Regina Spektor Biography

American singer and songwriter Regina Spektor was born in Russia in 1980. Today, Regina is likely best known as the composer and performer behind the main title theme for the hit television series Orange is the New Black, but long before her rise to prominence, Spektor grew up in Moscow. As a child, Regiona began to study music while still in elementary school, starting with piano lessons. After immigrating to the United States in the late 80’s, Regina continued her studies, before settling in New York City to pursue a career as a musician.

Inspired by artists such as Ani DiFranco and Joni Mitchell, Regina Spektor began writing and recording her own material. Her performances throughout the New York City area began to earn her a local following, and so she recorded and sold a series of self-released CDs during some of her performances. Eventually, her talents caught the attention of Warner Brothers, and so she signed with the label and began work on her debut album.

The result, Begin to Hope, arrived in 2001 and was a critical and commercial success, earning Spektor accolades and rising into the top twenty on the mainstream charts in the United States and reaching gold status. Spektor’s follow-up, Far (2009), was even more successful, reaching internationally into the top twenty and all the way up to the number three spot in the United States. The album What We Saw from the Cheap Seats (2012) fared just as well. Notable singles from the albums include: “On the Radio,” “Fidelity,” “Samson,” “Laughing With,” “Eet,” “No Surprises,” “All the Rowboats,” “Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas.)”

In 2013, Regina Spektor was asked by the creators of a new Netflix series to craft the show’s title theme. The result, “You’ve Got Time,” is now the featured song on the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black. The single earned Spektor a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

Regina Spektor is a star on the rise and one to continue to watch in the coming years. Her latest album, Remember Us to Life, was released in 2016.