- Bumbi somehow just wakes up very early dis mornin' and she cannot force herself to sleep again.
- Then she turns on da light, sits in front of her Vaio, and starts to seekin' abt Regina Spektor! :P. After few mins googling and flickring, she smiles at herself since she has got almost Regina's records!
- Yayyyy... :X
- Now Bumi thinks Regina, a girl who plays piano very well and always on stage with a light blue guitar, iz rilli added 2 her fav singers list! ^______^
- It's undeniable dat Bumbi just luv Regina's wonderful punk music to death! :P :P :P
- Regina Spektor was born on February 18th, 1980, in Moscow, Soviet Union, to a musical family.
- Her father, a photographer, was also an amateur violinist.
- Her mother was a music professor in a Russian conservatory and now teaches at a public elementary school in Mount Vernon, New York.
- Spektor studied classical piano from the age of six.
- 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.
- The family left the Soviet Union in 1989, when Regina was 9, during the period of Perestroika when Jewish citizens were permitted to emigrate.
- The seriousness of her piano studies led her parents to consider not leaving Russia, but they finally decided to emigrate, for religious and political reasons.
- Traveling first to Austria and then Italy, the family settled in the Bronx, New York, where Spektor graduated from a middle school yeshiva.
- She then attended the Frisch Yeshiva High School in Paramus, New Jersey on a scholarship for two years, 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.
- Spektor has stated that she was originally interested only in classical music, but that she later became interested in pop, rock, and punk as well.
- She begins as a songwriter.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- She began writing her first a cappella songs around age 16, and wrote 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 in Purchase, New York, including one year’s study in London, at the University of Middlesex - graduating with honors in 2001.
- Around this time, she also worked briefly at a butterfly farm in Luck, Wisconsin.
- 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.
- During this period, she sold her self-produced CDs at such performances.
Style
- Spektor’s songs rely on a mixture of styles and techniques, often starting with a piano riff and integrating moans, nonsense words, warblings, and other noises.
- Spektor has said that she has created 700 songs, but that she rarely writes any of them down (lastfm).
- Spektor’s songs are not usually autobiographical, but rather are based on scenarios and characters drawn from her imagination.
- Her songs show influences from folk, Jewish, Russian, hip hop, jazz, and classical music.
- Spektor’s musical style has drawn many comparisons to fellow singer-pianists Fiona Apple and Tori Amos. 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.
- Spektor possesses a broad vocal range and uses the full extent of it.
- 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.
Media coverage
- Beginning in 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 Sky Television.
- 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. It was also used for a commercial for a Dutch cell phone provider, called KPN.
- “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 popular 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 “Sometimes a Fantasy”, in an episode of Veronica Mars titled “Friday Night Sleights”, and in an episode of “Brothers & Sisters” titled “Sexual Politics”.
- “Better” is currently being used in a commercial for XM Satellite Radio.
- Spektor also sang the title song “Little Boxes” of Showtime’s television series Weeds in the 2006 episode “Mile Deep and a Foot Wide” and her “Ghost of Corporate Future” was used both at the beginning and end of the episode.
- On January 21, 2007, she was featured on CBS News Sunday Morning.
- Spektor’s song, “Fidelity”, featured in the trailer of the romantic comedy “27 Dresses”.
- Her song “That Time” was used in the 2008 film In Bruges.
- Regina Spektor gained a great deal of media attention in 2006 when her video for “Fidelity” was viewed over 200,000 times in two days on the YouTube website.
- On SIRIUS Radio’s “Left of Center” channel, her single “Fidelity” was voted by listeners as the #1 song of 2006.
- In Australia particularly, 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.
Discography
- Most of Spektor’s early albums have been released exclusively in the United States.
- Her compilation, ‘Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories’, has been released worldwide.
Albums (got all of 'em!)
2001 - 11:11 (Regina Spektor)
2002 - Songs (Regina Spektor)
2004 - Soviet Kitsch
2006 - Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories
2006 - Begin to Hope
2009 - Far
Singles and EPs (got a few! :[)
2003 - Reptilia b/w Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men by The Strokes
2004 - Your Honor / The Flowers
2005 - Live at Bull Moose EP
2005 - Carbon Monoxide
2006 - Us
2006 - On the Radio
2006 - Fidelity
Compilations (still seeking!)
2006 - Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories.
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