Regina Spektor

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Regina Spektor

Background information
Born February 18, 1980 (1980-02-18) (age 27)
Moscow, USSR
Genre(s) Anti-folk, Indie rock, Acoustic
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s) Piano, Vocals, Guitar
Years active 2001 – present
Label(s) Warner/Sire
Website Official website

Regina Spektor (Russian: Регина Спектор; born February 18, 1980) is a Soviet-born American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village.

Contents

Spektor was born in Moscow, USSR, to a musical Jewish family. Her father, Ilya Spektor, a photographer, was also an amateur violinist. Her mother was a music professor in a Russian college of music, and now teaches at a public elementary school in Mount Vernon, New York.[1]

Spektor learned how to play piano by practicing on a Petrof that was given to her mother by her grandfather.[2] She was also exposed to the music of rock and roll bands such as The Beatles, Queen, and The Moody Blues by her father, who obtained such recordings in Eastern Europe and traded cassettes with friends in the Soviet Union.[1] The family left the Soviet Union in 1989, when Regina was nine, during the period of Perestroika, when Soviet citizens were permitted to emigrate. Unfortunately, Regina had to leave her piano behind.[3] The seriousness of her piano studies led her parents to consider not leaving the USSR, but they finally decided to emigrate, due to the ethnic and political discrimination which Jews faced.[4]

Traveling first to Austria and then Italy, the family settled in the Bronx, New York, where Spektor graduated from the SAR Academy, a middle Jewish day school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. She then attended high school for two years on a scholarship at the Frisch School, a yeshiva in Paramus, New Jersey, but, feeling out of place, eventually transferred to a secular public school, Fair Lawn High School, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where she finished the last two years of her high school career.[2][5]

Spektor has stated that she was originally interested only in classical music, but that she later became interested in hip hop, rock and punk as well.[1]

In New York, Spektor gained a firm grounding in classical music from her piano teacher, Sonia Vargas, a professor at the Manhattan School of Music. Spektor studied with Vargas—whom Spektor's father had met through violinist Samuel Marder, Vargas's husband—until she was 17.[6] Although the family had been unable to bring their piano with them from Russia, Spektor found a piano on which to practice in the basement of her synagogue, also utilizing tabletops and other hard surfaces for this purpose.[2]

Although she had always made up songs around the house, Spektor first became interested in songwriting during a visit to Israel with the Nesiya Institute in her teenage years. Attracting attention from the other children on the trip for the songs she made up while hiking, she realized she had an aptitude for songwriting.[4] Following this trip, she was first exposed to the work of Joni Mitchell, Ani DiFranco, and other singer-songwriters, which gave her the idea that she could create her own songs.[4] She began writing her first a cappella songs around age sixteen, and wrote her first songs for voice and piano when she was nearly eighteen.[1]

Spektor completed the four-year studio composition program of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in Purchase, New York within three years, graduating with honors in 2001. Around this time, she also worked briefly at a butterfly farm in Luck, Wisconsin, and studied in Tottenham, England for one semester.

She gradually achieved recognition through performances in the anti-folk scene in downtown New York City, most importantly at the East Village's Sidewalk Cafe, but also at the Living Room, Tonic, Fez, the Knitting Factory, and CB's Gallery.[2] During this period, she sold her self-produced CDs 11:11 (2001) and Songs (2002) at such performances.

Regina Spektor in concert, April 2007.
Regina Spektor in concert, April 2007.

Spektor has said that she has created 700 songs,[7] but that she rarely writes any of them down. She has also stated that she never aspired to write songs herself, but songs seem to just flow to her.[8] Spektor's songs are not usually autobiographical, but rather are based on scenarios and characters drawn from her imagination.[9][4] Her songs show influences from folk,[10][11] punk, rock, Jewish,[9][12] Russian,[9] hip hop,[10][13][14] jazz,[10][13] and classical music.[9][13] Spektor's musical style has drawn many comparisons to fellow singer-pianists Tori Amos and Fiona Apple,[15][14] as well as the vocal stylings of Bjork. Spektor has said that she works hard to ensure that each of her songs has its own musical style, rather than trying to develop a distinctive style for her music as a whole.[8]

