Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s, including "Marlene on the Wall", "
Left of Center", "
Luka
Luka may refer to:
People
* Luka (given name), a South Slavic masculine given name cognate of Luke, and a Japanese given name
* Luka (singer), stage name of Brazilian singer and songwriter Luciana Karina Santos de Lima (born 1979)
* Luka Keʻelik ...
" and "
No Cheap Thrill
"No Cheap Thrill" is a song by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, which was released in 1996 as the second single from her fifth studio album, ''Nine Objects of Desire'' (1996). It was written by Vega and produced by Mitchell Froom. "No Chea ...
". "
Tom's Diner
"Tom's Diner" is a song written in 1982 by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of '' Fast Folk Musical Magazine''. Originally featured on her second studio album, ''Solitude Sta ...
", which was originally released as an ''
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
'' recording on Vega's second album, ''
Solitude Standing
''Solitude Standing'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released on April 1, 1987, by A&M Records. It is the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Vega's, being certified Platinum in t ...
'' (1987), was remixed in 1990 as a dance track by English
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
duo
DNA with Vega as featured artist, and it became a Top 10 hit in over five countries. The original ''a capella'' recording of the song was used as a test during the creation of the
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
format. The role of her song in the development of the MP3 compression prompted Vega to be given the title of "
The Mother of the MP3".
Vega has released nine studio albums to date, the latest of which is ''
Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers'', released in 2016.
Early life
Suzanne Nadine Vega was born on July 11, 1959, in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. Her parents divorced soon after her birth. Her mother, Pat Vega (née Schumacher), is a computer
systems analyst
A systems analyst, also known as business technology analyst, is an information technology (IT) professional who specializes in analyzing, designing and implementing information systems. Systems analysts assess the suitability of information syst ...
of German-Swedish heritage. Her father, Richard Peck, is of British origin. Her stepfather,
Edgardo Vega Yunqué
Edgardo Vega Yunqué (May 20, 1936August 26, 2008) was a Puerto Rican novelist and short story writer, who also used the Americanized pen name Ed Vega.
Early years
Edgardo Vega Yunqué was born in Ponce, to Alberto Vega, a Baptist minister ...
, also known as Ed Vega, was a writer and teacher from
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. When Vega was two and a half, her family moved to New York City. She grew up in
Spanish Harlem
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fif ...
and the
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...
.
She was not aware that Peck was her biological father until she was nine years old. Vega and her father met for the first time in her late 20s, and they remain in contact.
She attended the
High School of Performing Arts
The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984.
In 1961, the school was m ...
,
now renamed
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia, is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Ce ...
, where she studied
modern dance
Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...
and graduated in 1977.
Career
1980s
While majoring in
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
at
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
, she performed in small venues in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
, where she was a regular contributor to
Jack Hardy's Monday night songwriters' group at the
Cornelia Street Cafe
The Cornelia Street Cafe, was a restaurant & bar at 29 Cornelia Street in New York City's Greenwich Village, opened in July 1977. The cafe closed at the end of 2018, due to rising rents from the gentrification of the West Village; ending on its ho ...
and had some of her first songs published on ''
Fast Folk
''Fast Folk Musical Magazine'' (originally known as ''The CooP'') was a combination magazine and record album published from February 1982 to 1997. The magazine acted as a songwriter/performer cooperative, and was an outlet for singer-songwriters ...
'' anthology albums. In 1984, she received a major label recording contract, making her one of the first 'Fast Folk' artists to break out on a major label.
Vega's
self-titled debut album was released in 1985 and was well received by critics in the U.S.;
[ it reached ]platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
status in the United Kingdom. Produced by Lenny Kaye
Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group.
Early life
Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper Ma ...
and Steve Addabbo
Steve Addabbo is a record producer, songwriter and audio engineer who helped launch the careers of Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. He had a vital hand in Vega's hit single, "Luka" and Colvin's album '' Steady On''.
Career
He has produced and/or ...
