Regina Spektor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Regina Spektor
Регина Спектор
Spektor in 2009
Born	Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (1980-02-18) February 18, 1980 (age 45) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Citizenship	United States (arrived 1989)
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Jack Dishel ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Anti-folk indie-pop alternative rock
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Labels	Sire/Warner
Associated acts	Only Son Sondre Lerche Ben Folds Kill Kenada The Strokes Odesza Dufus

Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (Russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор; born February 18, 1980) is a talented singer, songwriter, and pianist. She was born in Russia and later became an American citizen.

Regina first released her own music and became popular in New York City's independent music scene. This included the "anti-folk" scene in the East Village. In 2004, she signed with Sire Records, which helped her music reach more people. Her album Begin to Hope became very successful, earning a Gold certification. Her next two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, both reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

On June 11, 2019, the Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, declared it Regina Spektor Day. She was also honored by being added to the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019.

About Regina Spektor

Early Life and Musical Journey

Regina Spektor was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, in 1980. She came from a musical Russian-Jewish family. Her father, Ilya Spektor, was a photographer and played the violin. Her mother, Bella Spektor, was a music teacher. Regina has a brother named Boruch.

Regina started piano lessons at age seven in Moscow. She practiced on a piano her grandfather gave her mother. She grew up listening to classical music and Russian folk singers. Her father also introduced her to rock bands like the Beatles and Queen.

In 1989, when Regina was nine, her family moved from the Soviet Union to the Bronx, New York. They left during a time when Soviet citizens were allowed to leave. They had to leave their piano behind. Her parents decided to move because Jewish people faced discrimination in the Soviet Union.

The Spektor family first traveled to Austria and Italy. They then came to the United States as refugees with help from HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). In New York, Regina practiced piano on tabletops until she found a piano at her synagogue. She studied classical piano with Sonia Vargas until she was 17. Regina also attended high school in New Jersey.

At first, Regina only liked classical music. But later, she became interested in hip hop, rock, and punk. She always made up songs at home. She became serious about songwriting during a trip to Israel as a teenager. Other kids noticed the songs she made up while hiking.

After this trip, Regina discovered artists like Joni Mitchell and Ani DiFranco. This encouraged her to create her own songs. She wrote her first songs without instruments around age 16. She wrote her first songs for voice and piano at 17.

Regina finished college at Purchase College in three years, graduating with honors in 2001.

Her Music Career Begins

Regina Spektor slowly became known by performing in New York City's anti-folk scene. She often played at the SideWalk Cafe in the East Village. She also performed at colleges with other musicians. During this time, she sold her own CDs, 11:11 (2001) and Songs (2002).

First Albums and Big Break (2001-2005)

Regina's first nationwide tour was opening for The Strokes in 2003–2004. They even recorded a song together called "Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men". After that, Kings of Leon invited her to open for them on their European tour.

In 2004, Regina signed with Sire Records. They helped publish her third album, Soviet Kitsch, which she had released herself in 2003. In 2005, she started appearing on TV shows. In June 2005, she opened for the band Keane on their North American tour.

Becoming Well-Known (2006-2008)

Regina Spektor performing in Brighton in 2006

Regina released the album Begin to Hope on June 13, 2006. It started at number 70 on the Billboard 200 chart. But her song "Fidelity" became very popular. The album then reached number 20 and was certified Gold. Her music video for "Fidelity" was watched over 200,000 times in two days on YouTube.

Regina's 2006 tour for Begin to Hope included two shows in New York City. This was her first tour with a full band. Sirius Radio listeners voted "Fidelity" as the No. 1 song of 2006. VH1 also featured her as a rising artist.

Regina Spektor performing in 2007

In 2007, Regina performed at big music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. She also wrote the song "The Call" for the 2008 movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. She also sang on "You Don't Know Me" with Ben Folds.

More Albums and Tours (2009-2011)

Regina's fifth album, Far, came out on June 23, 2009. She worked with four different producers on this album. It sold 50,000 copies in its first week and reached number three on the US Billboard 200 chart.

She performed at many European festivals in 2009, including Glastonbury Festival. Regina also headlined a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. In September 2009, it was announced that she would write music for a musical called Beauty. Regina made her Saturday Night Live debut on October 10, 2009. She performed "Eet" and "The Calculation" from Far.

In May 2010, Regina performed for President Barack and Michelle Obama at the White House. This was to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month. She sang "Us" and "The Sword & the Pen".

New Music and TV Themes (2012-2015)

Regina's sixth album, What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, was released on May 29, 2012. It also debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart. She performed on The Colbert Report to promote the album. Her world tour for this album included a performance in Moscow. This was her first time back since her family left in 1989.

In 2012, Regina became an official "Steinway Artist." This means she mostly plays Steinway & Sons pianos.

Regina wrote and recorded the main theme song, "You've Got Time", for the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. The show started in July 2013. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Recent Music and Broadway (2016-Present)

Regina announced her seventh album, Remember Us to Life, on July 21, 2016. It was released on September 30, 2016. The first song from the album was "Bleeding Heart". She also sang George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" for the film Kubo and the Two Strings.

