndi Lauper Says She Has to 'Get Over' Feeling 'Pissed Off' About Birthdays as She Turns 70: 'Oy!' (Exclusive)

"Oy. Oy. That's all I got to say. Oy!" Lauper tells PEOPLE of entering a new decade

It's Cyndi Lauper's 70th birthday, and she's going to celebrate — no matter how badly she doesn't want to.

The pop icon spoke to PEOPLE about entering a new decade and trying not to feel negatively about birthdays at the Tribeca Festival premiere of her new documentary, Let the Canary Sing.

"Oy. Oy. That's all I got to say. Oy!" Lauper exclaims to PEOPLE about turning 70. "I haven't thought about it. I was always pissed off on my birthday."

Related: Cyndi Lauper's Life in Photos

Historically, she hasn't been very excited about getting older. "One year, when I was 38, I remember back then I wasn't going to get up or talk to anybody," recalls Lauper.

"My friends came banging on my door, and they said, 'Listen, next year you're going to be more pissed off. Come on, get up now. We're going to Teddy's. We're having a party,'" she says.

But that wasn't even the first time Lauper needed encouragement in order to celebrate her birthday. "Even at 30, [producer] Rick Chertoff told me, 'Don't be ridiculous. Life starts at 30. Get up, and come on now. We're going out to eat.' So, I'm just going to have to get over it [this year]."

Directed by Alison Ellwood, Let the Canary Sing chronicles Lauper's life and career, sharing the stories behind her rise to fame and hit songs including "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time" and "True Colors."

"I just think Allison did a great job, and at first I always felt like, 'Well, a documentary, I'm not dead yet.' But if anybody was going to tell it should have been her, and it is," says Lauper. "So, I feel very privileged. She's a wonderful filmmaker, so I think it has a lot of heart."

Related: Cyndi Lauper Reveals She Refused to Record 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' at First Because It Was Written by Men

In honor of the Grammy winner's 70th birthday, Spotify recruited pop singers Madison Rose and Lennon Stella to cover "True Colors" and "Time After Time," respectively, as exclusive releases on the streaming platform.

"'True Colors' is a lightning in a bottle song that every artist dreams of creating and relishes in singing because it’s a reminder that every person needs to find acceptance of yourself and let your true self shine through," said Rose in a press statement. "It was truly serendipitous that this cover came to me as it is all I hope to stand for in my career — that when you show up authentically as yourself, you will always find love."

Related: Cyndi Lauper Says She Recorded 'True Colors' to 'Feel Better' After Her Friend Died of AIDS (Exclusive)

In another press statement, Stella said she's "stoked" to record a cover of "Time After Time" and called it "the greatest song ever written."

"My parents [The Stellas] covered this song when I was a kid. They sang this as a duo during my whole childhood. It was a very primary memory for me so it is just a really cool, full-circle moment for me to cover the song myself," she explained.

The former Nashville star continued, "Cyndi’s career and music has inspired me with how true and how purposeful her lyrics are. She’s a true artist, that in-and-of itself has always moved me and I think she’s kind of just superwoman.”

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