Review | Regina Spektor

I was in middle school when I first heard Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity.” What is this beautiful song? It felt like it was tapping into all of the emotions I never had the words for. I listened a few more times, letting my brain process all the new happy emotions over and over again. I then did the same with “Samson,” and subsequently entered my “only listening to soft female singer-songwriters” phase.

With her ear for fantastical melodies and a voice full of character that feels like it’s flying, Regina Spektor rose to prominence in New York’s anti-folk scene. According to Spektor, “My music isn’t about my real life, I haven’t figured out how to do that yet … it’s rooted in tiny moments of real-life-ness.” Born and raised in Moscow, she gained popularity from two eclectic album releases. Now, she is touring with Songs, an album that was recorded a while ago — Christmas Day of 2001 to be exact. Each song was recorded in one take, and copies were previously only owned by those who snagged them at one of her early live shows. However, this past year in 2024, over two decades later, she announced its official release, much to the glee of her longtime fans.

Spektor started off the night with a track from Songs, “Prisoners,” with just her and the piano. Throughout the night, she played other songs from the record, including “Oedipus,” “Reading Time With Pickle,” “Lounge,” and “Consequence of Sounds.” An audience member then shouted “happy birthday” (her birthday was a few days prior on February 18th), prompting an impromptu “Happy Birthday” sing along for Spektor. She beamed the entire time, thanking everyone for the sweet gesture, gushing, “that was beautiful.”