2024-03-11 21:25:12
Nina Hagen is one of the brightest personalities in the German entertainment industry. But her career began cautiously – as a singer in the GDR.
Since 1998, the rocking club anthem “Eisern Union” has been played before every home game of 1. FC Union Berlin. Nina Hagen’s smoky voice is unmistakable. The singer, who celebrates her 69th birthday on March 11th, was born in East Berlin and has a special connection to the Köpenick club.
Because both had a special relationship with the GDR government. While the local competitor BFC Dynamo was protected by the state apparatus, Union was seen as a rebellious alternative – and was a thorn in the side of the GDR leaders. Just like Nina Hagen, who was always watched by the Stasi.
As the daughter of the actress Eva-Maria Hagen, she belonged to a popular GDR artistic family. However, this later fell out of favor because Hagen’s mother was in a relationship with the dissident Wolf Biermann. At this time, Nina Hagen’s application for admission to a drama school was marked “Prevent!” rejected by a Stasi officer.
So Nina Hagen, whose native name is Catharina Hagen, tried her hand at singing. With the song “You have forgotten the color film” she achieved one of the most famous hits in the GDR. In 1974 the song was released by the East German record label Amiga. The photos that show Hagen as a young artist were also taken at that time.
However, the state’s favor did not last long. After the GDR denaturalized Wolf Biermann in 1976, Nina Hagen publicly expressed her solidarity with the songwriter. In the same year she emigrated to the West.
In Great Britain she finally took her first steps into the punk scene. She enjoyed worldwide success with her songs in the eighties and nineties. In 2003 she returned to Berlin.