Suzanne Vega and Richard Barone

Originally chasing dreams to be a dancer, Suzanne attended New York's esteemed High School of Performing Arts and graduated in 1977. She then progressed to study a degree in English literature at Barnard College and during this time she began to perform on the local circuit, she even got a couple of her tracks published on Fast Folk anthology albums. Shortly afterwards she gained attention from a record label who signed her to a contract in 1984.

Her debut album which was self titled was released a year later to critical acclaim by US publications. Since its release it has been featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and has sold nearly two million copies. The next album 'Solitude Standing' charted at #11 on the US Billboard and #2 in the UK. It featured two huge US hit singles, 'Tom's Diner', a beautiful acapella track was the first. It was one of the first songs used as a reference track for mp3 compression, earning Suzanne the nickname of 'The Mother of the MP3'. The other was 'Luka' a strange and unexpected hit as it is written from the perspective of an abused child.

After her second album, her chart positions slowly declined in following releases in both the US and the UK. The 2014 album 'Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles' was Suzanne's first appearance within the UK top 40 for over twenty years. The songwriter has continued to consistently release albums and tour her material over this time and the lack of chart success has never seemed to alter or affect her songwriting or musical style.