This past Saturday, I had the fortune of seeing Regina Spektor perform in concert. Going into the concert, I was only familiar with one of her albums (Far) and a few other scattered songs by her. Even so, it was probably one of the best concerts I've been to yet.
You might recognize Regina Spektor from the theme song for Orange is the New Black. In fact, she's had a long career spanning seven albums and sixteen years. She is a classically trained pianist, and began writing songs as a teenager; she self-released her first three albums between 2001 and 2004, and began to receive public attention with the release of Begin to Hope in 2006.
Her music style is difficult to define, but distinctly her own. She gives off a very Carole King vibe in some of her pieces; she also seems to be inspired by indie pop and jazz, and includes intricate classical-inspired piano parts in some of her songs. Her music ranges from upbeat, quirky pop to dramatic ballads. She sings about everything from love to politics to her childhood and upbringing. She sometimes incorporates other languages, like French or Russian, into her lyrics. Her songwriting is quirky and a little bit unusual at times, but it's evident that she writes from her heart.
Regina Spektor is an excellent recording artist, but she is just as good in live performance. In her current tour, she sings and plays piano, and has a string quartet, a drummer and a keyboardist to supplement her. Because of this setup, her musicality shines through – she could perform a piano recital, and I'd still gladly watch it. The quality of her voice is quite distinctive; it's very bright and clear, but still soft. As someone who is only vaguely familiar with her music, I appreciated this, because I was able to hang on to every one of her lyrics and listen to the stories she told through them.
In this concert, I was also able to get a sense of who she is as a person. Though she is a multi-talented musician with a fantastic voice, she is humble and soft-spoken. Throughout the entire concert, she seemed starstruck that she was playing at Radio City Music Hall; it seemed like a dream come true to her. Spektor is also socially and politically aware. The concert took place during the Jewish holiday of Purim; she spoke about how Purim celebrated resistance against forces of evil that tried to eliminate an entire group of people based on religion, and told us how important it was to continue resisting the evil forces in the world today. My favorite moment in the concert was probably when she called her mother onstage. She explained that this was the first hometown concert that her mom couldn't attend because she was feeling sick, and got the entire audience to say "Feel better, Mrs. Spektor!"
Regina Spektor is a skillful and inventive musician, and she seems like a genuinely good person who has remained grounded in her roots. I'd definitely suggest listening to her if you get a chance.
