How The Strokes helped Regina Spektor to secure a record deal
How do you secure a record deal? Without money or industry connections behind you, it can be a difficult task. Artists may spend years gigging and writing, honing their sound and reaching out to labels before they see the rewards of their hard work. Regina Spektor was no exception, finding her start in small venues in New York City.
After moving from Russia to the United States in her childhood, Spektor was forced to let go of her piano, but she couldn’t quite let go of her love for it. She honed her talent for the instrument around colleges and cafes, putting out two records on her own before landing a life-changing support slot with The Strokes.
After The Strokes released their debut record in 2001, they immediately became one of the most talked-about indie bands of the moment. It’s now been over two decades since the release of Is This It, but that statement remains true in 2024. With catchy, garage-inspired riffs and a suave frontman in Julian Casablancas, they remain one of the most revered and referenced guitar bands in modern memory.
Spektor was in good company, then, when she embarked upon a tour with the indie rockers in 2003, in the midst of their heyday. The Strokes had just released their highly-anticipated sophomore record, Room on Fire, which they took on tour alongside Spektor. Amidst opening slots and appearances on-stage next to Casablancas, she, perhaps expectedly, attracted the attention of labels.
“My first time ever coming out to LA was in 2003 when I got onto The Strokes’ tour, before I was signed or anything,” she recalled during an appearance on Amoeba’s ‘What’s In My Bag?’ series, “After that tour, record labels started coming around.” One of them even took her to the Hollywood record store and bought her a Blonde Redhead record.
Amidst label courtings, Spektor eventually decided on signing with Sire, working with them and The Strokes’ beloved producer Gordon Raphael on her third record, Soviet Kitsch. Her appearance with The Strokes may have legitimised her to labels, but Spektor found success on the basis of her existing talent and the work she had put into it for years prior.
Her unique arty sound would be what won over audiences for years to come, not her association with Casablancas and the band. Spektor already had the talent and the graft; she just needed the right moment and the right opportunity to widen her scope, and that came with The Strokes tour.
From there, Spektor would find her way onto iconic television and film soundtracks and into the hearts of countless indie fans.
