I remember watching Nina Hagen perform live at Rock In Rio in the mid-80's and she was the belle of the ball, total media darling and fan favorite. She wore a waist-length red ponytail, a fitted black corset bodysuit, fishnet stockings and a thong which front part was the head of a stuffed toy puppy. She had the crowd going with her trade-mark sound, a mix of falsettos, primal growls and Betty Boop-esque singing (inner) voices. She was fresh, fearless and a great inspiration to dare to be who you want to be, not giving a damn to any status quo.
Born in East Germany, Nina Hagen had already gained a reputation as a flamboyant rock singer by the time she emigrated to the West in 1976, where she formed a band, signed to CBS Germany, and released their debut album, Nina Hagen Band, in 1978. It was followed in 1980 by Unbehagen. Hagen's first U.S. release, Nina Hagen Band EP (1980), was a four-song EP consisting of songs drawn from her two German releases. She moved to New York and made her first English-language LP, Nunsexmonkrock, in 1982. That and its follow-up, the Giorgio Moroder-produced Fearless (1983), charted briefly, and "New York New York" was a Top Ten dance club hit.
1 comment:
I've always loved her ice cream.
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