UCLA Performing Arts Singer-songwriter Suzanne
Vega will perform in Royce Hall on Oct. 4.
By Antero Garcia
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Though she received her first taste of fame with a song from the
point of view of an abused child, the hit “Luka,”
Suzanne Vega now sings a much different tune.
As one of the world’s most famous female folk singers,
Vega is releasing her first album in five years, “Songs in
Red and Gray” on Sept. 25. Coinciding with this release, Vega
will be performing in Royce Hall on October 4.
While many of her fans are excited about both Vega’s new
album and tour, Vega does not see the new events as something
surprising. In fact, while critics cite the album as Vega’s
comeback, she does not feel she ever actually left.
“I don’t really care what people call it, but I
don’t consider it a comeback,” Vega said in an
interview from New York. “I’m continuing something, not
coming back.”
Writing songs since the age of 14, Vega’s music has
matured over the years. In “Songs in Red and Gray,”
Vega reflects on her experiences as a mother.
“Overall it’s more about a spiritual struggle and
most of the songs deal with relationships.”
Born in Santa Monica, Vega initially got her start as a musician
in New York at various clubs in Greenwich Village.
Today, Vega is most widely recognized for “Luka.” In
addition to this hit, her haunting a cappella song
“Tom’s Diner” became a surprising favorite of
many dance clubs in the early ’90s when the British
electronica group D.N.A. remixed the vocal track.
Released in 1992, Vega’s fourth album,
“99.9?F,” strayed from her traditional folk sound.
Instead, Vega experimented with the dance beats and pulsing rhythms
that helped make “Tom’s Diner” so popular.
Despite this attempt, the album received only lukewarm reviews and
Vega soon returned to the folk sound for which she is
acclaimed.
Despite her large repertoire of hits and fan favorites, audience
members at Vega’s concert will probably be able to hear not
only Vega’s new material, but also request some of their
favorite older songs. Vega is known for taking song requests
throughout her shows. However, unbeknownst to many of her audience
members, Vega performs song requests more for herself than for her
loyal and adoring fans.
“I like to hear what other people want to hear,” she
said.
Often times, the aspect of Vega’s music that her fans want
to hear is its fullness, more than her poignant and biting lyrics.
Even though Vega strictly performs with acoustic, non-electric
instruments, she feels her music does not sound hindered because of
this setup.
“Even though all the songs are on an acoustic guitar, it
is not stripped down,” she said. “We have a very full
sound.”
With her rich sound, Vega often feels it is not necessary to
perform with her entire band backing her up.
“Just because I have the band doesn’t mean that I
have to use them on every song,” Vega said. “Sometimes
I just send them backstage.”
Since she often performs solo on stage, Vega’s shows feel
much more personal than other, better-known bands. In fact, Royce
Hall is one of the larger venues in which Vega will perform.
However, this doesn’t bother Vega, who assures her Los
Angeles fans that the show will share the same qualities as those
that she will perform at other small stages.
“It’s a fairly intimate show, even if it is a large
audience,” she said. “I like to have a back and forth
with the audience.”
Noting that her audience is usually composed of a wide array of
age groups, Vega is quick to point out that most of her audience
members usually love poetry. Vega feels that this is because her
lyrics are very poetic and metaphoric in the message that they
convey.
“The poetry of the lyrics is the heart of what I
do.”
With reports from Chris Moriates, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.