Suzanne Vega Singer Date of Birth: 11.07.1959 Country: USA

Biography of Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Vega was born on July 11, 1959, in Santa Monica, California. She was born premature, weighing just over a kilogram and immediately placed in an incubator. Her parents separated before she was born, and in 1960, she gained a new father whom she considered her own for many years. Puerto Rican writer Ed Vega moved the family to New York, where they settled in the Spanish Quarter. From a young age, Suzanne spoke Spanish as fluently as she did English. At the age of 9, she discovered that her father was white, which shattered her sense of Puerto Rican identity. She struggled with self-identification for many years. In 1988, Suzanne hired a private detective who located her biological father in California, where he worked as an architect. She also had three siblings. Her parents often sang, including Ed Vega's own songs, and encouraged their children's musical creativity. Suzanne picked up the guitar at the age of 11 and discovered her poetic talent at 12. Her father advised her to avoid clichés and be as sincere as possible in self-expression. Ed and Suzanne's mother were Buddhists, which, according to their daughter, helped shape her as an individual. She was inspired by Bob Dylan and contemporary ballet, which she studied at the School of Arts in Manhattan. However, dancing was a challenge for her, as she was introverted compared to the other expressive and confident students. Suzanne learned how to navigate relationships with others without using unnecessary words or actions. She dressed in oversized sweaters and heavy boots, as she did not want to appear sexual and believed that she could achieve anything through her intellect. Much later, Vega realized that her difficulties in dancing were due to her asthma and overall health condition. However, at that time, she was plagued with insecurities and unexpressed desires. Suzanne enrolled in Barnard College in New York and left behind her dreams of becoming a dancer. She became interested in singing her own songs and performed in coffeehouses in the West Side and folk festivals. For a long time, Suzanne could not tolerate the attention of the audience, and their gazes irritated her - an unusual quality for a future pop star.
In 1978, Vega performed in Greenwich Village clubs with a group of folk music enthusiasts. It was there that she found the audience she had always dreamed of. In 1979, Vega attended a concert by Lou Reed, which had a profound impact on her. She realized that she could sing about everyday experiences, about life on the streets, and tell thousands of little stories about the disabled, sick, and abandoned without revealing the entire plot. This became her signature style.
After graduating from college in 1982, she worked during the day as a receptionist and sang in clubs at night. Although she had already received some newspaper coverage, record companies rejected her demo tapes. Two years later, two producers who had just started their own business discovered her. A couple of years ago, Vega's recording fell into their hands, and they liked it. A&M Records, which had rejected Suzanne twice before, signed her in 1983. Her first album, "Suzanne Vega," was released in 1985 and was produced in collaboration with Lenny Kaye, former guitarist for Patti Smith. The label had hoped to sell 30,000 copies, but they sold 250,000 in the United States and 500,000 internationally. "Rolling Stone" magazine included the album in their list of the top 100 albums of the 80s.
Two months after the release of the album, Suzanne gave her first major concert with a band, and since then, she has performed in prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London, Carnegie Hall, and Radio City Music Hall in New York. In 1986, Vega wrote two texts for Philip Glass's orchestral album "Songs for Liquid Days" and later collaborated with him multiple times. Suzanne shed all her shyness. She knew her strengths well. For example, she had never been able to sing long phrases due to the effects of her asthma. However, this was not a problem, as Suzanne's lyrics consisted of fragmented, concise statements that were philosophical and extremely impactful. The best example of such poetry is the hit song "Luka," which topped charts worldwide and earned her the support of child protection organizations. Upon hearing a remix of the song, Suzanne changed her attitude towards sound, which influenced her subsequent recordings. Critics find the sound of her later albums, such as "Days of Open Hand," much denser and even challenging to perceive.
Her album "99.9 F," released two years later, received a lukewarm reception. Fans were expecting a continuation of her previous style, but Suzanne took a different direction. While old fans were skeptical, the younger audience appreciated the power and liveliness of her new material. Her next move, "Nine Objects of Desire," was well-received by everyone. Who can resist the allure of bossa nova? Her latest release, "Tried and True," is a collection of singles, including two songs that did not make it onto her official albums ("Left of Center" and "Tom's Diner" in the DNA version), as well as two new songs ("Book & Cover" and "Rosemary").