Hailing from Spanish Harlem, Suzanne Vega entered the music arena later in life, at the age of 27. Her waif-like charm, New York inspired lyrics and excellent music ability made her one of the major female names of the ‘80s music boom. Vega's music is intellectual but simple and draws upon the realities of human existence. She has enjoyed over 20 years in the music industry and still performs excellence, using her songs to measure relationships and emotional intelligence.Growing up, Vega was known to be a shy and quiet girl but she somehow managed to preserve herself in the rough neighborhoods of Spanish Harlem. She was born in Santa Monica, California, but her parents divorced shortly after and her mother remarried to Puerto Rican novelist Ed Vega who moved them to New York.Vega started writing songs at the age of 11. Her mother and stepfather were both fond of playing music and would pick up anything from a wide variety of genres ranging through Motown to Bossa Nova. Vega studied dance at the High School for the Performing Arts and then took a degree in Literature from Barnard College. She began playing on the folk scene shortly after graduating, and quickly became known among musicians as folk music's hope for the future, even though it would be a while before the industry caught on.Vega's music finally found a place in the public eye when she released her eponymous debut album in '85. Her most influential album was Solitude Standing with the hit song "Luka," that stayed on the charts for the whole year and is still considered her greatest musical triumph, going straight to the heart of America. In the 23 years since then, Vega has enjoyed varying degrees of success and involvement in the music business. She is currently the subject of the documentary Some Journey by Christopher Seufert and released her album Beauty and Crime in 2007.