Design Matters with Debbie Millman

Guest: Suzanne Vega
Release Date: September 8, 2025

Overview of Episode

In this wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation, Debbie Millman sits down with iconic singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega to discuss the evolution of her creative life. The episode explores Vega’s layered identity, her journey as a performer and songwriter, the persistence required to break into the music industry, and the overarching themes present in her work—including the “cold” motif and her fascination with perspective and voice. Vega shares behind-the-scenes insights on her acclaimed new album, Flying With Angels, her ongoing quest for authentic self-expression, and her approach to writing both for herself and in the shoes of others.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life, Identity, and the Notion of the “Changeling”

• Growing up in a multicultural home in Spanish Harlem, Vega felt like a changeling, shaped by mutable identity amid shifting familial and cultural realities ([05:59]).
• Discovery at age nine that she had a different birth father sparked a lifelong sense of mutability and inner-directed identity.

  “I learned then that identity was something that could change overnight. … I learned to define myself from the inside using other signifiers. Since I'm a changeling, I feel that I don't need to mark myself in that way. I just…find a way to be myself without joining any particular group.” — Suzanne Vega ([06:30])

2. Observation, Neurodivergence & Performance

• Vega recognizes a delayed emotional processing—potentially linked to neurodivergence—as pivotal to both her observation skills and her artistic expression ([07:42]).
• She connects her initial emotional detachment to her writing and performing style, viewing performance (acting, dancing, songwriting) as a way to “practice feeling things in the moment” ([08:50]).

  “It was more like an exercise for myself where I could practice feeling things in the moment…for myself almost as an exercise how to connect myself with my feelings.” — Suzanne Vega ([08:50])

3. Songwriting Beginnings & Process

• Wrote first song, “Brother Mine,” at 14 for her brother, inspired by family and songs like “Liverpool Lullaby.”
  • Took three years before she wrote a song she considered good ([10:20]).
• Songwriting process is a blend of mystery and discipline:

  “You have to seduce the song… If you're too obvious about it, it just goes somewhere else.” — Suzanne Vega ([12:51])

  • Sometimes, songwriting is “calling something forth, prayer almost”; at other times, it’s laborious, almost like a crossword puzzle.

4. Acceptance, Rejection & Persistence

• Persevered through repeated rejection—including from every major label and iconic New York venues ([27:20]; [28:21]).

  “If the door is closed, go around. … I had a lot of confidence in myself and in my vision.” — Suzanne Vega ([30:28])

• Didn’t see herself as a “real musician” for years due to inability to read music, but discovering her biological family of musicians shifted her self-perception ([18:30]; [19:39]).

5. Performance and the Search for Authenticity

• Training in dance, theater, and acting helped her break out of self-consciousness and connect to emotion in performance. Drama teacher Shirley Kaplan’s unconventional methods were pivotal in building Vega’s confidence ([24:02]).

  “She did that kind of thing or she'd get me out of my head, as she put it. ... you had to interact. And it did wonders for my confidence.” — Suzanne Vega ([24:02])

6. Artistic Voice, Influences, and Evolution

• Early influences: folk, Judy Collins, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed (whose work, including “Caroline Says,” shaped her writing edge and perspective on songs like “Luka”) ([39:29]; [41:10]).
• Shifted from acoustic roots to electronic/industrial sounds on 99 Degrees Fahrenheit, describing the move as liberating:

  “It was very liberating. I loved it ... I felt like I'd been drawing with pastels ... suddenly was allowed to play with the big fat crayons.” — Suzanne Vega ([46:49])

• Writing from differing perspectives (gender, characters) is central to her work—she enjoys writing in voices that aren’t her own.

7. Signature Songs and Themes

• “Luka”: Written long before its release, initially didn’t fit Vega’s vision for her debut. The song brought a taboo subject (child abuse) to mainstream pop, using a protective third-person voice ([42:27]; [44:24]).