Spektor possesses a broad vocal range and uses the full extent of it. She also explores a variety of different and somewhat unorthodox vocal techniques, such as verses composed entirely of buzzing noises made with the lips and beatbox-style flourishes in the middle of ballads, and also makes use of such unusual musical techniques as using a drum stick to tap rhythms on the body of the piano or chair.[16][4] Part of her style also results from the exaggeration of certain aspects of vocalization, most notably the glottal stop, which is prominent in the single "Fidelity". She also uses a strong New York accent on some words, which she has said is due to her love of New York and its culture.[1]

Her lyrics are equally eclectic, often taking the form of abstract narratives or first-person character studies, similar to short stories or vignettes put to song.[16][1] Spektor usually sings in English, though she sometimes includes a few words or verses of Latin, Russian, French, and other languages in her songs. Some of Spektor's lyrics include literary allusions,[4] such as to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway in "Poor Little Rich Boy", The Little Prince in "Baobabs", Virginia Woolf and Margaret Atwood in "Paris", Ezra Pound and William Shakespeare in "Pound of Flesh", Boris Pasternak in "Après Moi", Samson and Delilah in "Samson", and Oedipus the King in "Oedipus". She also used a line from Joni Mitchell's California in her song "The Devil Came to Bethlehem". Recurring themes and topics in Spektor's lyrics include love, death, religion (particularly Biblical and Jewish references), city life (particularly New York references), and certain key phrases have been known to recur in different songs by Spektor, such as references to gravediggers, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the name "Mary Ann". Spektor's use of satire is evident in "Wasteside," which refers to the classic satirical novel by the Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov The Twelve Chairs, and describes the town in which people are born, get their haircut, and then are sent to the cemetery.

In Spektor's early albums, many of her tracks had a very dry vocal production, with very little reverb or delay added. However, Spektor's more recent albums, particularly Begin to Hope, have put more emphasis into song production and have relied more on traditional pop and rock instruments.[3]

Spektor says the records that most impact her are those of "bands whose music is really involved",[17] specifically naming The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Radiohead, Tom Waits, and Frédéric Chopin as primary influences.[18][17]

Spektor at her first performance in Tel Aviv, Israel on 2007-03-11.
Spektor at her first performance in Tel Aviv, Israel on 2007-03-11.

Spektor's first nationwide tour was accompanying The Strokes as the opening act on their 2003–2004 Room on Fire tour, during which she and the band performed and recorded "Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men." Kings of Leon were the second opening act on that tour, and they invited Regina to open for them on their own European tour right after The Strokes tour. In June 2005 Spektor was the opening act for the English piano rock band Keane on their North American tour, during which she performed at Radio City Music Hall on June 7, 2005.[19] During her headlining 2006 tour in support of the Begin to Hope album, Spektor sold out two shows at Town Hall Theater in New York City in September on the 27th and 28th.[20]

Subsequently, she has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (twice), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (twice), Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly (four times), Late Show with David Letterman, CBS News Sunday Morning, Good Morning America and Australia's Rove Live.[21] Since January 2005, Spektor has performed on a bright red Baldwin baby grand piano.[22]

Although she generally only performs original material, Spektor performed her first covers in 2005, of songs by Leonard Cohen and Madonna, for the 2nd Annual Jewish Music & Heritage Festival at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.[4] In 2006, Spektor embarked on a headlining tour of the United States and Europe, selling out numerous clubs and theaters.[citation needed] She also covered John Lennon's "Real Love" at her alma mater State University of New York at Purchase's Performance Arts Center on March 28, 2007, a benefit concert for the Conservatory of Music.[23] Also in 2007, Spektor recorded "Real Love" for the Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur CD, which was released in June of that year.

