Nina Hagen, godmother of punk, turns 70

Catharina "Nina" Hagen was born in East Berlin in March 11, 1955. Her mother, Eva- Maria Hagen (pictured here with 2-year old Nina), was a superstar singer in East Germany. "With her, the aura of the stage and nightly festivities swept through our little apartment," Nina wrote in her 2011 autobiography, "Confessions." Her father, the writer Hans Oliva-Hagen, divorced Eva when Nina was 4 years old.

Nina Hagen wanted to be an actress, but her dream was denied by the East German authorities. She managed to get a year of vocal training; her four-octave range hardly needed elaborating. At 19, she joined the band Automobil, which enjoyed just one hit: "Farbfilm" ("Color Film"). In the song she sings with rage of being on holiday with her boyfriend, who forgot to bring color film for their camera.

After divorce, Hagen's mother started a relationship with the dissident writer Wolf Biermann. Hagen loved him like a father and, when he was expatriated from East Germany in 1976, she soon followed him to the West. She spent time in London, where she fell in love with ska and punk, and returned to Germany overflowing with new ideas. Little did she know how pivotal those ideas would be back home.

She founded the Nina Hagen Band in 1977 with four others. They unleashed their first LP in 1978, setting a new musical template. The lyrics were nasty, honest and oblique; Hagen sang, shouted, shrieked and purred about death, STIs and sex in a train station restroom. After the second record, the band split. The other members enjoyed notable success as a band called Spliff, while Hagen went solo.

In 1979, Hagen caused a scandal on an Austrian TV talk show by giving instructions on masturbation. The presenter of the show was so overwhelmed that he grinned sheepishly and didn't intervene. After the broadcast, he was fired — while fans of the punk singer applauded her historic TV appearance.

Hagen and German rock singer Udo Lindenberg became friends and often joined one another on stage over the decades, such as in 1983 at Berlin's Waldbühne, where they performed alongside other '80s stars. Lindenberg also regularly invited Hagen to concerts and band anniversaries. Here, the two inspect an instrument — a gift from East German leader Erich Honecker to Lindenberg — in Göttingen in 1987.

Many men — such as second husband "Rocco" Breinholm, above, in 2004 — have crossed Hagen's path, with relationships only lasting a few years. She formed musical partnerships with Herman Brood, as well as Udo Lindenberg, Wolfgang Niedecken, Thomas D., and the bands Oomph! and Apocalyptica. Fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier contributed to Hagen's style, inspiring her to create a fashion label.

Hagen's first child, Cosma Shiva, was born in 1981. She inherited her mother's artistic gene and has become a successful actress. Children's names are regulated in Germany, and Hagen had to go to court to get permission to choose Cosma, which stands for her alleged UFO sighting. Shiva is a tribute to a Hindu goddess. Her son, Otis, followed in 1990.

The quirky singer soon became known around the world. She lived in Rio, Paris and New York, recording one album after the next. Her music and her performances were avant-garde — with a touch of madness and a huge portion of talent. She sang everything from pop and jazz to punk and opera, regularly stirring up scandals. A UFO sighting and a seven-day punk marriage were among the highlights.

Hagen's political consciousness was influenced by her stepfather, Wolf Biermann, and her youth in East Germany. She is pictured here at a demonstration in Vienna in 1979. Hagen also stormed Parisian fur coat fashion shows with animal rights activists and spoke up for peace and human rights. "My heart beats for the torture victims of this world, for all people who have to flee," she once told DW.

Hagen has always had a heart for the disadvantaged, and has also fought forced psychiatric treatment and been involved in hospice work. Her own belief in divine karma has helped Hagen regularly look death in the eye. But her religious views are multifaceted: in 2009, she was baptized as a Protestant Christian.

Hagen often turns up in unexpected places. She has been part of the jury of a TV casting show, celebrated Christmas with homeless people and belittled hosts on live television shows. She is planning on celebrating her 70th birthday on March 11 in the recording studio. No matter what she does, she just keeps on rockin'.