, the songs feature Vega's acoustic guitar in straightforward arrangements. A video
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...
was released for the album's song "Marlene on the Wall", which went into MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
's rotations. During this period Vega also wrote lyrics for two songs ("Lightning" and "Freezing") on ''Songs from Liquid Days
''Songs from Liquid Days'' is a collection of songs composed by composer Philip Glass with lyrics by Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, David Byrne and Laurie Anderson. Glass began the project scoring lyrics by Byrne and then thought to collaborate with ad ...
'' by composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
.
Vega's song " Left of Center" co-written with Steve Addabbo
Steve Addabbo is a record producer, songwriter and audio engineer who helped launch the careers of Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. He had a vital hand in Vega's hit single, "Luka" and Colvin's album '' Steady On''.
Career
He has produced and/or ...
for the 1986 John Hughes film ''Pretty in Pink
''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...
'' reached No. 32 on the UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in 1986.
Her next effort, ''Solitude Standing
''Solitude Standing'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released on April 1, 1987, by A&M Records. It is the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Vega's, being certified Platinum in t ...
'' (1987), garnered critical and commercial success, selling over one million copies in the U.S. It includes the international hit single "Luka
Luka may refer to:
People
* Luka (given name), a South Slavic masculine given name cognate of Luke, and a Japanese given name
* Luka (singer), stage name of Brazilian singer and songwriter Luciana Karina Santos de Lima (born 1979)
* Luka Keʻelik ...
", which is written about, and from the point of view of, an abused child—at the time an uncommon subject for a pop hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
. While continuing a focus on Vega's acoustic guitar, the music is more strongly pop-oriented and features fuller arrangements. Following the success of the album, in 1989 Vega became the first female artist to headline the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
. In addition, the performance was notable for Vega performing her set whilst wearing a bulletproof vest
A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. T ...
, her band having received death threats from an obsessed fan ahead of the festival.
The acappella "Tom's Diner
"Tom's Diner" is a song written in 1982 by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of '' Fast Folk Musical Magazine''. Originally featured on her second studio album, ''Solitude Sta ...
" from ''Solitude Standing'' became a hit in 1990, having been remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
ed by two British dance producers under the name DNA. The track was originally a bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
, until Vega allowed DNA to release it through her record company, and it became her biggest hit.
1990s
Vega's third album, ''Days of Open Hand
''Days of Open Hand'' is the third studio album by Suzanne Vega. It was released on April 10, 1990 through A&M Records. The follow-up to the successful ''Solitude Standing'' (1987), ''Days of Open Hand'' combines Vega's established folk-rock style ...
'' (1990), continued in the style of her first two albums.
In 1992, she released the album ''99.9F°
' (''Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees'') is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound. It peaked at No. ...
''. It consists of a mixture of folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
, dance beats and industrial music
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...
. This record was awarded Gold status by the RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
in recognition of selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S. The single "Blood Makes Noise" from this album peaked at number-one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
. Vega later married the album's producer Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma (band), Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, ...
.
Her fifth album, ''Nine Objects of Desire
''Nine Objects of Desire'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Suzanne Vega, released on September 10, 1996 through A&M Records. As with her previous album (1992), it was produced by her then-husband Mitchell Froom (who also co-wrote ...
'', was released in 1996. The music varies between a frugal, simple style and the industrial production of ''99.9F°''. This album contains "Caramel
Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard.
The process of caramelizatio ...
", featured in the movie ''The Truth About Cats & Dogs
''The Truth About Cats & Dogs'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Audrey Wells. It stars Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman, Ben Chaplin and Jamie Foxx. The story is a modern reinterpretation of the 1897 ...
'', and later the trailer for the movie '' Closer''. A song not included on that album, "Woman on the Tier", was featured on the soundtrack of the movie '' Dead Man Walking''.
In 1997 she took a singing part on the concept album '' Heaven and Hell'', a musical interpretation of the seven deadly sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
by her colleague Joe Jackson, with whom she had already collaborated in 1986 on "Left of Center" from the ''Pretty in Pink
''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...
'' soundtrack (with Vega singing and Jackson playing piano).[ ]
In 1999, Avon Books
Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reach ...
published Vega's book ''The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writings of Suzanne Vega'', a volume of poems, lyrics, essays and journalistic pieces.
