Branchoria Celebrity UFO Files Celebrity UFO Files

Famous sightings, media campaigns and the evidence behind the claims.

Within Music Legacy

Nina Hagen s

Nina Hagen's song "UFO" is unusual among popular songs about unidentified flying objects because it is presented not as science fiction, metaphor or fantasy, but as a direct artistic retelling of an experience that Hagen consistently described as having happened to her personally.

30 sources 3 graphics
Preview for Nina Hagen s

Introduction

Within the broader history of music that preserves celebrity UFO stories, Hagen’s approach stands out because the song functions as a first-person witness statement. Whether or not listeners accept her interpretation of the event, the recording documents how she wanted the experience to be remembered and understood.

Nina Hagen s illustration 1
Explanatory illustration 1

How Hagen described the experience

According to Hagen’s own repeated accounts, the encounter occurred while she was pregnant in Malibu in 1981. She described seeing an illuminated craft during the night, displaying multiple changing colours. Unlike many UFO narratives centred on fear or danger, Hagen consistently portrayed the experience as overwhelmingly positive.

Across interviews spanning several decades, she emphasised several recurring themes:

  • the object emitted brilliant coloured lights;
  • she experienced no fear;
  • she felt an intense sense of peace or positive energy;
  • the experience permanently altered her outlook.

In a 1985 television interview, Hagen told David Letterman that she had been “mesmerized” by a brightly coloured object that produced what she called “a real light show.” The exchange became famous partly because Letterman treated the story humorously, illustrating the sceptical reception that often greeted her claims.[Pitchfork]pitchfork.comNina Hagen: Nun Sex Monk Rock Album Review | PitchforkNina Hagen: NunSexMonkRock Album Review | PitchforkMarch 14, 2021…Published: March 14, 2021

Later interviews expanded the account. Hagen sometimes said she believed she saw beings aboard the craft and described the event as spiritually transformative rather than simply mysterious.[W&V]wuv.dePro Sieben Nina Hagen sucht AußerirdischeW&VProSieben: Nina Hagen sucht Außerirdische | W&VOctober 9, 2008…Published: October 9, 2008

NINA HAGEN "UFO" LIVE PARIS 11/12/1983 (audio)

Channel: Nina Hagen by Gilles75

Open on YouTube

“UFO” as a musical witness statement

Unlike many rock songs that merely reference flying saucers as symbols or cultural imagery, “UFO” closely mirrors Hagen’s spoken recollections.

The recording begins quietly, with whispered narration over sparse synthesiser textures before building into more dramatic vocal passages. This structure resembles someone recounting an intimate experience before broadening into a larger message. Rather than distancing herself from the story through fictional characters or allegory, Hagen performs it as her own memory.

The song therefore serves two functions simultaneously:

  • it preserves the details of her claimed encounter;
  • it communicates the emotional meaning she attached to it.

Critics have noted that the recording’s atmosphere reinforces this testimonial quality. The restrained opening differs sharply from Hagen’s better-known theatrical vocal style, suggesting an attempt to convey sincerity before moving into more expansive declarations.[Pitchfork]pitchfork.comNina Hagen: Nun Sex Monk Rock Album Review | PitchforkNina Hagen: NunSexMonkRock Album Review | PitchforkMarch 14, 2021…Published: March 14, 2021

Nina Hagen - UFO (live from Detroit 1982)

Channel: Gugon17

Open on YouTube

The encounter as a turning point

For Hagen, the significance of the experience lay less in proving that extraterrestrials existed than in explaining a personal transformation.

She repeatedly claimed that the encounter changed her emotional state and spiritual outlook. In a 1986 interview with SPIN, later quoted in retrospective coverage of NunSexMonkRock, she said the experience had “cleansed me of all my hangups” and left her “the happiest pregnant woman on the planet.”[Pitchfork]pitchfork.comNina Hagen: Nun Sex Monk Rock Album Review | PitchforkNina Hagen: NunSexMonkRock Album Review | PitchforkMarch 14, 2021…Published: March 14, 2021

That emphasis carries directly into “UFO”. Rather than ending with uncertainty or fear, the song culminates in reassurance, including the repeated message that “you are not alone.” Critics have argued that this reflects Hagen’s broader artistic worldview during the NunSexMonkRock period, in which motherhood, spirituality and cosmic imagery were intertwined rather than treated as separate subjects.[Pitchfork]pitchfork.comNina Hagen: Nun Sex Monk Rock Album Review | PitchforkNina Hagen: NunSexMonkRock Album Review | PitchforkMarch 14, 2021…Published: March 14, 2021

From this perspective, the UFO is presented less as an unexplained aerial object than as the catalyst for a profound personal awakening.

