Regina Spektor

Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a renowned singer, songwriter, and pianist hailing from both Russia and America.

Born in 1980 in Moscow, within the Soviet Union, she comes from a musically-inclined Jewish family. Her father, Ilya Spektor, is a photographer and an enthusiastic violinist, while her mother, Bella Spektor, was a music educator at a Soviet music college and currently teaches at a public elementary school in Mount Vernon, New York. Regina has a brother named Boruch, often referred to as Bear.

Regina began her piano education at the age of seven, learning to play on a Petrof upright piano that had been gifted to her mother by her grandfather. Surrounded by the sounds of classical music and the works of notable Russian bards like Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava, she developed a deep appreciation for music early on. Additionally, her father played a significant role in diversifying her musical exposure; he acquired recordings from Eastern Europe and exchanged cassettes with friends in the Soviet Union, which introduced her to iconic rock and roll bands including The Beatles, Queen, and the Moody Blues. This eclectic mix of influences has shaped Regina Spektor’s distinctive musical style.