VIDEO: Cher Talks Humble Beginnings, Historic Career, and Sonny Bono

Madonna. Sting. Prince. Beyoncé. The fraternity of artists iconic enough to go by just one name is as small as it is extraordinary, but perhaps none have found more enduring fame and success than Cher. Long before she was a superstar selling over 140 million records and dropping chart-topping hits in seven consecutive decades, however, she was Cheryl Sarkisian, a young Southern California girl with no inclination of what her destiny would be. “There was nothing about me that yelled ‘Cher’ when I was young,” the legendary singer and actress told Howard Wednesday before adding that she didn’t fit the mold of the typical Hollywood starlet at that time. “If you looked at the industry, if you looked at art, if you looked at what people thought was beautiful, it was blondes and fair[-skinned] women.”

Like many artists of her generation, everything changed for young Cheryl when one man took the music world by storm — Elvis Presley. “All the other girls’ moms didn’t want them listening to him or watching him or anything — my mom was playing the music all through the house,” Cher noted before remembering the impact of seeing him in concert when she was just 11 years old. “All my other girlfriends said they wanted him, [but] I said I want to be like him.”

Cher might have been alone in her dream of following in the King’s footsteps, but she did have the encouragement of her mother. “[She] was the only person that believed that I would be something,” the “I Got You Babe” singer recalled. “She would say … ‘When you grow up you will be special.’”

Making her long-anticipated Stern Show debut, the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee opened up about a wide range of topics, from her childhood and early days with former husband Sonny Bono to career highlights and even her love life. Check out some of the key moments from Cher’s sit-down (below).

How the Rolling Stones Helped Sonny & Cher Get Discovered

Cher Fought for Nicolas Cage to Be in ‘Moonstruck’

her rock and roll hall of fame induction

How Cher Met Warren Beatty

Cher on the Money Sonny Bono Took From Her

Cher on Past Relationships

“Cher: The Memoir, Part One” is available now wherever books are sold.