Catching Up With Regina Spektor

The first night I moved to New York City, back in August of 2003, I dropped off my bags at my new apartment and rushed off to the Sidewalk Cafe on 6th and A to see Regina Spektor perform. She was one of four or five musicians playing a free show that night and the room was full but not packed and as she smacked her piano bench with a drumstick and belted out "Poor Little Rich Boy," I couldn't believe this girl wasn't already a colossal star.

Fast forward seven years and after opening for the Strokes and scoring a huge radio and video hit with "Fidelity," Regina Spektor is selling out huge theaters around the world. Still, she hasn't once compromised her artistic integrity to get where she is and continues to write beautiful, often slightly off-kilter songs that don't always fit neatly into the current pop music landscape -- and that's why I love her.

Regina's latest release is Live in London, a live DVD/CD album from her most recent tour, which supported her fifth studio album, Far. We caught up with the singer-songwriter when she recently dropped by the Out studio to chat about the thrill of touring, why gay marriage gets her all riled up, and why she's fiercely committed to her weirdness:

Live In London: Regina Spektor is now available in stores and the CD is available for download from iTunes. For more on Spektor, visit her official website and follow her on Twitter.

-- NOAH MICHELSON

Previously > Need To Know: Cameron Carpenter