SUZANNE VEGA: JUST DON'T ASK ME HOW I AM

Suzanne Nadine Vega

Suzanne Nadine Vega (born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.

Two of Vega's songs reached the Top 10 of various international chart listings: Luka and Tom's Diner. The latter was originally an a cappella version on Vega's album, which was then remade in 1990 as a dance track produced by the British dance production team DNA, and was the song used as a test during the creation of the MP3 format.

More information: Suzanne Vega

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.

Suzanne Vega was born in Santa Monica, California. Her mother, Pat Vega, née Schumacher, is a computer systems analyst of German-Swedish heritage. Her father, Richard Peck, is of Scottish-English-Irish origin. They divorced soon after her birth. Her stepfather, Edgardo Vega Yunqué, also known as Ed Vega, was a writer and teacher from Puerto Rico. 

Suzanne Vega in Barcelona (2008)

When Vega was two and a half, her family moved to New York City. She grew up in Spanish Harlem and the Upper West Side. She was not aware of having a different biological father until she was nine years old. They met for the first time in her late 20s and remain in contact.

She attended the High School of Performing Arts where she studied modern dance and graduated in 1977. Suzanne discovered the music of Laura Nyro who was a huge influence on her.

At the age of nine she began to write poetry. She was encouraged to do so by her stepfather. It took her 3 years to write her first song, Brother Mine, it was ready 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.

More information: The Guardian

Vega hasn't 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, she relies on other artists she works with. Most of her albums, except the first one, was made in such cooperation. She claims that 80% of the songs she started writing get finished.

The most important artistic influence on her work comes from Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Some other important artists for her are Paul Simon and Laura Nyro.

I loved the atmosphere of the dance studios, the wooden floors, the big mirrors, everyone dressed in pink or black tights, the musicians accompanying us, and the feeling of ritual the classes had. 

Suzanne Vega