Although she was born as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, she’s now Tina Turner, the biggest Swiss popstar in the world. The iconic soul singer (75), whose classic 1989 hit The Best is featured in this week’s ‘Essential Songs’ segment on The Right Hook, cut ties with the US and officially relinquished her citizenship in 2013.
Entering the US Embassy in the Swiss capital of Bern, the Rollin’ Down the River-singer signed away her affiliation with the country that defined her musical style, signing away her passport and voting rights under section 349 (a)(1) of the ‘Immigration & Naturalization Act’.
Turner’s decision to embrace Switzerland didn’t come as much of a surprise to her fans; the singer has spent two decades living in a Zurich suburb with her German music producer husband, Erwin Bach.
In order to take ownership of Swiss nationality, Turner also had to complete a citizenship exam that questioned her knowledge of the mountainous country’s history, along with a test of her ability to speak the German language.
In official documents filed by the US Embassy, officials said that the singer had no intention to ever live in her native USA again, and that her only ties to the country were the family members remaining over there.
And it wasn’t long after she’d taken up the new nationality that Turner was embracing her new identity in a tongue-in-cheek look at her admiration for Switzerland. In an advertising campaign for the state-owned telecom company iO, the We Don’t Need Another Hero singer poked fun at her life by claiming she’s “always acted pretty Swiss.”
Whether practicing winter sports in the deep south or yodelling her way through bars of some of her most celebrated songs, Turner is clearly proud to be Swiss. Take a look at the commercial below:
Every Thursday on The Right Hook, George is joined live in studio by Bill Hughes, who fills in the musical blindspot in the presenter’s cultural awareness with the riffs, refrains, and robust hits have defined musical history. You can listen back to this week's segment below:
