Regina Spektor

Artist Image: Regina Spektor
Attribution

Biography

Spektor was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, in 1980 to a musical Russian Jewish family. Her father, Ilya Spektor, is a photographer and amateur violinist. Her mother, Bella Spektor, was a music professor in a Soviet college of music and teaches at a public elementary school in Mount Vernon, New York. She has a brother Boruch (Bear), who was featured in track 7, "* * *", or "Whisper", of her 2004 album, Soviet Kitsch. Growing up in Moscow, Regina learned how to play the piano by practicing on a Petrof upright that her grandfather gave her mother. She grew up listening to classical music and famous Russian bards like Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava. Her father, who obtained recordings in Eastern Europe and traded cassettes with friends in the Soviet Union, also exposed her to rock-and-roll bands such as the Beatles, Queen, and the Moody Blues. The family left the Soviet Union in 1989, when Regina was nine and a half, during the period of Perestroika, when Soviet citizens were permitted to emigrate. Regina had to leave her piano behind. 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 that Jews faced. Spektor is fluent in Russian and reads Hebrew, and has since paid tribute to her Russian heritage, quoting the poem "February" by the Russian poet Boris Pasternak in her song "Après Moi", and stating, "I'm very connected to the language and the culture." Traveling first to Austria and then Italy, the Spektor family was admitted to the United States as refugees with the assistance of HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). They settled in the Bronx, where Spektor graduated from the SAR Academy, a Jewish day middle school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. She then attended high school for two years at the Frisch School, a yeshiva in Paramus, New Jersey, but transferred to a public school, Fair Lawn High School, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, where she finished the last two years of her high school education. Career In New York City, Spektor studied classical piano with Sonia Vargas, a professor at the Manhattan School of Music, until she was 17; Spektor's father had met Vargas through her husband, violinist Samuel Marder. Although the family had been unable to bring their piano from Russia, Spektor found a piano on which to play in the basement of her synagogue, and also practiced on tabletops and other hard surfaces. Spektor was originally interested in classical music only, but later became interested in hip hop, rock, and punk as well. Although she had always made up songs around the house, she first became interested in more formal songwriting during a visit to Israel with the Nesiya Institute in her teenage years when she attracted attention from the other children on the trip for the songs she made up while hiking and realized she had an aptitude for songwriting. Following this trip, she was exposed to the work of Joni Mitchell, Ani DiFranco, and other singer-songwriters, who encouraged her belief that she could create her own songs. She wrote her first a cappella songs around the age of 16 and her first songs for voice and piano when she was nearly 18. Spektor completed the four-year studio composition program of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College 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 (a suburb of London) for one semester. 2001-2006: Career beginnings She gradually achieved recognition through performances in the anti-folk scene in downtown New York City, often as a duo with drummer Anders Griffen, and most importantly at the East Village's SideWalk Cafe, but also at the Living Room, Tonic, Fez, the Knitting Factory, and CB's Gallery. She also performed at local colleges (such as Sarah Lawrence College) with other musicians, including the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. She sold self-published CDs at her performances during this period: 11:11 (2001) and Songs (2002). In 2004, she signed a contract with Warner Brothers' record label Sire Records to publish and distribute her third album Soviet Kitsch, originally self-released in 2003. 2006-2009: Begin to Hope Spektor went on to release the album Begin to Hope on June 13, 2006. The album debuted at number 70 on the Billboard 200, but due to the popularity of the single "Fidelity", it went on to peak at number 20, and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Spektor received increased attention when her video for "Fidelity" was viewed over 200,000 times in two days on YouTube. Listeners of Sirius Radio's Left of Center channel voted her single "Fidelity" as the No. 1 song of 2006. Towards the end of 2006, VH1 showcased her as part of their "You Oughta Know: Artists on the Rise" featurettes, playing clips from the "Fidelity" music video and showing parts of an interview with Spektor during commercial breaks on the channel. Spektor's video for "Fidelity" reached No. 3 on VH1's Top 20 Countdown. Spektor reached No. 33 on Blender magazine's top 100 of 2006 and was also listed as one of the "Hottest Women of...Rock!". On January 21, 2007, she was featured on CBS News Sunday Morning. On October 1, 2007, Spektor's video for "Better" was released on VH1 and YouTube, where it was viewed more than 100,000 times within the first 24 hours. Spektor wrote the song "The Call" for the 2008 film The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which appeared prominently in the film's finale sequence. 2009-2012: Far Spektor's fifth album Far was released June 22, 2009. It sold 50,000 copies in its first week, entering the US Billboard 200 at number three. The album spent nineteen weeks on the Billboard 200. It also debuted at number 30 and 16 in the UK and Canada respectively. On September 16, 2009, it was announced that Spektor would write the music for the musical Beauty, a modern adaptation of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, which was initially set to open during the 2011–12 Broadway season. In May 2010, Spektor performed for President Obama and his wife Michelle along with hundreds of other guests at the White House reception in honor of Jewish Heritage Month. She sang "Us" and "The Sword & the Pen", receiving a standing ovation begun by Michelle Obama. 2012-present: What We Saw from the Cheap Seats Spektor's sixth studio album What We Saw from the Cheap Seats was released May 29, 2012. In promotion of the album, Spektor appeared on the June 7, 2012 episode of The Colbert Report on which she performed "Small Town Moon". Spektor recorded the main title theme song "You've Got Time" for the new Netflix Original Series Orange Is the New Black, which premiered July 11, 2013. It was nominated in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. (wiki)

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed
Number of Albums 35
Record Label Sire Records
Website www.reginaspektor.com
Wikipedia Regina Spektor on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

Who was Regina Spektor's mother?

