Nina Hagen
Nina Hagen in Aalborg, Denmark 11th of October, 2003
Background information
Birth name	Catharina Hagen
Born	March 11, 1955 (1955-03-11) (age 53)
Origin	East Berlin, Germany
Genre(s)	Punk rock post-punk New wave
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1971 - present
Label(s)	Columbia Records Mercury Records
Associated acts	Automobil The Nina Hagen Band
Website	nina-hagen.com

Nina Hagen (born Catharina Hagen on March 11, 1955) is a singer from Berlin, Germany. Aalborg ( IPA ˈʌlb̥ɒːˀ is a city in Denmark. Its population as of 2006 is 121540 making it the fourth largest in the country after Copenhagen, The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Post-punk was a popular musical movement in the mid to late 1970s following on the heels of the initial Punk rock explosion of the early 1970s New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Early years

Hagen's parents are Hans Hagen (also known as Hans Oliva), a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer. Her paternal Jewish grandparents died in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Sachsenhausen (zaksənˈhaʊzən was a Concentration camp in Germany, operating between 1936 and 1945 Her parents divorced when she was two years old, and growing up she saw her father infrequently. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. At age four, she began to study ballet, and was considered an opera prodigy by the time she was nine. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto List of child prodigies|Fictional child prodigies A child prodigy is a one who masters one or more skills or arts at an early age

When Hagen was 11, her mother married Wolf Biermann, an anti-establishment singer-songwriter. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics Biermann's political views incalculably influenced young Hagen: she was "dishonorably discharged" from the so-called Free German Youth group at age 12, and active in political protests against the socialist East German government. The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ ( German: Freie Deutsche Jugend, was the official Socialist Youth movement of Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The German Democratic Republic ( GDR; Deutsche Demokratische Republik DDR; commonly known in English as East Germany) was a Socialist state

Hagen left school after completing the 10th grade (at age 16), and joined the cover band "Fritzens Dampferband" (Fritz's Steamboat Band, together with Achim Mentzel and others). She added songs by Janis Joplin and Tina Turner to the "allowable" setlists during shows. Janis Lyn Joplin ( January 19, 1943  – October 4, 1970) was an American singer songwriter and music arranger from Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an eight time Grammy Award -winning American

From 1972-3, Hagen enrolled in the crash-course performance program at The Central Studio for Light Music in East Berlin. Upon graduation, formed the band Automobil.

Music career

1970s

In East Germany, she performed with the band Automobil, becoming one of the country's best-known young stars. Her most famous song from the early part of her career was "Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen" ("You forgot the Colour Film") in 1974. However, her musical career in East Germany was cut short when she and her mother left the country in 1976, following the expulsion of her stepfather.

The circumstances surrounding the family's emigration were exceptional: Biermann was granted permission to perform a televised concert in Cologne, but denied permission to re-cross the border to his home country. During a period when bureaucracy was the norm, and families divided by the Berlin Wall had not seen one another in decades, Hagen submitted an application to leave the country. Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including In it, she claimed to be Biermann's biological daughter, and threatened to become the next Wolf Biermann if not allowed to rejoin her father. Just four days later, her request was granted, and she settled in Hamburg, where she was signed to a CBS-affiliated record label. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Her label advised her to acclimate herself to Western culture through travel, and she arrived in London during the height of the punk rock movement. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Hagen was quickly taken up by a circle that included The Slits and the Sex Pistols; Johnny Rotten was a particular admirer. The Slits are a UK Punk rock band The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 John Joseph Lydon (born 31 January 1956 in London England also known as Johnny Rotten, is a British Rock musician best known as lead vocalist for the Punk

Back in Germany by the summer of 1977, Hagen formed the Nina Hagen Band in West Berlin's Kreuzberg district. West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Kreuzberg, since 2001 part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin In 1978 they released their self-titled debut album, which included the single "TV-Glotzer" (a cover of "White Punks on Dope" by The Tubes, though with entirely different German lyrics), and Auf'm Bahnhof Zoo, about West Berlin's then-notorious Berlin Zoologischer Garten station. The Tubes are a San Francisco -based rock band, which was popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s and was known for its live performances that The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990 Bahnhof Berlin Zoologischer Garten ( German for Berlin Zoological Garden railway station short form Berlin Zoo or colloquially Bahnhof Zoo) was the central The album also included a version of "Rangehn" (approximately, "Go On"), a song she had previously recorded in East Germany, but with different music.

