Nina Hagen is the pseudonym of a famous German singer who mainly performed punk rock music. Interestingly, many publications at various times called her the pioneer of punk in Germany. The singer has received a number of prestigious music awards and television awards.
The early years of the singer Nina Hagen
The real name of the performer is Katharina Hagen. The girl was born on March 11, 1955 in East Berlin. Her family consisted of very famous people. Her father was a famous journalist and screenwriter, and her mother was an actress. Therefore, an interest in creativity was laid in a girl from the cradle.
Just like her mother, she first wanted to become an actress, but failed her first entrance exams. Without enrolling in acting school, she decided to try her hand at music. In the 1970s, she performed with various groups, including foreign ones. At the time, she gained little publicity in East Berlin through her participation in the Automobil collective.
Nina Hagen: First steps in music
In 1977 she had to move to Germany. Here the girl created her own team, which she named already using the name "Nina" - Nina Hagen Band. During the year, the guys were looking for their own style and gradually recorded the first disc - the same name as the name of the group. The first album was successful, and its unofficial presentation took place at one of the major German festivals.
The second disc Unbehagen came out a year later and also became very popular in Germany. However, this was not enough for Katarina. She decided to suspend the activities of the team. Its goal is to conquer Europe and the USA. The girl began to travel and actively take an interest in various cultural trends.
Since the 1980s, the themes of spirituality, religion, and the protection of the rights of the animal world often began to appear in the songs of the singer. The variety of themes for the songs made it clear that the girl began to get involved in many directions in the culture of different peoples.
She went on a second European tour, but it was a "failure" from the very beginning. Then the girl decided to switch her attention to the West and went to New York. According to Nina, in 1981 (at that moment the woman was pregnant), she saw a UFO with her own eyes. It was this woman who explained the cardinal changes in creativity. All subsequent albums began to sound more unusual. The list of topics chosen by Nina has increased.
Commercial success of the records
Her third disc, Nunsexmonkrock, was released in New York. The record was produced by renowned producer Bennett Glotzer, who had experience working with international stars. The album proved to be excellent in terms of sales and reviews from listeners - both in the US and in Europe.
The producer advised the singer not to slow down. So she immediately recorded and released the double disc Fearless / Angstlos, which was released in two stages within a year. The first disc was recorded in English - for the American and European audiences, the second - in German, especially for the artist's homeland.
The main track from the album was the composition New York, New York. She hit the Billboard Hot 100 and topped various charts for a long time. The artist immediately began working on the creation of a new release. It was also double, released in the mid-1980s under the titles In Ekstasy / In Ekstase.
The concept of a double edition gave its results - this is how the girl worked for completely different audiences. This release allowed her to make a big world tour. She was invited to various countries both for solo concerts and major festivals. So, Nina visited Brazil, Japan, Germany, France and many other countries. Its worldwide popularity has grown rapidly.
The 1989 album was released under a name that is completely consonant with the stage name - Nina Hagen. The disc was marked by a number of successful hits, and among the languages in which Nina sang, there was even Russian. The use of foreign language texts in his songs became Hagen's "trick". This made it possible to attract listeners from different countries, and even from other continents.
Looking for a new look...
In the early 1990s, she got her own image maker, who worked on the image for a long time. The woman has become more graceful and elegant. She began to experiment with electronic sounds, which is very noticeable in the Street album. Around the same time, she created her own television program on German television, which is completely devoted to creativity.
The musical career did not slow down. The next "bomb" was the Revolution Ballroom disc with the main hit So Bad. The girl managed to release the loudest hit in her entire long career in her fifth album. Not every performer could do this. Thus, the popularity of the singer did not decrease with each new album. The new double LP Freud Euch / Bee Happy (1996) was very popular.
The work of Nina Hagen after the 2000s
At the turn of the century, the extravagant singer again delved into religious themes and mythology. She began to record a significant amount of material with an inherent mystical atmosphere. The result was another solo album, but already an anniversary one. Regarding sales, he showed himself a little worse than the previous ones. But this was easily explained by the significant specificity of the themes and the sound of the compositions (even for Nina, this was too unusual).
The early 2000s were very active. The woman visited a number of countries with tours (including Russia, where journalists interviewed her for broadcast on the main channels). Since 2006, the famous "mother of German punk" has been steadily releasing every 2-3 years. News about her can also be heard in various animal rights news.
Today, Hagen is a prominent public figure who often publicly expresses his opinion on important international issues. The last Volksbeat CD was released in 2011 and was created in the genre of electronic dance music (an unusual style for a singer).