In 2016, Regina was featured on The Hamilton Mixtape. She sang a remix of "Dear Theodosia" with Ben Folds.

On November 8, 2018, Regina released a new song called "Birdsong". She wrote it for an episode of the Amazon Prime series The Romanoffs.

In March 2019, Regina announced she would perform on Broadway. She had five shows at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in June 2019.

On July 26, 2019, Regina released an acoustic version of her song "You've Got Time". This was for the final season of Orange Is the New Black. The song was in the last episode.

In late 2019, Regina released "Walking Away" for the Amazon Prime series Modern Love.

New Album (2022-Present)

On February 22, 2022, Regina announced her eighth album, Home, Before and After. It was released on June 24. The first song from the album was "Becoming All Alone". Regina produced the album with John Congleton.

She performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert on August 5, 2022. She sang songs from her new album and older hits like "Fidelity" and "Samson".

Her Unique Musical Style

Regina Spektor's main instrument is the piano. She also plays the guitar, especially a seafoam Epiphone electric guitar for live shows.

Regina has created many songs but rarely writes them down. Her songs are usually not about her own life. Instead, they are based on stories and characters she imagines. Her music mixes influences from folk, punk, rock, Jewish, Russian, hip hop, jazz, and classical music.

Regina tries to make each of her songs sound unique. She doesn't try to make all her music sound the same. She once said, "It doesn't feel natural for me to write some diary type song. I want to write a classic like 'Yesterday' but weird songs about meatballs in refrigerators come into my head – I can't help it."

Regina uses a wide vocal range when she sings. She also uses different and unusual vocal techniques. For example, she sometimes makes buzzing noises with her lips or uses beatbox sounds in her songs. She might even tap rhythms on a chair with a drumstick. She also uses a strong New York accent on some words because she loves New York.

Regina usually sings in English. But sometimes she includes words or verses in Latin, Russian, French, or other languages. She likes to play with how words are pronounced. She said this is because when she was young, she listened to English pop music without understanding the words.

Her song lyrics are also very varied. They often tell abstract stories or describe characters, like short stories set to music. Some of her lyrics include references to books and famous people. For example, she mentions F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway in "Poor Little Rich Boy".

Regina's first album, 11:11, was recorded when she was in college. It was influenced by blues and jazz. Her second album, Songs, was recorded on Christmas Day, 2001. Each song was recorded in just one take and was fully acoustic. Her third album, Soviet Kitsch, was her first to feature a full rock band. When she signed with a major record label, she had a bigger budget for recording. This allowed her to use more traditional pop and rock instruments.

Regina says she is most influenced by bands with "really involved" music. She likes the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Madonna, Eminem, Kate Bush, Rufus Wainwright, David Bowie, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Billie Holiday, Radiohead, Tom Waits, and Frédéric Chopin.

British singer Kate Nash said Regina Spektor made the piano "cool" for pop music. She also liked that Regina's accent showed in her singing.

Regina's Music in TV and Movies

Since 2005, Regina Spektor's music has been used in many TV shows and commercials.

• In 2005, her song "Us" (from Soviet Kitsch) was used in a commercial for British Sky Broadcasting. It was also used for Microsoft's Zune project and by a Dutch phone company.
• "Fidelity" was used in the trailer for the 2007 movie 27 Dresses.
• Regina sang the theme song "Little Boxes" for the TV series Weeds in 2006. Her song "Ghost of Corporate Future" was also used in that episode.
• She wrote and recorded "You've Got Time" as the theme song for the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, which started in 2013. The show's creator asked her to write it.
• Regina wrote and recorded "Birdsong" for Amazon's The Romanoffs.
• She wrote and recorded "Walking Away" for Amazon's Modern Love.
• Regina wrote and recorded "One Little Soldier" for the 2019 film Bombshell.
• She wrote and recorded "The Call" for the 2008 film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Helping Others: Philanthropy

Regina Spektor has used her music to help others.

• In 2007, she covered John Lennon's "Real Love" for an album supporting Amnesty International.
• In 2008, she joined Songs for Tibet, an effort to support human rights in Tibet.
• On February 26, 2010, Regina played at Carnegie Hall for Tibet House's annual concert.
• On March 23, 2010, she gave a concert in New York City to raise money for Médecins Sans Frontières. This was to help people in Haiti after an earthquake.
• On April 27, 2010, she released a cover of Radiohead's "No Surprises". All the money from this song went to Doctors Without Borders.
• In February 2012, Regina performed a benefit concert for HIAS. This organization helped her family move from the Soviet Union.
• She has also performed in concerts to honor and support the family of Dan Cho. He was her cellist who passed away while on tour with her in 2010.

Awards and Achievements

MVPA Awards

Other awards

• 2019 Bronx Walk of Fame

Discography

• 11:11 (2001)
• Songs (2002)
• Soviet Kitsch (2004)
• Begin to Hope (2006)
• Far (2009)
• What We Saw from the Cheap Seats (2012)
• Remember Us to Life (2016)
• Home, Before and After (2022)

Images for kids

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  Regina Spektor performing in Tel Aviv in 2006

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  Regina Spektor performing in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Regina Spektor para niños