# Regina Spektor

> American musician

**Wikidata**: [Q229274](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q229274)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Spektor)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/regina-spektor

## Summary
Regina Spektor is an American musician and singer-songwriter born on February 18, 1980. She is recognized for her diverse roles as a singer, pianist, composer, guitarist, lyricist, and film director, operating within genres such as anti-folk, indie pop, and rock music. Since beginning her work period in 2001, she has been affiliated with the record label Sire and is associated with the State University of New York at Purchase.

## Biography
- **Born:** February 18, 1980
- **Nationality:** United States, Soviet Union
- **Education:** State University of New York at Purchase
- **Known for:** Work as a singer, pianist, singer-songwriter, composer, guitarist, and lyricist in the anti-folk and indie pop genres
- **Employer(s):** Sire (record label)
- **Field(s):** Music (rock music, anti-folk, indie pop, jazz fusion), film directing

## Contributions
Regina Spektor's contributions are defined by her multifaceted role in the music industry, spanning performance, composition, and lyrical writing. She began her professional work period in 2001, establishing herself as a singer and pianist while also engaging in guitar performance and songwriting. Her work encompasses the genres of rock music, anti-folk (a genre seeking to subvert the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music), indie pop, and jazz fusion. As a composer and lyricist, she authors her own music and lyrics. Additionally, she has expanded her creative output into film directing. Her career is supported by her affiliation with Sire, an American record label known for its role in the phonographic industry.

## FAQs
**What instruments does Regina Spektor play?**
Regina Spektor is a musician who plays the piano and the guitar.

**What are Regina Spektor's primary musical genres?**
Her work spans several genres, including rock music, anti-folk, indie pop, and jazz fusion.

**Where did Regina Spektor attend college?**
She attended the State University of New York at Purchase, a public college founded in 1967 that is part of the SUNY system.

**Is Regina Spektor a songwriter?**
Yes, she is a singer-songwriter, meaning she writes, composes, and sings her own songs, in addition to working as a separate lyricist and composer.

**What record label is Regina Spektor associated with?**
She is affiliated with Sire, an American record label founded in 1966 by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer.

## Why They Matter
Regina Spektor holds significance as a transnational artist holding citizenship in both the Soviet Union and the United States, reflecting a background that bridges distinct cultural and geographic spheres. Her involvement in the anti-folk genre places her within a movement that specifically seeks to subvert the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music, contributing to the evolution of independent music. By operating as a singer-songwriter who controls her own composition and lyrics, she represents the model of the autonomous modern musician. Her association with Sire Records connects her to a label with a history of adapting to technological shifts and shaping cultural trends in the phonographic industry.

## Notable For
- **Multi-instrumentalist:** Proficient in both piano and guitar.
- **Genre Diversity:** Active in rock music, anti-folk, indie pop, and jazz fusion.
- **Creative Control:** Functions as a singer-songwriter, composer, and lyricist.
- **Film Direction:** Has expanded her professional scope into film directing.
- **Academic Affiliation:** Educated at the State University of New York at Purchase.
- **Label Affiliation:** Associated with Sire Records, a major American label.
- **Dual Citizenship:** Holds citizenship in the United States and the Soviet Union.
- **Longevity:** Active work period beginning in 2001.

## Body

### Professional Identity and Roles
Regina Spektor is defined by a wide array of professional occupations within the arts. As a human and American musician, her primary roles include singer, pianist, and singer-songwriter. The designation of singer-songwriter indicates that she is a musician who writes, composes, and sings her own songs. Beyond performance, she is listed as a composer, defined as a person who is an author of music in any form, and a lyricist, specifically a writer of song lyrics. Her instrumental skills include the piano, classifying her as a pianist, and the guitar, classifying her as a guitarist. Additionally, her occupational profile includes the role of film director, a person who controls the artistic and dramatic aspects of a film production.

### Musical Genres and Style
Spektor's work is categorized into several distinct musical genres. She is associated with rock music, a popular genre with inception dating to 1948. She is significantly linked to anti-folk, a genre defined by its intent to subvert the earnestness of politically charged 1960s folk music, which began around 1985. Her work also falls under indie pop, a genre of pop music within the independent music movement that started in 1980, and jazz fusion, a genre combining jazz harmony and improvisation with rock, funk, and rhythm and blues that developed in the late 1960s.

### Career Timeline and Citizenship
Regina Spektor was born on February 18, 1980. Her professional work period began in 2001. She holds citizenship in two countries: the United States and the Soviet Union. The latter is noted as a former country in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991, indicating her origins or heritage connected to that region prior to its dissolution.

### Education and Institutional Affiliation
Spektor is affiliated with the State University of New York at Purchase. This institution is a public college located in Purchase, New York, and was founded in 1967. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, a large public higher education network in the United States. The university is classified as a "baccalaureate college: arts and sciences focus" and is known for its programs in arts and sciences, which aligns with Spektor's career in music and film.

### Record Label and Industry Presence
She is connected to the record label Sire. Sire is an American record label founded on January 1, 1966, by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer. Headquartered in New York City, Sire operates within the phonographic industry and is notable for its role in the production, distribution, and promotion of music content globally. The label has a history of adapting to technological shifts, from physical formats to digital streaming, and has been foundational in artist promotion and intellectual property management.

### Related Entities and Digital Presence
In the context of knowledge graphs and industry databases, Regina Spektor is associated with other musicians such as Kate Nash (British musician), Judit Puigdomènech Roca (Catalan singer), and Em Beihold (American singer-songwriter). Her digital footprint is extensive, with numerous identifiers across platforms including MusicBrainz, VIAF, ISNI, and IMDb. She maintains an official website at reginaspektor.com and has a presence on social media and streaming platforms, identifiable by handles such as @reginaspektor on Instagram and reginaspektor on Spotify.

## References

1. BnF authorities
2. Integrated Authority File
3. [Source](https://azjewishpost.com/2017/russian-jewish-immigrant-spektor-infuses-music-with-wit-vulnerability/)
4. Montreux Jazz Festival Database
5. International Standard Name Identifier
6. MusicBrainz
7. Discogs
8. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
9. Virtual International Authority File
10. CONOR.SI
11. BBC Things
12. Google Knowledge Graph
13. The Guardian
14. Carnegie Hall linked open data
15. YouTube API
16. [Source](https://www.podchaser.com/creators/regina-spektor-107aIZRij8/appearances)
17. The Movie Database