On March 8, 2007, she appeared on ITV's Loose Women, promoting and performing "Fidelity" live, and on April 20, 2007, she performed on the Late Show with David Letterman. On Saturday April 28, 2007 she appeared at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. On Friday, May 18, 2007, she appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. On June 16, 2007, she performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival and later performed at the 2007 Lollapalooza on August 4, 2007 and Virgin Festival on August 5, 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland. On September 16 2007, she performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival and recorded a set for the Austin City Limits TV show the following day. She performed acoustic at the Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre in October on the 27th and 28th.

Regina Spektor performing in Brighton on 2006-10-26.
Regina Spektor performing in Brighton on 2006-10-26.

On 2007-11-14, at her concert at Ryman Auditorium, in Nashville, it was announced that Spektor collapsed during the sound check and was taken to a local emergency room. According to the statement given to the audience Spektor was fine but doctors said she could not perform that night. It was later reported that the cause of the collapse was an inner ear infecton which caused intense vertigo. The show was initially rescheduled for December 6, 2007,[24] but the date is once again rescheduled.[25] After her initial collapse in Nashville, she was able to perform in concerts at Mountain Stage on November 18, 2007, and at Duke University on November 19, 2007.[26] However, after a relapse she was unable to play at Toad's Place in Richmond on November 21, 2007. The Richmond concert was rescheduled for December 10, 2007. However, it has been rescheduled once again, this time after the new year, due to Spektor's recurring illness.[citation needed]

Since 2005, Spektor's music has been used in various television programs and commercials. In late 2005 "Us" (from Soviet Kitsch) was used in a commercial as part of the What Do You Want To Watch? series for the United Kingdom's British Sky Broadcasting. The advert features a clip from a documentary on skateboarder Danny Way. In the summer of 2006, a clip from "Us" was used for the teaser website for Microsoft's Zune project at ComingZune.com, as well as for a promotional campaign for MtvU. The same track is used by Dutch telecom company KPN in a commercial. "Somedays" was used in a 2005 episode of CSI: NY and "Samson" was used in a 2006 episode of the same series. "On the Radio" was used in an episode of ABC's Grey's Anatomy. "Field Below" was used in a 2006 episode titled "The Last Word" of CBS's Criminal Minds. "Fidelity" was also used in a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy titled "Six Days, Part 2", in an episode of Veronica Mars titled "Witchita Linebacker", and in an episode of Brothers & Sisters titled "Sexual Politics". "Better" is currently being used in a commercial for XM Satellite Radio. Her song "Music Box" is currently being used in a commercial for JC Penney. Spektor also sang the title song "Little Boxes" of Showtime's television series Weeds in the episode "Mile Deep and a Foot Wide" (2006) and her "Ghost of Corporate Future" was used both at the beginning and end of the episode.[27] On January 21, 2007, she was featured on CBS News Sunday Morning.[8]

Spektor performing at the Hammerstein Ballroom on 2007-10-16.
Spektor performing at the Hammerstein Ballroom on 2007-10-16.

Spektor received increased attention in 2006 when her video for "Fidelity" was viewed over 200,000 times in two days on YouTube. On SIRIUS Radio's Left of Center channel, her single "Fidelity" was voted by listeners as the #1 song of 2006. Towards the end of 2006, VH1 showcased her as part of their "You Oughta Know: Artists on the Rise" featurettes: they played clips from the "Fidelity" music video and showed parts of an interview with Spektor during commercial breaks on the channel.[28] Regina was recently named #3 on VH1's Top Artists Charts.

In Australia, Spektor's music has rapidly gained popularity in mainstream culture primarily due to Begin To Hope being played on the nation-wide radio station Triple J, where it eventually became a feature album. Prior to Begin To Hope, Regina Spektor had only a small following in Australia in comparison to the US and Europe.

Spektor reached #33 on Blender magazine's top 100 of 2006 and was also listed as one of the "Hottest Women of...Rock".[29]

Regina Spektor performing in the West London Synagogue, February 2007.
Regina Spektor performing in the West London Synagogue, February 2007.

"Fidelity" was also used in a 2007 television commercial in New Zealand advertising Yahoo!Xtra, a new partnership between Yahoo! and Telecom's Xtra ISP. Also in 2007, the mobile phone company Vodafone used her lyric, "Come into my world..." from the track, "Hotel Song" on Begin to Hope, in an extensive TV advertising campaign in the UK and Ireland.

