She started singing as a child with her brothers and sister, but when did her desire to become a singer become clear?
Well, I always wanted to be an artist. I had a brief moment, when I was four years old, when I wanted to be an astronaut and be the first woman to set foot on the moon, but I quickly forgot about that because I started writing poems when I was six or seven. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be an artist, although I still didn’t know what kind of artist it was. I wrote my first song when I was 14 and I remember really enjoying the experience and really starting to see that maybe music was the path I should follow.
She was born in California, but moved with her family to New York when she was very young. Did growing up in this city give you a special personality?
Yes, definitely, yes. Growing up in New York shaped my vision, my sense of humor, my voice, and my will to survive. I think living in New York gave me a lot, and if I had been born somewhere else, even if I was an artist as well, I probably would have had a different taste.
In his current concert tour, which passes through Sant Feliu de Guixols on Sundays, he performs a repertoire that, in addition to the oldest songs, also includes songs that have not yet been published.
Exactly, we write at least two new songs for each concert on the tour. I plan to release a new album in early April next year, and I have already managed to record some of these songs.
But there is a link between the topics he performs in his concerts…
The tour title is specifically Old songs, new songs, and other songs. So that’s basically what I know the audience likes. Then I try out a couple of new songs, and then I also play a couple of songs from albums that people might not remember.
Although she has experimented with different musical genres throughout her career, Suzanne Vega is still considered a folk singer today. Do you think that this genre, no matter how many years pass, will never go away?
Oh yeah I think folk music is a genre that will never die. People will always want to sing stories about their lives. People will always want to play the guitar because it’s a beautiful and profound instrument at the same time. A guitar, you buy it and you play it. And that’s great because anyone can do it if they feel the love. Folk music is eternal.
In his comprehensive songbook, there are two great songs from the 80s, Luca I Tom’s Dinnerwhich stands out above the rest. Have these two songs changed in any way since you wrote them?
Well, oddly enough, Luca, not so much. It’s still the same song it was when I wrote it. It’s a serious song about a serious subject, and a lot of people really love it and feel it in their hearts. So it hasn’t changed. Tom’s Diner, on the other hand, has changed a lot. At first it was a little song about eating breakfast and being alone in a diner. And now it’s been recreated in a million different ways. Today it’s a party song. Anyone can take a piece of it and recreate it in their own songs. It really united me with the rest of the world for a long time, and I love it.
Besides being a friend, Lou Reed influenced her artistically. He even covered the classic Walk on the Wild Side. What does your number mean to you?
Lou used to tell the truth, very frankly, in his songs and on stage as well. It didn’t matter if those truths were beautiful or uncomfortable. I always considered him someone who didn’t hide and spoke the truth. And I always listened to him.
What do you think of the phenomenon of Taylor Swift, who is undoubtedly one of the artists of our time?
I love her. I think she’s a great artist. I also love seeing a singer who can move cities and be able to move mountains financially. When I started out, everything was so different. As a woman, as a young woman, she was a singer who played guitar and had to be respected. People were so different and it was scary sometimes. So to have Taylor Swift in her shoes makes me really proud.
Many of his songs deal with social issues that are part of American society. As an American, how do you feel about the polarized climate that has settled in your country and the possibility of Trump becoming president again?
It’s tough. For about eight years now we’ve been going through a very tough time in my country. Of course I know what I’m going to vote for. I know how people around me are going to vote. I watch the news, I follow the news in the media, and I pray. I pray that America will know how to choose the right president this time. And it’s important that there is peace in the world so that we can continue to move forward and not go backwards. That’s my position. I still have faith, but I also feel the need to pray.
“Professional web ninja. Certified gamer. Avid zombie geek. Hipster-friendly baconaholic.”
