Nina Hagen

Ever since German musician Nina Hagen entered the spotlight, she has been distinguished by her unique look and sound. With her colorful punk hairdo, rigorous mind and multi-faceted voice, Hagen is an original – an artist who has always stood by her own values and resisted the pull of commercialism. Her free-spirited attitude has taken her on an exhausting journey, marked by both difficulty and triumphs.

It was in 1974 when a 17-year-old Hagen first gained fame with her song ‘Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen.’ It rose to the top of the charts in the former East Germany. Yet, it was precisely this mainstream success that annoyed her. While it was common to adapt pop hits from the West at the time, Hagen says she decided to produce her own music instead. And that’s how she got into punk.

Hagen has lived in Berlin, Hamburg, London, Los Angeles, and Ibiza; she has been on stage in every continent, performing for small and large audiences, including one memorable gig in Rio de Janeiro that attracted 300,000 screaming fans. Though surrounded by fans, friends and lovers, Hagen says only one person remains her faithful companion: ‘Jesus is My Friend’  is not just a song on her latest album. It is her mantra.

It is almost midnight when Hagen sits down for our interview after singing for 2 hours at her concert at Zeche Bochum. She reveals how she came to embrace God and life as a nun.

Read the full interview in the printed issue of Wertical.

Release: 2014.

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