 Suzanne Vega released her self-titled first album in 1985 and quickly became a leading figure of the 1980’s folk-music revival. Solitude Standing, her second album, thrust her into the spotlight with hits like “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner”. Since then, Vega has had a string of hit records, won awards and accolades, sold out concert venues around the world and performed her own one-woman show “Lover, Beloved” based on the life of novelist, Carson McCullers.
We had the opportunity to speak with her last month about her current tour, An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories with Suzanne Vega, what inspires her to write music and get on stage and what musicians she’s listening to these days.
What can people expect when they attend one of your shows this tour?
It’s me on guitar and Gerry Leonard, my musical director, on guitar. He was the musical director for David Bowie back in the day. And Gerry provides a lot of the production, so it’s just two guitars, but it sounds like a whole band. We play the hits and other songs people know – sort of a greatest hits collection – and we also put in a few new things and sometimes we may do a cover song or two. It’s a very varied show.
What do you like most about performing in front of an audience?
I love the sense of emotional freedom that I feel only when I’m on stage and don’t necessarily feel in other places. It’s a great feeling to sing songs people know, that they want to hear, it brings me a lot of joy. And the acting is kind of a different way of performing, but I also get a lot of satisfaction out of that. I’ve always loved pretending and pretending to be other people, so that fulfills that need.
For your last album, An Evening of New York Songs and Stories, why did you choose to record it live at the Café Carlyle in New York?
It kind of just happened. It was my second time playing the Café Carlyle, which is a special cabaret venue. By the second week we thought we really had something cool. And we heard the elevator boys (the Café Carlyle is located in a hotel) mention they heard people talking about how great the show was and how much they enjoyed it - and it was a wide variety of people, both hotel guests and local people. We just thought, why don’t we just record it?
 You wrote and have performed your one-woman play Lover, Beloved based on the life of author, Carson McCullers. What inspired you to do it?
I studied theater in college, and it began as my senior thesis for Barnard (College). It’s a project that I’ve visited from time-to-time. I’ve had two separate stage runs – one in New York at the Rattlestick (Playwright’s Theater) and one at the Alley Theatre in Houston, TX. So, this is sort of the final version of the play.
I loved her writing, especially this one short story that I read called “Sucker” that was modern and really well done. I read it as a teenager in the seventies. I thought she was a contemporary writer and I thought she was male. I didn’t really know who she was but I loved the story and the language of the story.
I was given an assignment in school – one of the acting teachers said come in dressed as someone in the arts who is no longer alive and be ready to field questions as though you're on television. By then I had seen a photo of Carson McCullers and if I ever had to dress as someone, I could do her. And after I read her biography, I was more convinced of it. So, I got up there and did that and it grew a root and I’ve been doing it on some level ever since.
Who were your musical influences growing up?
Growing up I loved Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Leonard Coen, Laura Nyro, who I just adored.
Did you take music lessons or are you self-taught on guitar?
I’m self-taught, although I tried so hard to take lessons. I tried to learn music theory, I tried to learn piano, to read music. I tried seven times from when I was six years old. I finally gave up when I was twenty-seven, because I was selling millions of albums by that point. I thought I’d just hire other people to read the music. So, I taught myself what I couldn’t learn and that’s how my fingerpicking style and my way of writing songs developed.
Who do you enjoy listening to now?
These days I really like Billie Eilish and there’s a song I like called “Hospital” by a young guitar player, Madison Cunningham. I like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. Once in a while I like Dua Lipa - I think her songwriting is fun. There’s a cover of an Elliott Smith song by Madeleine Peyroux called “Between the Bars” that’s really amazing.
Do you have a process for writing songs?
It’s like I get inspired and I write notes, then I record pieces of melodies. I sort of collect scraps of feelings, thoughts and ideas for a period of years. Then I sit down and that’s when I keep banker’s hours for a month or however long it takes to get the whole thing done.
If you weren’t a musician, what do you think you’d be doing for a living?
There are so many options. In my childhood and teens, I always worked with kids. So maybe I’d go back and do that if I had to do something else. The other job that gave me a lot of pleasure was at a library. It gave me a lot of pleasure to put the books back in order.
Learn more about Suzanne on her website and see her live in Colorado this month:
Oct 6th in Fort Collins, CO at The Armory
Oct 7th in Boulder at the Boulder Theater | 