In 2007, Spektor appeared in the British edition of Vogue magazine.[citation needed]

In September 2007, the American department store J. C. Penney used the opening Édith Piaf-esque stanza of Spektor's "Music Box" for a television advertisement

On October 1, 2007 Spektor's new video for "Better" (Radio Recut) was released on VH1 TV channel and YouTube.com, where it was viewed online more than 100,000 times within the first 24 hours. "Fidelity" was used in the 27 Dresses movie trailer, which was released on October 3, 2007.[30]

In a Get Fuzzy comic on October 4, 2007, Rob Wilco was shown wearing a Regina Spektor t-shirt; his cat Bucky referred to her as "the little chick singer on [his] t-shirt".[31]

Some of Spektor's songs are regular plays on various music television channels, in particular VH1.[citation needed]

Spektor's first two albums were released exclusively in the United States; Soviet Kitsch and Begin to Hope were released worldwide. The compilation Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories, containing songs from Spektor's first three albums, was put together for the UK market.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Soundcheck (2004-11-18), "Hot Hot Hot". New York Public Radio.
  2. ^ a b c d Artist Profile: Regina Spektor. EMI Music Publishing.
  3. ^ a b Aizlewood, John (2006-08-24). Regina Spektor: A Triumph That Began With Hope. thislondon.co.uk.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Soundcheck interview (2005-09-13). "From Russia with Love". New York Public Radio.
  5. ^ Morrisset-Solo Forums
  6. ^ Roeschlein, Shane. Regina Spektor: The Red Princess. themusicedge.com.
  7. ^ Orloff, Brian. Regina Spektor's Got New "Hope". Rolling Stone.
  8. ^ a b c Orloff, Brian (2007-10-21). Regina Spektor's Boundless Talent. CBS News. CBS.
  9. ^ a b c d Alonzo, Rod. Making Stuff Up: An Interview With Regina Spektor. WOMANROCK.com.
  10. ^ a b c Murphy, John. Regina Spektor - Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers (review). musicomh.com.
  11. ^ Bridge, Colette (July 2006). Nottingham Music: Paolo Nutini / Peaches / Regina Spektor: Tis the period of the singer / songwriter. BBC - Nottingham.
  12. ^ Holub, Annie (2006-11-02). Spectral Musings: Six lines that will make you fall in love with Regina Spektor. Tucson Weekly.
  13. ^ a b c MySpace: Regina Spektor
  14. ^ a b National Public Radio. Regina Spektor in Concert.
  15. ^ Karan, Tim. Making Fiona Apple seem normal.. Alternative Press Magazine.
  16. ^ a b Block, Melissa. Stories in Song: Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope. National Public Radio - All Things Considered.
  17. ^ a b http://www.avclub.com/content/node/49632
  18. ^ "Spectacular Spektor", by Susan Visakowitz (from Billboard.biz, 13 January 2007)
  19. ^ http://www.musicsnobbery.com/2005/06/regina_spektor_.html
  20. ^ http://www.musicsnobbery.com/2006/09/regina_spektor_.html
  21. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/WinterConcert/popup?id=3011274
  22. ^ Regina Spektor in a Piano Shop. WNYC - New York Public Radio (2005-01-28).
  23. ^ http://www.nynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070329/ENTERTAINMENT/703290453
  24. ^ Bill Friskics-Warren (2007-11-14). Spektor rushed to the hospital before Ryman show. Tennessean.com.
  25. ^ the Historic Ryman Auditorium
  26. ^ Spektor's official web site
  27. ^ Music from the hit series, Weeds. Showtime.
  28. ^ New Music Artists Info on You Oughta Know, Rising New Artists, See Photos & Watch Videos Online. VH1.com.
  29. ^ Hottest Women of…Rock!. Blender.
  30. ^ 27 Dresses Movie Trailer. /Film (2007-10-03).
  31. ^ Conley, Darby Get Fuzzy (October 4, 2007) From Comics.com. Distributed by UFS.

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