Suzanne Vega: Artist-Citizen

Suzanne Vega is an enigma. I've known her name and song "Tom's Diner" for a long time...yet until recently I didn't have a clear picture of her place in music and culture. With her engagements in Madison coming up I figured it would be good to dig a bit deeper.

While Vega is, of course, an important figure as a folk-pop singer-songwriter of the 80's and 90's, looking at her career more closely reveals a much larger cultural relevance. Indeed she's a powerful musical figure (and voice), who has elevated the place of female songwriters by addressing issues - such as including childhood abuse ("Luka"), personal loss, and reflections on urban place and identity (Beauty & Crime) - that challenge us listeners to take a renewed look at our role in the world around us. And she's done so within a sophisticated sonic realm most in the pop world wouldn't dare attempt.

At the same time she's been on the cutting edge of tech advancements for more than a decade, including being one of the first stars to embrace MP3s (remember when those were new?), and Second Life (the first artist to perform digitally as an avatar). Vega's sense of artist-citizenship goes further than her art-making; for years, she's been dedicated to (quietly) helping raise awareness for charitable causes like Amnesty International, Casa Alianza, and the Save Darfur Coalition.

Most impressively, though, she fought against the "machine" to preserve her artistic voice, and has managed to collaborate with some of the biggest names in pop music, finding a place in that echelon, without abandoning her roots. And now she's giving back to the next generation of artists, through professional workshops that promise to offer an exciting and fruitful dialogue!

Here's a taste, a recent clip of her performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:


Hope to see you at Overture tomorrow, and please post your feedback....