Catharina Hagen (born on March 11, 1955) is a singer from East Berlin, Germany. She's a daughter of well-known East German actress Eva-Maria Hagen and writer Hans Oliva-Hagen. They divorced 5 years later due to the rising success of Eva-Maria (called "East Germany's Brigitte Bardot") as an actress on stage and in films. When Catharina (Nina) was 10 years old Eva-Maria had a partnership with dissident song-writer Wolf Biermann (see links at the end). ...show more

Catharina Hagen (born on March 11, 1955) is a singer from East Berlin, Germany. She's a daughter of well-known East German actress Eva-Maria Hagen and writer Hans Oliva-Hagen. They divorced 5 years later due to the rising success of Eva-Maria (called "East Germany's Brigitte Bardot") as an actress on stage and in films. When Catharina (Nina) was 10 years old Eva-Maria had a partnership with dissident song-writer Wolf Biermann (see links at the end).

Nina left school in the 10th grade and joined a cover band. Eventually she joined the band Automobil (picture), which released a well-received album in Germany, including her first hit "Du hast den Farbfilm vergessen". After a concert for a West German labour union in 1976 Biermann was forbidden to return to the GDR. Because of their protests against it Eva-Maria and Nina were thrown out of GDR in 1977, and followed Wolf Biermann to Hamburg.

Nina subsequently met West-Berlin photographer Jim Rakete (who also produced some bands he shot the cover-photos for), and he brought Nina together with the politically left-wing band "Lokomotive Kreuzberg" (later known as "Spliff"): thus the "Nina Hagen Band" was born. In 1978 The Nina Hagen Band released their self-titled debut album, which included titles like "TV-Glotzer" (a cover of "White Punks on Dope" by The Tubes) and "Auf'm Bahnhof Zoo". According to reviewer Fritz Rumler, she thrusts herself into the music, aggressively, directly, furiously, roars in the most beautiful operatic alto, then, through shrieks and squeals, precipitates herself into luminous soprano heights... she parodies, satirises, and howls on stage like a dervish. ...show less