2000s
In September 2001, Vega released a new album entitled ''Songs in Red and Gray
''Songs in Red and Gray'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was released on September 25, 2001 by A&M Records.
Music and lyrics
On ''Songs in Red and Gray'', Vega returns to her signature acoustic Contemp ...
''. Three songs deal with Vega's divorce from her first husband, Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma (band), Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, ...
.
At the memorial concert for her brother Tim Vega
Tim Vega (born Timothy Martin Vega; September 14, 1965 – April 29, 2002) was an American graphic designer best known for his work with several musical acts, especially jam bands. Among his patrons were Blues Traveler, Gov't Mule, and Spin Docto ...
in December 2002, Vega began her role as the subject of the direct-cinema documentary, ''Some Journey'', directed by Christopher Seufert
Christopher Seufert (born 1967) is a documentary film producer and director, and photographer based in Chatham, Massachusetts. His production company is Mooncusser Films.
His film work has appeared on HBO, VH-1, the Discovery Channel, the Histor ...
of Mooncusser Films
Mooncusser Films, LLC is the film and video production company founded by documentary producer/director Christopher Seufert. Notable projects include cinema verité films with alterna-folk musician Suzanne Vega, the late illustrator Edward Gorey, ...
. The documentary has not been completed.
Underground hip hop duo Felt
Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...
named a track "Suzanne Vega" on their album '' Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci'', released in 2002.
In 2003, the 21-song greatest hits compilation Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega was released. (The UK version of ''Retrospective'' included an eight-song bonus CD as well as a DVD containing 12 songs). In the same year she was invited by Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
guitarist Bill Frisell
William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...
to play at the ''Century of Song'' concerts at the famed ''Ruhrtriennale
The Ruhrtriennale (compound of ''Ruhr'' and ''triennale'' "lasting 3 years"), also known as Ruhr Triennale, was founded in 2002 and is a music and arts festival in the Ruhr-area of Germany which runs between mid-August and mid-October, and happens ...
'' in Germany.
In 2003, she hosted the American Public Media
American Public Media (APM) is an American company that produces and distributes public radio programs in the United States, the second largest company of its type after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and oper ...
radio series ''American Mavericks'', about 20th century American composers, which received the Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
for Excellence in Broadcasting.
On August 3, 2006, Vega became the first major recording artist to perform live in the Internet-based virtual world, ''Second Life
''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...
''. The event was hosted by John Hockenberry
John Charles Hockenberry (born June 4, 1956) is an American journalist and author. He has reported from all over the world, on a wide variety of stories in several mediums for more than three decades. He has written dozens of magazine and newsp ...
of public radio's ''The Infinite Mind
''The Infinite Mind'' was a national radio series that aired one hour a week, from 1998 to 2008. It was independently produced and distributed by the Peabody Award-winning Lichtenstein Creative Media. The program was first hosted by Frederick ...
''.
On September 17, 2006, she performed in Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
, as part of a benefit concert for the Save Darfur Coalition
The Save Darfur Coalition was an advocacy group that called "to raise public awareness and mobilize a massive response to the atrocities in Sudan's western region of Darfur." Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it was a coalition of more than 19 ...
. During the concert she highlighted her support for Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
, of which she has been a member since 1988.
In early October 2006, Vega participated in the Academia Film Olomouc (AFO) in Olomouc
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on th ...
, the Czech Republic, the oldest festival of documentary films in Europe, in which she appeared as a main guest. She was invited there as the subject of the documentary film by director Christopher Seufert
Christopher Seufert (born 1967) is a documentary film producer and director, and photographer based in Chatham, Massachusetts. His production company is Mooncusser Films.
His film work has appeared on HBO, VH-1, the Discovery Channel, the Histor ...
, that had a test screening at the festival. At the end of the festival she performed her classic songs and added one brand new piece called "New York Is a Woman".