Nina Hagen s illustration 2
Explanatory illustration 2

Consistency across decades

One reason Hagen’s case attracts attention within discussions of celebrity UFO accounts is the remarkable consistency of its central narrative.

Although she elaborated certain details in later interviews, several elements remained stable:

  • the location in Malibu;[nuforc.org]nuforc.orgSource details in endnotes.
  • the timing during her pregnancy;
  • the spectacular coloured lights;
  • the absence of fear;
  • the belief that the experience had lasting spiritual importance.

She continued recounting the event in television appearances, newspaper interviews and documentaries devoted to UFO subjects. In 2008, while promoting a German television documentary investigating UFO claims, Hagen again described the Malibu sighting as one of the defining experiences of her life.[W&V]wuv.dePro Sieben Nina Hagen sucht AußerirdischeW&VProSieben: Nina Hagen sucht Außerirdische | W&VOctober 9, 2008…Published: October 9, 2008

The persistence of the account strengthened the association between Hagen and UFO belief, regardless of whether audiences regarded her testimony as credible.

Nina Hagen s illustration 3
Explanatory illustration 3

Public reception and scepticism

Hagen’s testimony has generally been received through two contrasting lenses.

Many interviewers treated the story as part of her eccentric public persona. Television hosts and commentators frequently responded with humour, implying that her unconventional stage image made extraordinary claims easier to dismiss. The Letterman interview remains one of the clearest examples of this dynamic.[Pitchfork]pitchfork.comNina Hagen: Nun Sex Monk Rock Album Review | PitchforkNina Hagen: NunSexMonkRock Album Review | PitchforkMarch 14, 2021…Published: March 14, 2021

At the same time, several journalists observed that Hagen appeared entirely sincere when discussing the encounter. A Los Angeles Times profile noted that she openly acknowledged scepticism but insisted that disbelief from others did not concern her. Likewise, one lengthy interview profile concluded that, whatever readers thought of her beliefs, she appeared genuinely convinced by her own experience rather than presenting it as a publicity stunt.[Los Angeles Times]latimes.comLos Angeles Times FLESHING OUT THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF NINA HAGENLos Angeles TimesFLESHING OUT THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF NINA HAGEN - Los Angeles Times…

This distinction matters because the cultural significance of “UFO” does not depend on external verification of the sighting. Its value as a historical document lies in faithfully expressing what Hagen herself consistently claimed to have experienced.

NINA HAGEN 1985 "Die Ufos sind da" + Interview at MAGMA SWISS TV #ninahagen

Channel: Nina Hagen by Gilles75

Open on YouTube

Why “UFO” remains significant

Within the history of music referencing UFO encounters, “UFO” occupies a distinctive position because it preserves an alleged eyewitness experience in an artist’s own voice.

Unlike songs that merely borrow UFO imagery for atmosphere or symbolism, Hagen’s recording operates as a personal testimony embedded in a commercial album. It documents not only the claimed sighting but also the meaning she attached to it: a positive, life-changing encounter that reshaped her understanding of herself and the universe.

For readers examining how music preserves celebrity UFO stories, this is the song’s enduring importance. The recording does not function as evidence that extraordinary events occurred, nor does it attempt to investigate competing explanations. Instead, it preserves a celebrity’s own account of an experience that she repeatedly insisted was real, allowing that testimony to survive long after interviews, broadcasts and contemporary media coverage have faded from public memory.

Amazon book picks

Further Reading

Books and field guides related to Nina Hagen s. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.

BookCover for Please Kill Me

Please Kill Me

By André Malraux, Legs McNeil et al.

Now in paperback, this first oral history of the most nihilistic of all pop movements brings the sound of the punk generation chillingly...

See on Amazon
BookCover for The Rest Is Noise

The Rest Is Noise

By Alex Ross

Ross, music critic for "The New Yorker," journeys from Vienna before the First World War to New York in the 1970s and 80s. The result is...

See on Amazon
Browse more on Amazon:Please Kill MeAmerican Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, TechnologyThe Rest Is Noise

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

eBay marketplace picks

Marketplace Samples

Live-tested eBay searches with available results related to this page.

UsingUSA

Selected fromNina Hagen poster oneBay.co.uk.

Browse more oneBay.co.uk

Example items shown for inspiration; availability and pricing can change. Branchoria may earn a commission if you purchase through outbound eBay links.

