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Nina HagenGerman singer, punk rock musician, songwriter, actress.
Date of Birth: 11.03.1955
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Nina Hagen
Early Life and CareerNina Katharina Hagen, a German singer, punk rock musician, songwriter, and actress, was born on March 11, 1955, in East Berlin. Her mother was a famous actress, and two years after Nina's birth, her stepfather, a poet and songwriter, replaced her biological father. Nina was not a model child, and in 1968, she was expelled from the pioneer organization for participating in an "unauthorized" demonstration. She did not complete the tenth grade and dropped out of school to perform songs by artists such as Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. After a couple of years, Hagen performed with various bands and in 1974, with the help of her mother, made her debut in the film industry.
Move to the West and Rise to Fame
Two years later, her stepfather was expelled from East Germany due to dissenting views, and the whole family moved to West Germany. Sensing the smell of freedom, Nina went to London, where the punk revolution was brewing. After interacting with many representatives of the new movement, Hagen returned to Germany and immediately formed her own band, modestly named "Nina Hagen Band". In 1978, their debut album was released, which reached the pinnacle of success thanks to the punk anthems "TV Glotzer" and "Auf'm Bahnhof Zoo". However, after touring, Hagen disbanded the group, and only due to contractual obligations did the band members participate in the second album. "Unbehagen" did not cause as much ecstasy as their debut work, but Hagen found other ways to attract attention. In one of the television talk shows, she demonstrated masturbation, and then starred in the film "Cha Cha" with the Dutch legend of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, Herman Brood.
Solo Career and Activism
In 1982, her "truly solo" album "NunSexMonkRock" was released, which was a cocktail of funk and punk, opera and hard rock. It was followed by three more albums, but Nina's popularity started to decline. Her concerts, where audiences could see her mind-blowing costumes and hairstyles, remained of particular interest. In the mid-80s, Hagen spoke extensively about UFO phenomena, made political statements, and campaigned for animal rights. In 1989, Nina switched from the label "CBS" to "Phonogramm" and marked this event with the release of the album "Nina Hagen" which returned her to dirty rock 'n' roll. Around the same time, the singer moved to Paris and, under the influence of Jean-Paul Gaultier, drastically changed her image to a "classic" style.
Recent Years
In 1992, Hagen became the host of her own show on "RTLplus" and in 1993, released the work "Revolution ballroom" filled with humanistic ideas. Two years later, the lively German punk album "Freud Euch" was released. Its English version, titled "Beehappy," was recorded with the participation of Dee Dee Ramone. In 1998, Nina added another TV show to her resume, this time a science-fiction one. In 1999, she released the album "Om Namah Shivay," paying homage to her immense fascination with Indian culture. The Indian theme also found its reflection in the 2002 tour "1008 Indian Nights" and in the film "Om Gottes Willen," produced by Nina herself. In recent years, Hagen has been closely involved in the film industry, playing roles, dubbing animations, and releasing a documentary film about her artistic family, "Family stories: The Hagens" in 2001.
In 2003, she released the album "Big Band Explosion," featuring covers of legendary English-language hits of the past. In 2004, Nina Hagen played the role of an evil princess in the comedy horror film "7 Zwerge" based on the popular fairy tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." In 2006, she released the logical continuation of her previous album, "Irgendwo Auf Der Welt." From August 2006, Nina became a member of the jury for the TV show "Popstars" on the German channel Pro7. In the same year, the sequel to the film "7 Zwerge" was released.
In 2009, together with animal rights activist Pamela Anderson, Hagen starred in a controversial PETA advertisement. In October 2011, as part of her tour, she visited Moscow for a concert at the B1 Maximum club. In 2012, Nina Hagen expressed her support for the arrested members of the Pussy Riot group, protesting against their overly harsh punishment. In 2013, she dedicated her time to theater performances at the Berliner Ensemble, where she performed evenings dedicated to Bertolt Brecht, often alongside her mother and daughter. In 2014, she released a CD featuring the poems of another victim of psychiatric treatment, Ilona Haslbauer, and participated in the dubbing of two animated films: "Maya the Bee" and "The Seventh Dwarf" (a prequel to "7 Zwerge"). She also returned to acting in movies. In 2016, the artist celebrated her 45th anniversary on stage.