According to reviewer Fritz Rumler,

… she thrusts herself into the music, aggressively, directly, furiously, roars in the most beautiful opera alto, then, through shrieks and squeals, precipitates into luminous soprano heights, she parodies, satirises, and howls on stage like a dervish. Alto is a musical term derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" that has several possible interpretations This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human

The album gained significant attention throughout Germany and abroad, both for its hard rock sound and for Hagen's theatrical vocals, far different from the straightforward singing of her East German recordings. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock However, relations between Hagen and the other band members deteriorated over the course of the subsequent European tour, and Hagen decided to leave the band in 1979, though she was still under contract to produce a second album. This LP, Unbehagen (which in German also means discomfort or unease), was eventually produced with the band recording their tracks in Berlin and Hagen recording the vocals in Los Angeles, California. Long play (LP record albums are 33⅓  Rpm vinyl Gramophone records (phonograph records generally either 10- or 12- Inches in diameter Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It included the single "African Reggae" and a cover of Lene Lovich's "Lucky Number". Lene Lovich (born March 30, 1949) is an American born British singer who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene The other band members sans Hagen, soon developed a successful independent musical career as Spliff.

Meanwhile, Hagen's public persona was steadily creating media uproar and she became infamous for an appearance on an Austrian talk show called Club 2, in which she demonstrably described masturbation techniques. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Masturbation refers to Sexual stimulation especially of one's own genitals ( self masturbation) and often to the point of Orgasm, which She also acted with Dutch rocker Herman Brood and singer Lene Lovich in the movie Cha Cha. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Herman Brood (pronounced "Broat" /brot/ Zwolle, 5 November 1946 &ndash Amsterdam, 11 July 2001) was a Lene Lovich (born March 30, 1949) is an American born British singer who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene

1980s

A European tour with a new band in 1980 was cancelled, and Hagen turned to the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A limited-edition 10-inch EP was released on vinyl that summer in the U. S. Two songs from her first album Nina Hagen Band were on the A side, and two songs from her second album Unbehagen were on the B-side. A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch Vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s All four songs were sung in German.

In the fall of 1980, Hagen discovered she was pregnant, broke up with the father-to-be Ferdinand Karmelk,^[1] and moved to Los Angeles. Pregnancy ( Latin graviditas) is the carrying of one or more offspring known as a Fetus or Embryo, inside the Uterus of a Female Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Her daughter, Cosma Shiva Hagen, was born in Santa Monica on May 17, 1981. Cosma Shiva Hagen (born 17 May 1981 in Los Angeles California) is a German actress and the daughter of New Wave / punk singer Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 In 1982, Hagen released her first English-language album: NunSexMonkRock, a dissonant mix of punk, funk, reggae, and opera. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended Soul music, Soul Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s She then went on a world tour with the No Problem Orchestra.

In 1983, she released the album Angstlos and a minor European tour. By this time, Hagen's public appearances were becoming stranger and frequently included discussions of God, UFOs, her social and political beliefs, animal rights and vivisection and claims of alien sightings. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. "Animal liberation" redirects here for other uses see Animal liberation (disambiguation. The English version of Angstlos, Fearless, generated two major club hits in America, "Zarah" (a cover of the Zarah Leander song "Ich weiss, es wird einmal ein Wunder geschehen") and the disco/punk/opera song, "New York New York". Zarah Leander ( March 15, 1907 &ndash June 23, 1981) was a Swedish actress and singer Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define From 1984 to 1985, she dated Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Anthony Kiedis (kiːdɪs "kee-dis" (born November 1 1962 is an American musician and the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Red Hot Chili Peppers are

Her 1985 album Nina Hagen In Ekstasy fared less well, but did generate club hits with "Universal Radio" and a cover of "Spirit In The Sky" and also featured a 1979 recording of her hardcore punk take on Frank Sinatra's My Way, which had been one of her signature live tunes in previous years. Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor " My Way " is a song with lyrics written by Paul Anka and popularized by Frank Sinatra. Her contract with CBS over, she released the Punk Wedding EP independently in 1987, a celebration of her marriage to an 18-year-old-punk nicknamed 'Iroquois'. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. It followed an independent 1986 one-off single with Lene Lovich, the anthemic Don't Kill The Animals. In 1989, Hagen released the album Nina Hagen which was backed up by another German tour.

