In this deep dive by Guitar Meets Science, the wild story of Nina Hagen unfolds—from her classical opera training behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany, to her dramatic escape after protesting her stepfather's exile, discovering London punk, and fusing it with her four-octave voice to create a groundbreaking sound. Her 1978 debut album topped charts, but infamous moments like demonstrating female self-pleasure live on Austrian TV, burning through bands, exploring UFOs and spirituality in New York’s CBGB scene, and outlasting the Stasi and the Wall itself cemented her as one of punk’s most fearless, unhinged, and ruthless icons.
