Early 2004 - Soundgirl.com

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Soundgirl has been a fan of Moscow native Regina Spektor since way before those mop-headed Strokes boys introduced her to the world. When we first met her, her free gigs were so intimate you could see if she shed a tear, ('cept we don't recall her crying. It was us who silently wept, marveling at the depth of her cat-like voice and the beauty of her ominous songs.) Some time after our tears dried, Regina became a part of a much higher ticket when New York neighbors, The Strokes, generously took her one-woman show on the road for a triple bill that included the rockin' Kings of Leon.

Each night, the threesome played to between 3000 and 6000 audience members. Soundgirl recently caught up with Regina. (And this time, we kept our composure.):

Soundgirl: What's been happening over the last year?

Regina: (My life) has changed in that I've had all these new experiences. I've met a lot of new people. I went on my first ever tour and then I went on my first ever second tour... I kind of realized how I overworked myself. Now, I have to try to be a professional. I have to pace myself and try to conserve my strength.

SG: How did you overwork yourself?

Regina: Not having gone on tour before --and we were out for basically more than two months-- it really hit hard. I didn't know how to take care of myself on the road really well. I didn't sleep. Stuff like that. No one was standing over me, telling me, "Don't not sleep for four nights in a row!"

When I went out with The Strokes in America, it was a triple bill with me, The Strokes and The Kings of Leon. By the time we hit the West Coast, they (the Kings of Leon) already knew of their tour in Europe, and they liked playing with me. So they said, "Why don't you come to Europe with us right after this?" So I had a four day break between tours during which I had bronchitis. I was on antibiotics when I flew to Milan.

SG: Were you the only girl on tour?

Regina: Yes. In a way it was fine. In some ways it was a little bit hard. I get along really well with both sexes, so I think when it comes to music it's not about that at all. These were all musicians who I really liked their music. You have to go with people whose music you'd want to hear every night. It probably would've been nice to have a few women there, though.

It was really awesome being on the road with the Kings of Leon because I was traveling on their bus. But I was so the sister of the band! The oldest one is my age. The youngest one is so young, like 17. He's just a baby. They're all brothers.

They're three brothers and two cousins. They're really like a family, and took me in like family.

SG: How did the audiences react to such disparate music?

Regina: Well, ya know, it was different. Sometimes on The Strokes' tour people were really, really kind. People would send me emails and say things like, "This was the most awesome opening band The Strokes have ever brought. I respect them for bringing me on the road.

SG: What was the rudest thing that an audience member said?

Regina: I don't know. Show us your **! I'm not much of a lady. I curse like a sailor, I'm tough in some ways, but I think there's a certain basic decency that I expect. Just because someone doesn't like something a person is doing, why yell something rude in front of thousands of people? It doesn't make any sense. A lot of the fans wouldn't like my music. It's very different. It's not up every Strokes fan's alley. I really respect The Strokes for standing by me.

SG: What now for the future?

Regina: I'm really excited to find a home, like a label. I really want to start working on my next record. I want to do a lot of collaborations and find new people to collaborate with.

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Listen to "Your Honor" here to hear the passionate Regina and Visit www.reginaspektor.com to stream her second album, SONGS, in full.