Endnotes

1. Source: pitchfork.com
Title: Nina Hagen: Nun Sex Monk Rock Album Review | Pitchfork
Link:https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nina-hagen-nunsexmonkrock/

Source snippet

Nina Hagen: NunSexMonkRock Album Review | PitchforkMarch 14, 2021...

Published: March 14, 2021

2. Source: wuv.de
Title: Pro Sieben Nina Hagen sucht Außerirdische
Link:https://www.wuv.de/Archiv/ProSieben-Nina-Hagen-sucht-Au%C3%9Ferirdische

Source snippet

W&VProSieben: Nina Hagen sucht Außerirdische | W&VOctober 9, 2008...

Published: October 9, 2008

4. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_ykJFU9eqc

Source snippet

NINA HAGEN · David Letterman Interview · original broadcast 1985...

5. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjNcMouNsjU

Source snippet

Nina Hagen - UFO (live from Detroit 1982)...

6. Source: youtube.com
Title: Nina Hagen
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF59qAuqML8

Source snippet

1985 "Die Ufos sind da" + Interview at MAGMA SWISS TV...

7. Source: latimes.com
Title: Los Angeles Times FLESHING OUT THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF NINA HAGEN
Link:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-17-ca-2800-story.html

Source snippet

Los Angeles TimesFLESHING OUT THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF NINA HAGEN - Los Angeles Times...

8. Source: jazzrocksoul.com
Title: Nina Hagen
Link:https://jazzrocksoul.com/artists/nina-hagen/

Source snippet

13, 2021 — NINA HAGEN Artists Germany, Neue Deutsche Welle, Nina Hagen, TriMax Autumn Nina Hagen is a German singer and media personality...

9. Source: nuforc.org
Link:https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=75147

10. Source: nuforc.org
Link:https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=61750

11. Source: nuforc.org
Link:https://nuforc.org/sighting/?id=40935

12. Source: music.apple.com
Link:https://music.apple.com/gb/song/545696395

Additional References

13. Source: ksta.de
Title: Nina Hagen: „Gott kam und sagte: Nina, du musst sterben“ | Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
Link:https://www.ksta.de/kultur-medien/nina-hagen-im-ostergespraech-gott-kam-und-sagte-nina-du-musst-sterben-1254931

Source snippet

Startseite 2. Kultur & Medien 3. # Nina Hagen: „Gott kam und sagte: Nina, du musst sterben“ Interview Nina Hagen„Gott kam und sagte: Nina...

14. Source: rnd.de
Title: März ihren 65. Geburtstag. Nina Hagen feiert am 11. März
Link:https://www.rnd.de/promis/nina-hagen-wird-heute-65-eine-chronik-ihrer-skandale-7UYZGWQNWAIPKIZVINECGVVUEQ.html

Source snippet

Nina Hagen wird heute 65: Eine Chronik ihrer SkandaleMarch 11, 2020 — NINA HAGEN WIRD HEUTE 65: EINE CHRONIK IHRER SKANDALE NINA HAGEN WI...

Published: March 11, 2020

15. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlR2eII5Xss

Source snippet

Nina Hagen's David Letterman Interview (1985) directly presents Nina Hagen discussing her personal UFO encounters and beliefs on public t...

16. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lVxN-aRPQw

Source snippet

NINA HAGEN "UFO" LIVE PARIS 11/12/1983...

17. Source: ninahagenshrine.com
Title: Nina Hagen Shrine Nina focuses her love beams | Nina Hagen Shrine
Link:https://ninahagenshrine.com/2010/08/06/nina-focuses-her-love-beams/

18. Source: welt.de
Title: DIE WELTSeptember: Nina Hagen vertreibt Mr. Knoff-Hoff
Link:https://www.welt.de/fernsehen/article1480124/September-Nina-Hagen-vertreibt-Mr-Knoff-Hoff.html

19. Source: sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de
Title: de Nina Hagen im Interview über Punk, Gott und LSD
Link:https://sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de/sz-diskothek/nina-hagen-interview-87494

20. Source: ninahagenshrine.com
Title: Nina Hagen Shrine Interviews | Nina Hagen Shrine
Link:https://ninahagenshrine.com/category/interviews/

21. Source: welt.de
Title: Eklat bei Maischberger: Bublath verlässt Studio
Link:https://www.welt.de/welt_print/article1319174/Eklat-bei-Maischberger-Bublath-verlaesst-Studio.html

22. Source: ninahagenshrine.com
Title: Nina Hagen Has Her Say | Nina Hagen Shrine
Link:https://ninahagenshrine.com/2010/04/05/nina-hagen-has-her-say/