In 1989 she had a relationship with Frank Chevallier from France, with whom she has a son, Otis Chevallier-Hagen. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

1990s

In the 1990s, Hagen lived in Paris with her daughter Cosma Shiva and son Otis. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Cosma Shiva Hagen (born 17 May 1981 in Los Angeles California) is a German actress and the daughter of New Wave / punk singer In 1991 she toured Europe in support of her new album Street. Street is the 1991 album from recording artist Nina Hagen. The singles released from the album were "Blumen Fur Die Damen" "In My World" In 1992 Hagen became the host of a TV show on RTLplus. RTL (formerly RTL plus) is a German commercial Television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T The following year, she released Revolution Ballroom and two years later the German-language album Freud Euch appeared, recorded in English as Beehappy in 1996. Also in 1996, Hagen collaborated with electronic music composer Christopher Franke, along with Rick Jude on "Alchemy of Love", the theme song for the film Tenchi Muyo! in Love. Electronic music is music that employs Electronic musical instruments and Electronic Music technology in its production Christopher Franke (born April 6, 1953 in Berlin) is a musician and composer is the first of three movies set in the Tenchi Muyo multi-verse In 1997 she collaborated with German hip hop musician Thomas D. Hip hop is a cultural movement which developed in New York City in the 1970s primarily among African Americans and Latinos. Thomas D (born Thomas Dürr, December 30 1968 in Ditzingen close to Stuttgart, Germany) is a rapper in

In 1998, Hagen became the host of a weekly science fiction show on the British Sci-Fi Channel, in addition to embarking on another tour of Germany. In 1999, she released the devotional album Om Namah Shivay, which was distributed exclusively online and included an unadulterated musical version of the Hare Krishna mantra (in real life she believes that the Hindu incarnation of God known as Krishna was 'the king of Jerusalem'). The Hare Krishna Mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra" is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra made well Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism She also sang "Witness" on KMFDM's Adios. KMFDM are a German Industrial rock band and the brainchild of founding member Sascha Konietzko. Adios, the eleventh studio album released by KMFDM, was originally conceived as the group's parting shot to its longtime record label Wax Trax! Records

Also in 1998 she recorded the official club anthem (Eisern Union !) for FC Union Berlin and four versions were issued on a CD single by G. I. B Music and Distribution GmbH.

In 1999, she played the role of Celia Peachum in The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weil and Berthold Brecht, alongside Max Raabe. The Threepenny Opera ( Die Dreigroschenoper) is a revolutionary work of Musical theatre, by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Kurt Julian Weill ( March 2, 1900 &ndash April 3, (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. Max Raabe ( December 12, 1962 in Lünen) is a German singer and band leader of the Palast Orchester.

2000s

In 2000, her song Schön ist die Welt became the official song of Expo 2000. Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hanover, Germany from June 1 to October 31, 2000. Another cover of a Zarah Leander song "Der Wind hat mir ein Lied erzählt" was a minor hit the same year. Zarah Leander ( March 15, 1907 &ndash June 23, 1981) was a Swedish actress and singer The album The Return of the Mother was released in February 2001, accompanied by another German tour. February 2001: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September In 2001 she collaborated with Rosenstolz and Marc Almond on the single Total eclipse/Die schwarze Witwe that reached #22 in Germany. Rosenstolz is a German music band from Berlin. Their music combines several styles including rock, pop and ballads Marc Almond (born Peter Mark Sinclair Almond on 9 July, 1957 in Southport, Lancashire, (now in the county of Merseyside

