Christa Päffgen (German pronunciation: [ˈkʁɪsta ˈpɛfɡn̩]; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), [1] [2] [3] known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls (1966).

The Velvet Underground & Nico was recorded in 1966 while the band were featured on Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable tour. Warhol, who designed the album's record sleeve, co-produced with Tom Wilson. The album features elements of avant-garde music incorporated into brash, minimal and groove-driven rock music.

Jun 19, 2021 · Warhol crowned her Miss Pop 1966, and proclaimed her a “Superstar” – simply for being “Nico”. But who was “Nico”?

Jul 4, 2021 · Nico was born Christa Päffgen in Cologne on 16 October 1938, less than a month before the horrific attacks of Kristallnacht marked the escalation of violence against Jews in Nazi...

Jul 18, 2024 · In 1981 Nico, former Fellini muse, Warhol superstar and voice of The Velvet Underground, was washed up, addicted to heroin and living in Manchester. Singing sombre lullabies for the dead, she clawed her way out of the dark until tragedy struck one last time.

Mar 12, 2017 · Bolstered by the patronage of Andy Warhol and the exotic vocal contributions of Nico, Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker declared their independence from Top 40 decorum...

Jul 18, 2018 · A new film shows the dark side of pop art icon Nico, a singer and Andy Warhol's muse. Nico, 1988 depicts the tormented final years of the German-born model's life.

Jul 23, 1988 · Nico, the wide-eyed beauty of rock music and Andy Warhol film fame who had drifted into obscurity, has died at the age of 49. The Associated Press quoted her manager, Alan Wise, as saying she...

Apr 19, 2018 · A new biopic covering her later years, Nico, 1988, is part of an ongoing reconsideration of her art and life following the Velvet Underground.

Aug 12, 2021 · “Nico” allowed Christa to seemingly shed her past and step into an unpolluted simulacrum. In the 1969 Twen interview, when asked about her memories of the war, Nico responded, “That was not me, that was another girl… My memory consists of shreds and short flashes, never the whole picture.”