Vega is also interviewed in the book ''Everything Is Just a Bet'' which was published in Czech in October 2006. The book contains 12 interview transcriptions from the talk show called ''Stage Talks'' that regularly runs in the Švandovo divadlo (Švandovo Theatre) in Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. Vega introduced the book to the audience of the Švandovo divadlo (Švandovo Theatre), and together with some other Czech celebrities gave a signing session.
She signed a new recording contract with Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...
in the spring of 2006, and released ''Beauty & Crime
''Beauty & Crime'' is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It is her first album of new material since 2001's ''Songs in Red and Gray'' and her first for Blue Note Records. It was released on July 17, 2007. ''Beauty & Cri ...
'' on July 17, 2007. The album, produced by Jimmy Hogarth, won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes:
* In 1959, the award was known as Best Engineered Record – Non-Classical
* In 1960, it was awarded as Best Engineeri ...
. Her contract was not renewed and she was released in June 2008.
In 2007, Vega followed the lead of numerous other mainstream artists and released her track "Pornographer's Dream" as podsafe
Podsafe is a term created in the podcasting community to refer to any work which, through its licensing, specifically allows the use of the work in podcasting, regardless of restrictions the same work might have in other realms. For example, a so ...
. The song spent two weeks at number-one during 2007 and finished as the No. 11 hit of the year on the PMC Top10's annual countdown. In 2015, Vega joined The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers.
She was also a judge for the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Independent Music Awards.
In 2008, fire at a Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
vault in Los Angeles County resulted in the loss or damage of some Vega recordings.
2010s
A partial cover version of her song ''Tom's Diner'' was used to introduce the 2010 British movie ''4.3.2.1
''4.3.2.1.'' (which stands for "4 girls, 3 days, 2 cities, 1 chance") is a 2010 British crime thriller film directed by Noel Clarke and Mark Davis, written by Clarke and starring Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Ophelia Lovibond, Shanika-Warre ...
'', with its lyrics largely rewritten to echo the plot. This musical hybrid was released as " Keep Moving". Vega participated in the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band from Richmond, Virginia, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous. Sparklehorse was active from 1995 until Linkous' 2010 death. Prior to forming Sparklehorse, Linkous fronted local bands ...
/David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
collaboration ''Dark Night of the Soul
''Dark Night of the Soul'' ( es, La noche oscura del alma) is a poem written by the 16th-century Spanish mystic and poet St. John of the Cross. The author himself did not give any title to his poem, on which he wrote two book-length commentari ...
''. She wrote both melody and lyrics for her song, which is titled "The Man Who Played God", inspired by a biography of Pablo Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
. Vega sang lead vocals on the song "Now I Am an Arsonist" with singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan William Coulton (born December 1, 1970), often called "JoCo" by fans, is an American folk/comedy singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans. Among his most popular songs are " Co ...
on his 2011 album, ''Artificial Heart
An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, experi ...
''.
Vega has re-recorded her back-catalogue, both for artistic and commercial (and control) reasons, in the ''Close-up'' series. Vol. 1 (''Love Songs
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
'') and Vol. 2 ('' People & Places'') appeared in 2010 while Vol. 3 ('' States of Being'') was released in July 2011 followed by Vol. 4 ('' Songs of Family'') in September 2012. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 of the ''Close-Up'' albums included previously unrecorded material; Volumes 2 and 3 each included one new collaboratively written song, while Volume 4 included three songs that Vega had written years earlier, but had not previously gotten around to recording. In all, Vega's ''Close-Up'' series features 60 re-recorded songs and five new compositions, representing about three-quarters of her lifetime songwriting output.
While performing live, Vega and long-term collaborator Gerry Leonard
Gerry Leonard is an Irish lead guitarist and solo artist, known for his harmonic and ambient guitar style and for his work with David Bowie. He has lived and worked in Dublin, Copenhagen, and Manhattan.
Hinterland
From Clontarf in Dublin, Le ...
began to introduce a number of new songs into the setlist, including the live favorite "I Never Wear White". Over the course of a year, the songs were completed and recorded in a live-studio setting with the help of a number of guests. Produced by Leonard, ''Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles
''Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles'' is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega.
Released in February 2014, it was Vega's first album of new material in seven years. The album features contributions ...
