Regina Spektor
Where: DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 30
Details: $23.50 to $43.50; ticketmaster.com
Yes, Regina Spektor really is that down to earth.
On a tour bus heading out of Chicago bound for Ann Arbor, Mich., the Russian-born, New York-bred singer/songwriter spoke with such an enthusiasm tempered with modesty, it leaves little doubt why America’s love affair with her continues. Spektor is one of those rare artists that truly create her own hypnotic sound. Combine that with her unpretentious personality, and you have the makings of a luminary whose art people want to enjoy and nurture.
“It has taken me a while to kind of see there are those terrible people that want to take you and mold you into something other than what you are and then there are those amazing people that nurture you and bring into fruition your ideas,” she said. “That is what has freed me more than ever before.”
Spektor is currently on tour for her latest release “Far,” which has already won a stack of critical and commercial kudos. But while reviewers are quick to praise her music, they are equally excited about her stage show during which she engages the audience and wins them over with quirky moves such as holding a water bottle with both hands as she sips and making some self-deprecating comments if she misses a note.
Although many artists are reticent to talk about their musical struggles, Spektor speaks freely of going from her solo career to working with other musicians. She considers this another transition that has freed her to be more fully creative.
“I’m really lucky because I’m playing with amazing musicians … and we basically somehow capture the sounds from the record,” she said. “It’s very exciting having played solo for so long. Listening to other people kind of makes you grow. It’s like going from having all monologues to an intricate, interactive conversation. Now it feels weird to play by myself.”
Spektor said her concerns about others reshaping her music came from watching those “so much music that was in the pop world that was so manufactured. I was terrified people would make my music into something I didn’t want.”
The same holds true with her public persona. Spektor is determined not to have her looks exploited as a way to advance her career.
“I don’t even have the spotlight so many others do and even when I feel a bit under that spotlight or feel the lenses zoom in on me, it’s an odd feeling. I’m so much more grown up than these young kids that experience that and I can’t imagine how they handle it,” she said. “To me, the whole point of art is just the idea of expressing your own unique point of view and sharing it with other people. … I’m really not aware of how people perceive me day to day. And I change so much day to day, whatever impression they have of me, well, it may not be a misconception.”
