Suzanne Vega Interview (October 12, 1992)

Suzanne Nadine Vega (née Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music.[1][2] Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s, including "Marlene on the Wall", "Left of Center", "Luka" and "No Cheap Thrill". "Tom's Diner", which was originally released as an a cappella recording on Vega's second studio album, Solitude Standing (1987), was remixed in 1990 as a dance track by English electronic duo DNA with Vega as featured artist, and it became a Top 10 hit in over five countries. The original a cappella recording of the song was used as a test during the creation of the MP3 format.[3] The role of her song in the development of the MP3 compression prompted Vega to be given the title of "The Mother of the MP3".[4] Vega has released nine studio albums to date, the latest of which is Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers, released in 2016.