'' was released in February 2014. It was her first album of new material in seven years and became Vega's first studio album to reach the UK Top 40 since 1992, peaking at No. 37.
Vega's next album, '' Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers'', was released on October 14, 2016.
Songwriting
At the age of nine she began to write poetry. She was encouraged to do so by her stepfather. It took her three years to write her first song, "Brother Mine", which was finished at the age of 14. It was first published on '' Close-Up Vol. 4, Songs of Family'', along with her other early song, "The Silver Lady".
Vega has not learned to read musical notes; she sees the melody as a shape and chords as colors. She focuses on lyrics and melodic ideas; for advanced features – like intros or bridges
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...
– she relies on other artists with whom she works. Most of her albums, except the first one, were made in such cooperation.
Vega finishes 80% of the songs she starts writing. She got the melody of Tom's Diner while walking down Broadway in New York. She was thinking of French new-wave films.
The most important artistic influences on her work come from Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
and Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
. Some other important artists for her are Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
and Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...
.
Theater
Vega and Duncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik is known for his 1996 debut single " Barely Breathing", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He has composed ...
wrote a play ''Carson McCullers Talks About Love'', about the life of the writer Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers (February 19, 1917 – September 29, 1967) was an American novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Her first novel, ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940), explores the spiritual isolation of misfits ...
. In the play directed by Kay Matschullat, which premiered in 2011, Vega alternates between monologue and songs. Vega and Sheik were nominated for Outstanding Music in a Play for the 57th annual Drama Desk awards.
The album '' Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers'', based on this play, was released in 2016. Vega considers it to be a third version, because it's rewritten, and she made the first version in college.
In early 2020, Vega played the role of "Band Leader" in an off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
musical based on the 1969 movie ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Larry Tucker (screenwriter), Larry Tucker, who also produced the film, and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, ...
'', directed by Scott Elliott and produced at The New Group
The New Group, is a New York City Off-Broadway theatrical troupe founded by Artistic Director Scott Elliott, that produced its first play, Mike Leigh's '' Ecstasy'', in 1995.
The New Group is run by founding Artistic Director, Scott Elliott, an ...
in New York City. She replaced Sheik, who wrote the show's music and co-wrote the lyrics with Amanda Green
Amanda Green (born December 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history.
Early life and educ ...
. In his review for ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', critic Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...
called the "brandy-voiced" Vega "a delightful, smoothly sardonic presence.
Amanuensis Productions
Vega established her own recording label after the 2008 economic crisis. From that point, she stopped working for Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...
and started thinking about re-recording her back catalog with new arrangements and gaining control over her works (which she eventually did with the '' Close-Up Series'').
The name "Amanuensis Productions" was meant as a private joke about "servant" (amanuensis
An amanuensis () is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another, and also refers to a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In one example Eric Fenby ...
) owning the "masters" ( recording masters), also a pun at A&M still legally owning her previous master tapes.
Running the label proved to be harder than she expected. In 2015, it barely "broke even", but new licenses were coming for "Tom's Diner
"Tom's Diner" is a song written in 1982 by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of '' Fast Folk Musical Magazine''. Originally featured on her second studio album, ''Solitude Sta ...
".
Personal life
On March 17, 1995, Vega married Mitchell Froom
Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma (band), Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is currently the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, ...
, a musician and a record producer (who played on and produced ''99.9F°
' (''Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees'') is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound. It peaked at No. ...
'' and ''Nine Objects of Desire
''Nine Objects of Desire'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Suzanne Vega, released on September 10, 1996 through A&M Records. As with her previous album (1992), it was produced by her then-husband Mitchell Froom (who also co-wrote ...
''). They have a daughter, Ruby Froom (born July 8, 1994). The band Soul Coughing
Soul Coughing was an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty (also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. Soul Coughing developed a d ...
's ''Ruby Vroom
''Ruby Vroom'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Soul Coughing, released in 1994. The album's sound is a mixture of sample-based tunes (loops of Raymond Scott's " Powerhouse" on "Bus to Beelzebub", Toots and the Maytals, Howlin' Wol ...
