Suzanne Nadine Vega

Background

Suzanne Vega was born on July 11, 1959, in Santa Monica, California, United States. She is the daughter of an architectural draftsman and a computer program analyst.

Her mother, Pat Schumacher Vega is a computer systems analyst of German-Swedish heritage. Her father, Richard Peck, is of Scottish-English-Irish origin. After her parent's divorce her mother remarried Edgardo Vega Yunqué, also known as Ed Vega, was a writer and teacher from Puerto Rico.

Education

Suzanne Vega attended High School of the Performing Arts and then, in 1982, received Bachelor of Arts in English from Barnard College.

Career

At a young age, Vega made up her mind that she wanted to be a performer. She discovered music and learned to play the guitar on her own. Vega knew that she had found her calling. Abandoning her plans to become a dancer, she began singing at cafes and clubs in Greenwich Village. Although she did not find immediate success, she soon had a loyal following as an increasing number of people came to her catch her performances. She eventually caught the attention of critics and others in the music industry. Her style has been compared to that of Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell.

Since 1978, Vega sang at Greenwich Village clubs in the company of folk song lovers. Her sense of self came in order, especially when she heard good reviews and applause. In 1979, Vega got to Lou Reed's concert. The impressions were amazing - Suzanne realized that she could sing about her daily impressions, about the life of the streets, tell thousands of little stories of cripples, sick, abandoned, without uttering the plot to the end. After graduating from college in 1982, she got a place: during the day she worked as a girl in the waiting room, at night she sang in clubs. She was already written about in newspapers, but the studios rejected her demos. Thus was her signature reception. Vega signed a contract with A&M Records and released her debut album, Suzanne Vega, in 1985. The album received critical praise. Her second album, Solitude Standing, was released in 1987 and featured her most successful song, “Luka.” Written from the point of an abused child, “Luka” became a hit single and put Vega in the mainstream of popular music.

In 1992, Vega, dealing with personal issues, decided to take a new approach in her music for her album, 99.9F. She experimented with a style different than her previous work. Entertainment Weekly’s Chris William stated that the album “retooled Vega’s icy folk into rich pop with eccentric traces of the Beatles and even industrial rock.” This critically praised album went on to win a New York Music Award for Best Rock Album in 1992. In 1999, Vega published The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writing of Suzanne Vega, a collection of poems, song lyrics, and essays.

Susan Vega and Duncan Sheik wrote a play by Carson McCullers Talks About Love (directed by Kei Metschula) about the life of an American writer Carson McCullers, whose work Susan has been passionate about since 15 years old. The premiere took place in 2011. In 2016, the musical material of the play was released on the ninth numbered album of Vega Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers.

Achievements

• A gifted songwriter, Suzanne Vega made her mark in the music world in 1985 with her critically acclaimed debut album, Suzanne Vega, and enjoyed success with her subsequent albums. Her simple lyrics and powerful voice have impressed audiences. She is also credited for paving the way for many of today’s popular female singers. In addition, Vega is known for her charity work for children.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writing of Suzanne Vega

    (Suzanne Vega is a poet of the urban streets whose passion...)

    1999
  • Suzanne Vega: Solitude Standing

    (This book contains songs from Suzanne Vega’s second album...)

    1990
  • Suzanne Vega: 99.9 F°

    (Songbook piano and Vocal of a popular Artist.)

    1992
  • The Authentic Guitar Style of Suzanne Vega with Tablature 1989
  • Canciones 1993
  • Tom's Diner 2011
  • Luka 2013
  • Days of Open Hand 1993

Religion

Vega practices Nichiren Buddhism and is a member of the American branch of the worldwide Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International.

Views

In her books Vega discusses the roads she has traveled in her life and reveals some intimate details of her life. She also touches upon various topics, including the innocence and insecurities of childhood.

Quotations: “I knew from early childhood that I would become famous. For hours I rode in the hallway, imagining myself on stage, or invited other children to play with them or sing in front of them.”

Connections

In 1995, Vega married Mitchell Froom, a producer. They have a daughter, Ruby Froom. In 1998, Vega and Froom separated and divorced.

On February 11, 2006, Vega married Paul Mills, a lawyer and poet.

Father:

Richard Peck

Mother:

Pat Schumacher Vega

Ex-husband:

Mitchell Froom

husband:

Paul Mills

Daughter:

Ruby Froom

collaborator:

Duncan Sheik

Born November 18, 1969.

stepfather:

Edgardo Yunqué

May 20, 1936 – August 26, 2008

References

• Hymn To Her: Women Musicians Talk
  1995