  “I used to make puppet shows for my brothers and sisters… I like to use the third person, which I did in the songs often. It made me feel safe.” ([44:30])

• “Tom’s Diner”: Cultural touchstone, highly sampled and covered.
• Theme of ‘cold’: Recurring throughout her work—intimately linked to her temperament and artistic tone ([53:34]):

  “It's one of the polarities of life…the cold, hot spectrum. And I run on the colder side of things … to be cool is…sinister…has its own allure.” ([53:34])

8. Theatrical and Literary Influences

• Profound connection to writer Carson McCullers—a throughline in her performance work and “one-woman” plays, exploring the inhabiting of others’ perspectives ([47:35]; [49:40]).

9. Flying With Angels: Latest Album

• Album born out of the struggles of the COVID era, the turbulence of political events, and personal hardship, but also strives to find beauty and humor ([56:40]).

  “There are personal issues on the album. There are political issues ... there's social issues ... and then there's little bits of humor and beauty, I would hope.” ([58:18])

• “Love Thief,” “Chambermaid,” “Galway” are notable tracks—playing with perspectives, influences, and musical structure (borrowing melody from Dylan on “Chambermaid,” with his permission—[62:21]).
• Collaborated with her daughter Ruby Froome on background vocals ([65:38]):

  “She’s a terrific singer… when she sings with me because she's told me many times that she's internalized my phrasing so she can match my phrasing perfectly.” ([65:44])

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Songwriting:

  “You have to seduce the song…If you're too obvious about it, it just goes somewhere else.” — Vega ([12:51])

• On Identity & Mutability:

  “Since I'm a changeling, I feel that I don't need to mark myself in that way. I just. I find a way to be myself without joining any particular group.” — Vega ([06:30])

• On Rejection & Perseverance:

  “If the door is closed, go around. … I had a lot of confidence in myself and in my vision.” — Vega ([30:28])

• On Luca’s Origins:

  “There’s a reason I’ve made it almost like a puppet, you know, ... I like to use the third person… It made me feel safe.” — Vega ([44:30])

• On Collaborating With Her Daughter:

  “She’s a terrific singer…she’s internalized my phrasing so she can match my phrasing perfectly. … all of that is Ruby.” — Vega ([65:44])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Identity and Early Life: 05:59–07:30
• Neurodivergence & Observation: 07:42–08:50
• Songwriting, Process & “Brother Mine”: 10:12–14:32
• First Public Performances & Confidence: 16:04–18:23
• Rejection and Breaking In: 27:19–31:44
• Formative Albums & Artistic Voice: 34:49–41:10
• “Luka” Backstory & Ownership: 42:09–46:13
• Shift to New Sounds: 46:13–47:35
• Flying With Angels – Genesis & Themes: 56:40–58:18
• Collaborating With Daughter Ruby: 65:38–66:41

Notable Episode Highlights

• Shirley Kaplan’s Acting Exercises: Helped Vega break free of self-consciousness and develop confidence ([24:02])
• Rejection Letter From A&M Records: “Suzanne Vega has no sense of melody”—from the exec who later became her A&R rep ([28:21–29:33])
• “Chambermaid” Writing Process: Inspired by Dylan’s “I Want You”; required meeting copyright/publishing permissions ([59:48–62:47])
• The ‘Cold’ Motif: Debbie strings together lines from Vega’s catalog, revealing a motif even the artist finds surprising and shiver-inducing ([53:34])

Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive, intimate journey into Suzanne Vega’s creative world—from her formative years as a changeling observer, through her battles with self-doubt and industry skepticism, to her status as a genre-defining artist. Throughout, Vega’s thoughtfulness, wit, and signature blend of warmth and detachment illuminate how she crafts songs that are at once deeply personal and universally resonant.

For more details, tour info, and musical catalog, visit Suzanne Vega’s website. Suzanne’s latest album “Flying With Angels” is out now.