'' album was named for her, with Vega's approval. Vega and Froom separated and divorced in 1998.
On February 11, 2006, Vega married Paul Mills, a lawyer and poet, "22 years after he first proposed to her."
Beginning in 2010, Ruby has occasionally performed with her mother on tour.
Vega practices Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism ( ja, 日蓮仏教), also known as Hokkeshū ( ja, 法華宗, meaning ''Lotus Sect'') is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of ...
and is a member of the American branch of the worldwide Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International
Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai, which declares approximately 12 million adherents in 192 countries and territories ...
.
Awards and nominations
{, class=wikitable
, -
! Year !! Awards !! Work !! Category !! Result
, -
, 1985
, rowspan=8, Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...
, rowspan=5, Herself
, rowspan=2, Top Billboard 200 Artist - Female
,
, -
, rowspan=8, 1987
,
, -
, Top Billboard 200 Artist
,
, -
, Top Hot 100 Artist
,
, -
, Top Hot 100 Artist - Female
,
, -
, rowspan=2, ''Solitude Standing
''Solitude Standing'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released on April 1, 1987, by A&M Records. It is the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Vega's, being certified Platinum in t ...
''
, Top Billboard 200 Album
,
, -
, Top Pop Compact Disk
,
, -
, "Luka
Luka may refer to:
People
* Luka (given name), a South Slavic masculine given name cognate of Luke, and a Japanese given name
* Luka (singer), stage name of Brazilian singer and songwriter Luciana Karina Santos de Lima (born 1979)
* Luka Keʻelik ...
"
, Top Hot 100 Song
,
, -
, NME Awards
The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of ...
, rowspan="2" , Herself
, Best Female Singer
,
, -
, rowspan="8" , 1988
, Pollstar
''Pollstar'' is a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. The publication was purchased by Oak View Group, a venue consultancy founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, in July 2017.
History and profile
Founded in 1981 in Fre ...
Concert Industry Awards
, Small Hall Tour of the Year
,
, -
, ASCAP Pop Music Awards
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
, rowspan="7" , "Luka
Luka may refer to:
People
* Luka (given name), a South Slavic masculine given name cognate of Luke, and a Japanese given name
* Luka (singer), stage name of Brazilian singer and songwriter Luciana Karina Santos de Lima (born 1979)
* Luka Keʻelik ...
"
, Most Performed Song
,
, -
, rowspan="3" , MTV Video Music Awards
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
, Best Female Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...
,
, -
, Breakthrough Video
Breakthrough or break through may refer to:
Arts Books
* ''Break Through'' (book), a 2007 book about environmentalism by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger
* ''Break Through'' (play), a 2011 episodic play portraying scenes from LGBT life
* ...
,
, -
, Best Cinematography
,
, -
, rowspan="5" , Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
, Song of the Year
,
, -
, Record of the Year
The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
,
, -
, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...
,
, -
, rowspan="2" , 1990
, rowspan="2" , ''Days of Open Hand
''Days of Open Hand'' is the third studio album by Suzanne Vega. It was released on April 10, 1990 through A&M Records. The follow-up to the successful ''Solitude Standing'' (1987), ''Days of Open Hand'' combines Vega's established folk-rock style ...
''
, Best Contemporary Folk Recording
,
, -
, Best Album Package
The Grammy Award for Best Recording Package is one of a series of Grammy Awards presented for the visual look of an album. It is presented to the art director of the winning album, not to the performer(s), unless the performer is also the art dire ...
,
, -
, 1992
, Billboard Music Video Awards
, "Blood Makes Noise
"Blood Makes Noise" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was released as the second single from her fourth album, ', in August 1992. It debuted at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks char ...
"
, Best Pop/Rock Female Video
,
, -
, 1993
, New York Music Awards
The New York Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony and live concert, established in 1986 with its first sold-out show at Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States. It ran for six years with annual sold-out shows at the Beacon Theate ...
, ''99.9F°
' (''Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees'') is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound. It peaked at No. ...