Bella Spektor

...tor was born in Moscow, USSR to a musical Jewish family. Her mother, Bella Spektor , was a music professor in a Russian college of music and now teache...
Where was Regina born?

Moscow, USSR

...Edit Overview (3) Mini Bio (1) Regina Spektor was born in Moscow, USSR to a musical Jewish family. Her mother, Bella Spektor, was a music professor in...
In what city was Regina birthed?

Moscow

...Edit Overview (3) Mini Bio (1) Regina Spektor was born in Moscow , USSR to a musical Jewish family. Her mother, Bella Spektor, was a music professor in...
What was the name of Spektor's 2001 self produced CD?

11:11

...ather. She sold selfproduced CDs at her performances during this period: 11:11 (2001) and Songs (2002). Her other album Soviet Kitsch (2004) was also ...
Who helped produce Begin to Hope?

Sire records

...uce the album, while Begin to Hope (2006) was completely produced by Sire records . Regina Spektor is best known for her real lyrics that are supported...
Why did her family have to leave the Soviet Union?

because of the discrimination Jewish people faced

...New York. Her family had to leave the Soviet Union because of the discrimination Jewish people faced . Performed a Duet with The Strokes, Modern Girls ...
What was Spektor's name?

Regina

...Edit Overview (3) Mini Bio (1) Regina Spektor was born in Moscow, USSR to a musical Jewish family. Her mother, Bella Spektor, was a music professor in...
What was Spektor's Grammy nominated theme song for?

Orange Is the New Black

...ndalone tracks have included her Grammynominated theme song for Orange Is the New Black and her cover of Dear Theodosia, a duet with Ben Folds for The...
What song did Spektor cover with Ben Folds for The Hamilton Mixtape?

Dear Theodosia

...mynominated theme song for Orange Is the New Black and her cover of Dear Theodosia , a duet with Ben Folds for The Hamilton Mixtape. Born and raised in...
Where did they move from?

Russia

...ung child and also learned to play piano. She and her family moved from Russia to the Bronx, where she was immersed in American culture (at the time, ...
How long did it take for Spektor's family to be the first Russian family in the borough?

20 years

...ture (at the time, hers was the first Russian family in the borough in 20 years ). Eventually, Spektor and her family became part of a community that b...
What instrument did Spektor learn at SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory?

classical piano

...il her family got a piano of its own. Spektor further developed her classical piano training by attending the SUNY Purchase Music Conservatory. During...
What jazz artist was Spektor exposed to during her classical piano training?

Billie Holiday

...g her studies, she was exposed to blues and jazz artists, including Billie Holiday . These sounds made such an impact on Spektor that they became a big...
When was Spektor born?

Moscow, Soviet Union

...rly life and musical beginnings edit Spektor was born in 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union , to a musical RussianJewish family. Her mother, Bella Spektor, w...
What is Spektor's nationality?

RussianAmerican

...ектор, pronounced rʲɪˈɡʲinə ˈspʲɛktər; born February 18, 1980) is a RussianAmerican singer, songwriter, and pianist. After selfreleasing her first thr...
When did Spektor sign with Sire Records?

2004

...red on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her thi...
What was Spektor's fourth album called?

Begin to Hope

...album a major label rerelease, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope , which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two...
In what year was Regina Spektor born?

1980

...ubén Díaz Jr. Early life and musical beginnings edit Spektor was born in 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, to a musical RussianJewish family. Her mother, ...
Regina grew up listening to classical music and famous Russian bards like what?

Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava

...ht that her grandfather gave her mother. She grew up listening to classical music and famous Russian bards like Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava ....
Where is the antifolk scene centered?

New York Citys East Village

.... Her music is associated with the antifolk scene centered on New York Citys East Village . She was also exposed to the music of rock and roll bands su...
When did Regina's family leave the Soviet Union?

1989

...es with friends in the Soviet Union. The family left the Soviet Union in 1989 , when Regina was nine, during the period of Perestroika when Jewish citi...
What rock and roll bands did Regina hear from her father?

The Beatles, Queen, and The Moody Blues

...lso 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...
When were Jewish citizens allowed to emigrate?

Perestroika

... the Soviet Union in 1989, when Regina was nine, during the period of Perestroika when Jewish citizens were permitted to emigrate. The seriousness of ...
What did she learn from her piano teacher in New York?

classical music

...dle school yeshiva. In New York, Spektor gained a firm grounding in classical music from her piano teacher, Sonia Vargas, a professor at the Manhattan...
Spektor graduated from what school?

yeshiva

...x, New York, United States where Spektor graduated from a middle school yeshiva . In New York, Spektor gained a firm grounding in classical music from ...
Who was Spektors piano teacher?

