Suzanne Vega

In the organizer's words:

Following her sold-out concerts last year, Suzanne Vega is coming to Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Offenbach and Cologne for five exclusive concerts in October 2025. On her tour entitled "Flying With Angels", the two-time Grammy winner will perform songs from all decades of her music career with hits such as "Tom's Diner", "Luka" and many others as well as tracks from her upcoming album. Suzanne Vega will be accompanied on stage by her long-time musical companion, the sought-after guitarist Gerry Leonard, and for the first time by cellist Stephanie Winters.

About Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Vega is regarded as one of the leading songwriters of her generation and became one of the main figures of the folk revival in the early 1980s. She accompanied herself on acoustic guitar and sang songs in the clubs of Greenwich Village that were described as contemporary folk or neo-folk. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed debut album in 1985, she has been known for performances that convey deep emotion. NPR Music notes that she has made "vibrant, inventive music" over the course of her decades-long career.

Vega's songs are characterized by the perspective of a master storyteller who "observes the world with a clinical, poetic eye" (The New York Times), and focus on city life, ordinary people and real-life issues. Her work is so incisive and understated that it is instantly recognizable - as distinctive and thoughtful as it was when her voice was first heard on the radio over 30 years ago.

Suzanne Vega's latest work "Rats" is a chronicle of her hometown's infamous rat population, whose release in September 2024 coincides with the first rat summit in New York. Accompanied by an animated video by filmmaker Martha Colburn, "Rats" offers a foretaste of the forthcoming album.

Vega's 2020 album "An Evening of New York Songs and Stories" is a live recording that includes well-known songs such as "Luka" and "Tom's Diner", pieces from her oeuvre and a cover version of "Walk On The Wild Side" by her late friend Lou Reed. The mix of repertoire also includes "New York Is My Destination" from "Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers", Vega's 2016 album of her one-woman play about Southern gothic novelist Carson McCullers. A filmed version of Vega's play had its world premiere at the SXSW festival in March 2022 and features songs by Vega with music by Duncan Sheik.

Vega's debut album was co-produced by Steve Addabbo and Lenny Kaye and achieved platinum status. "Marlene on the Wall" was a surprise hit in the UK and Rolling Stone included the record in its "100 Greatest Recordings of the 1980s". The follow-up album Solitude Standing from 1987 made Vega a star. The album was nominated for three Grammys (including "Record of the Year"), sold three million copies worldwide and contained the hit "Luka". The album's opening song was an a cappella piece, "Tom's Diner", about a nondescript restaurant near Columbia University. Without Vegas' permission, it was remixed by British electronic duo DNA and bootlegged as "Oh Susanne". Suddenly, Vega's voice appeared in the most unlikely of settings: the club. She allowed the official release of the remix of "Tom's Diner" under the original title, which reached #5 on the Billboard pop charts.

Continuing to fight prejudice, she teamed up with producer Mitchell Froom in 1992 for the album "99.9F", whose sound inspired descriptions such as "industrial folk" and "techno folk". "99.9F" went gold and won a New York Music Award for Best Rock Album. In 1996, Vega returned with the similarly daring "Nine Objects of Desire", which was also produced by Froom. In 2007, Vega released the Grammy-winning "Beauty & Crime," a deeply personal reflection on her hometown of New York City after the loss of her brother Tim Vega and the tragedy of 9/11. Vega's love of the city shines through as both subject and setting, and she blends past and present, public and private, familiar sounds with the completely new - just like the city itself.