''
, Best Rock Album
,
, -
, 1996
, Žebřík Music Awards
, rowspan="3" , Herself
, Best International Female
,
, -
, 2003
, Glamour Awards
The ''Glamour'' Awards is an annual set of awards hosted by '' Glamour'' magazine. Woman of the Year awards honour "extraordinary and inspirational" women from a variety of fields, including entertainment, business, sports, music, science, medic ...
, Woman of the Year
,
, -
, 2004
, Peabody Awards
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
, Entertainment
,
, -
, 2008
, Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
, ''Beauty & Crime
''Beauty & Crime'' is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It is her first album of new material since 2001's ''Songs in Red and Gray'' and her first for Blue Note Records. It was released on July 17, 2007. ''Beauty & Cri ...
''
, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes:
* In 1959, the award was known as Best Engineered Record – Non-Classical
* In 1960, it was awarded as Best Engineeri ...
,
, -
, 2010
, New York Music Awards
The New York Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony and live concert, established in 1986 with its first sold-out show at Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States. It ran for six years with annual sold-out shows at the Beacon Theate ...
, ''Close-Up Vol. 1, Love Songs
''Close-Up Vol. 1, Love Songs'' is a studio album release by New York–based singer/songwriter and musician Suzanne Vega. The album consists of re-recordings of songs from Vega's back catalogue with stripped-down arrangements that highlight her ...
''
, Best Pop/Rock Compilation
,
, -
, 2012
, Drama Desk Awards
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
, ''Carson McCullers Talks About Love''
, Outstanding Music in a Play
,
Discography
* ''Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...
'' (1985)
* ''Solitude Standing
''Solitude Standing'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released on April 1, 1987, by A&M Records. It is the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Vega's, being certified Platinum in t ...
'' (1987)
* ''Days of Open Hand
''Days of Open Hand'' is the third studio album by Suzanne Vega. It was released on April 10, 1990 through A&M Records. The follow-up to the successful ''Solitude Standing'' (1987), ''Days of Open Hand'' combines Vega's established folk-rock style ...
'' (1990)
* ''99.9F°
' (''Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees'') is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound. It peaked at No. ...
'' (1992)
* ''Nine Objects of Desire
''Nine Objects of Desire'' is the fifth studio album by American musician Suzanne Vega, released on September 10, 1996 through A&M Records. As with her previous album (1992), it was produced by her then-husband Mitchell Froom (who also co-wrote ...
'' (1996)
* ''Songs in Red and Gray
''Songs in Red and Gray'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was released on September 25, 2001 by A&M Records.
Music and lyrics
On ''Songs in Red and Gray'', Vega returns to her signature acoustic Contemp ...
'' (2001)
* ''Beauty & Crime
''Beauty & Crime'' is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It is her first album of new material since 2001's ''Songs in Red and Gray'' and her first for Blue Note Records. It was released on July 17, 2007. ''Beauty & Cri ...
'' (2007)
* ''Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles
''Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles'' is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega.
Released in February 2014, it was Vega's first album of new material in seven years. The album features contributions ...
'' (2014)
* '' Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers'' (2016)
Books
* ''The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writing of Suzanne Vega'' (1999) .
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Stories told by Suzanne Vega at
The Moth
The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often featuring ...
Suzanne Vega recording of 'Streets of Laredo'
for Pioneers for a Cure
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vega, Suzanne
1959 births
A&M Records artists
American women rock singers
American women singer-songwriters
American folk rock musicians
American folk singers
American people of German descent
American people of Swedish descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of English descent
American people of Scottish descent
American rock guitarists
Barnard College alumni
Blue Note Records artists
Fast Folk artists
Feminist musicians
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni
Folk musicians from New York (state)
Grammy Award winners
Living people
Members of Sōka Gakkai
American Buddhists
Musicians from Santa Monica, California
Singer-songwriters from California
Singers from New York City
American rock songwriters
20th-century American women guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
21st-century American women guitarists
21st-century American guitarists
Guitarists from California
Guitarists from New York City
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women singers
People from the Upper West Side
People from East Harlem
Cooking Vinyl artists
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
Nichiren Buddhists
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)