Hagen dubbed the voice of Sally in the German release of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and she has also done voice work on the movie Hot Dogs by Michael Schoemann. In filmmaking, dubbing or looping is the process of recording or replacing voices for a Motion picture. Timothy "Tim" William Burton (born August 25 1958 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and Set designer, notable for the quirky The Nightmare Before Christmas (also known as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas) is a 1993 stop-motion Fantasy Hagen has been featured on songs by other bands, for instance on Oomph!'s song "Fieber". OOMPH! is a German Neue Deutsche Härte group Albums and style OOMPH! incorporates many styles of music such as metal industrial alternative She did a cover of Rammstein's "Seemann" with Apocalyptica. Rammstein (ˈʀamʃtaɪ̯n is a German Industrial metal band founded in Berlin, and consisting of Till Lindemann ( lead vocals " Seemann " is a song by Rammstein, released as the second single from their LP Herzeleid. Later albums include Big Band Explosion, in which she sang numerous swing covers with her then husband, Lucas Alexander. Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United This was followed by Heiß, a greatest hits album. Her most recent album, Journey to The Snow Queen, is more of an audio book- she reads the Snow Queen fairy tale with Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker in the background. A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик Shchelkunchik) Op 71 is a Fairy tale - Ballet in two acts three scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky In 2005 Nina Hagen headlined the Drop Dead Festival in New York City. The Drop Dead Festival is the largest Gothic Punk themed festival it books as many as sixty five bands per event and have been known to attract attendees from over 30 countries Hagen has been an active protester against the war in Iraq. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign In 2006 Nina was a part of the Popstars team. Popstars is an international Reality television program and a precursor to the Idol series

Discography

Albums

• Nina Hagen Band (1978) (gold in Germany)
• Unbehagen (1979) (gold in Germany)
• Nina Hagen Band - EP (1980), released in North America, compilation of material from Nina Hagen Band and Unbehagen
• NunSexMonkRock (1982)
• Angstlos (1983), released in English language as Fearless (1984)
• In Ekstase (1985), released in English as In Ekstasy (1985)
• Punk Wedding EP (1987)
• Nina Hagen (1989)
• Street (1991)
• Rock aus Deutschland: Nina Hagen, compilation of East German material (1992)
• Revolution Ballroom (1993)
• Freud Euch (1995), released in English as BeeHappy (1996)
• Die Dreigroschenoper (1999)
• Om Namah Shivay (1999)
• Return of the Mother (2000)
• Big Band Explosion (2003)
• Irgendwo auf der Welt (2006)

Singles

Year Title Chart-Position Album

DE AT CH NO FI

1982 „Smack Jack“ - - - 7 - Nunsexmonkrock

1991 „Ein Herz kann man nicht reparieren“ (feat. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Street is the 1991 album from recording artist Nina Hagen. The singles released from the album were "Blumen Fur Die Damen" "In My World" The Threepenny Opera ( Die Dreigroschenoper) is a revolutionary work of Musical theatre, by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Udo Lindenberg) 29 - – - - Ich will dich haben (Udo Lindenbrg)

1991 „In My World“ - - 19 - - Street

1998 „Solo“ (Thomas D. & Nina Hagen) 15 36 26 - - Solo (Thomas D. )

2000 „Der Wind hat mir ein Lied erzählt“ 96 - - - - Return of the Mother

2001 „Total Eclipse/Die schwarze Witwe“ (AnNa R & Marc Almond & Nina Hagen) 22 - - - - Kassengift (Rosenstolz)

2003 „Seemann“ (Apocalyptica feat. Nina Hagen) 13 35 73 - 18 Reflections (Apocalyptica)

2004 „Immer Lauter“ - 28 - - - Non-Album Track

Quotations

• Both of my parents were atheists, and I found the way to God all alone on my own. Atheism You have to invite him, so that he shows up.
• Asked if she was happy, she replied: Of course, I'm a family member of Christ and I have a Lord. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " He marched ahead of me and showed me the way. Both quotes from an interview in Zeit Online, April 11, 2006. DIE ZEIT (diː tsait in German literally The Time more idiomatically The Times) is a German nationwide weekly Newspaper that Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. However, she also believes that Lord Sri Krishna was the king of Jerusalem and chants Hare Krishna (as stated on her website). The Hare Krishna Mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra" is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra made well

References

1. ^ Nina Hagen Archiv

• http://www.nina-hagen.com/ biography
• liner notes from the album 14 Friendly Abductions: The Best of Nina Hagen

External links

• Seltene Live/Video Aufnahmen von Nina Hagen
• Nina Hagen discography
• Nina Hagen Electronic Shrine
• Trouser Press Nina Hagen Discography
• Nina Hagen - MySpace page
• Nina Hagen at the Internet Movie Database
• Nina Hagen: Interview (German)
• Nina Hagen vertreibt Wissenschaftler aus Talkshow Maischberger (German)
• Drop Dead Magazinewith issue 0 with Nina Hagen on the cover as well as a large interview inside
• 1979 Club 2 talk show with loose translation in More info