Sonia Vargas

...r gained a firm grounding in classical music from her piano teacher, Sonia Vargas , a professor at the Manhattan School of Music. Spektor studied with ...
Where was Sonia Vargas a professor?

Manhattan School of Music

...music from her piano teacher, Sonia Vargas, a professor at the Manhattan School of Music . Spektor studied with Vargaswhom Spektors father had met thro...
What was the first place Spektor became interested in songwriting?

Israel

...ade up songs around the house, Spektor first became interested in songwriting during a visit to Israel with the Nesiya Institute in her teenage years....
What was the name of the institute where she became interested in songwriting?

Nesiya Institute

...ade up songs around the house, Spektor first became interested in songwriting during a visit to Israel with the Nesiya Institute in her teenage years....
What language does Spektor speak?

Russian

..., when Soviet citizens were permitted to emigrate. Spektor is fluent in Russian and reads Hebrew, and has since paid tribute to her Russian heritage, ...
Who wrote the poem February?

Boris Pasternak

...her Russian heritage, quoting the poem February by the Russian poet Boris Pasternak in her song Aprs Moi, and stating, Im very connected to the langua...
What is HIAS?

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society

...e United States as refugees with the assistance of HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society ). They settled in The Bronx, where Spektor graduated from th...
What is the name of the Jewish day middle school in the Bronx?

SAR Academy

...Society). They settled in The Bronx, where Spektor graduated from the SAR Academy , a Jewish day middle school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. S...
Spektor completed what four year studio composition program?

Conservatory of Music at Purchase College

...mpleted the fouryear studio composition program of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College within three years, graduating with honors in 2001. S...
How long was the studio composition program at Purchase College?

fouryear

...le school in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Spektor completed the fouryear studio composition program of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase Co...
When did she graduate with honors?

2001

... Music at Purchase College within three years, graduating with honors in 2001 . She sold selfpublished CDs at her performances during this period: 11:1...
What was the name of the record label that she signed with in 2004?

Sire Records

...). In 2004, she signed a contract with Warner Brothers' record label Sire Records to publish and distribute her third album Soviet Kitsch, originally ...
In what year was Soviet kitsch released?

2003

...d a contract with Warner Brothers' record label Sire Records to publish and distribute her third album Soviet Kitsch, originally selfreleased in 2003 ....
How many albums was Spektor self-releasing?

three

...After selfreleasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the antifolk scene center...
How many Billboard albums did Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats debut at?

3

...o albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. Early life and musical beginnings Spektor was born ...
Who gave Petrof upright to her mother?

grandfather

...rned how to play the piano by practicing on a Petrof upright that her grandfather gave her mother. She grew up listening to classical music and famous...
What was Regina's mother's profession?

taught music

...Her mother taught music , while her father was a violist and photographer. Regina began learning to play piano at the age of 6, practicing her skill us...
At what age did Regina learn to play piano?

6

...iolist and photographer. Regina began learning to play piano at the age of 6 , practicing her skill using a Petrof piano given by her grandfather to he...
What did Spektor learn to play at an early age?

piano

...scow in 1980 to a musical Russian Jewish family, Spektor learned to play piano at an early age. Her music is influenced by folk, punk, rock, Jewish, R...
Who exposed her to rock and roll music at a young age?

her father

...was exposed to rock and roll music, such as The Beatles and Queen, by her father , who got the recordings in Eastern Europe and traded cassettes with f...
Where did her father get recordings of The Beatles and Queen?

Eastern Europe

... as The Beatles and Queen, by her father, who got the recordings in Eastern Europe and traded cassettes with friends in the Former Soviet Union (FSU)....
When were Soviet citizens allowed to emigrate?

Peristroika

...left the FSU because of its unbearable discrimination of Jews, during Peristroika , when Soviet citizens were allowed to emigrate. They came to the Uni...
Where did they come to the United States?

through Austria and Italy

...izens were allowed to emigrate. They came to the United States through Austria and Italy , and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) helped them reac...
Where did Spektor settle?

The Bronx

...nt Aid Society (HIAS) helped them reach the U.S. where they settled in The Bronx . Spektor graduated from the SAR Academy, a Jewish day school in the R...
What genre of music did she later transition to?

hip hop

...sical piano at the Manhattan School of Music, and later transitioned to hip hop , rock, and punk music. She was exposed to the work of Joni Mitchell, A...
Where is the antifolk scene in New York centered?

East Village

...ic is associated with the antifolk scene centered on New York City's East Village . She was also exposed to the music of rock and roll bands such as Th...
What country did Spektor travel first to?

Austria

...d to emigrate, for religious and political reasons. Travelling first to Austria and then Italy, the family settled in the Bronx, New York, United Stat...
Who was Vargas's husband?

Samuel Marder

...r studied with Vargaswhom Spektor's father had met through violinist Samuel Marder , Vargas's husbanduntil she was 17. Although the family had been una...