Behind-the-Song “If I can Dream” by REGINA

 REGINA (formerly known as Tre Principesse) is a billboard charting traditional pop/crossover group from the United States. The group consists of Anastasia Lee (contralto) and two sopranos, Tatiana Marie and Rose Mae. The group is releasing their first single, IF I CAN DREAM, on August 26.

CCM: Why did you choose this piece – what does it mean to you?

Anastasia: This song was written for Elvis Presley as a protest song for the civil rights movement. Unfortunately today, so much of the country we live in is little improved. We have what, a mass shooting every other week at least? We have racial inequality, LGBT+ people are treated as lesser beings throughout much of the nation, and so much more.

To me this song just means peace and hope. Hope for a better and brighter future for us all. I’m someone who easily gets depressed when I see horrible images on the news. I look to music and art for inspiration and if I can help create some inspiration for others? Hey, no complaints here.

CCM: When did you first hear it?

Anastasia: I first heard this song when I was a little girl. Same with my sister, Tatiana. I’m now 25 years old and with the release of the Elvis movie by Baz Luhrmann and the issues in our country right now, we all thought this was just the perfect time to release the track.

CCM: What are some of the elements from the original that were important for you to keep and what were some of the new ideas you are most excited about? 

Rose: We wanted to keep a lot of the overall style and vibe of the piece, while stripping back the instrumentals to make the song fit our genre whilst adding new vocal layers. I really enjoyed getting to arrange the harmony myself. We all have such different voices, so it was a lovely challenge figuring out how to make the most of everybody’s range and timbre.

 

CCM: Were there any challenging moments in this piece?

Rose: The piece has a lot of chromaticism, and the harmonies I wrote were not exactly straightforward. I’m the de facto musical director of the group and I was really pleasantly surprised by how quickly things clicked once we got into the rehearsal room. Ana and Tati don’t have a lot of formal training in terms of music theory, but they have very good ears and the trio sections locked right in.

CCM: Tell us a little bit about the production of the track?

Anastasia: It was a production made across the world. I was contacting and working with musicians from all around the world at all hours of the night and day to make this a reality.

Did you have any additional collaborators?

Natasha Barbieri, Editor

Editor

Creator of Classical Crossover Magazine. For Natasha music has always been closely tied to her faith. At age 18, Natasha made her opera debut playing the part of the mother in Menotti’s ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ with the Eastern Festival Opera. At 20, she was a winner of the 2011 Young Artist Competition at Andrews University. Natasha graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Music. Natasha has released a series of Holiday singles “A Place Called Home” (2020), “One Little Boy,” and “The Perfect Year” (2021). In 2021, she was nominated for the ‘Future Classic Women Awards’ show on Men’s & Women’s Radio Station. Natasha is the creator and editor of ‘Classical Crossover Magazine’ a venture that has allowed her to interview many of the top stars in the genre including Sarah Brightman, Celtic Woman, Mirusia, Paul Potts, and more. During the covid-19 pandemic, she created an online concert series for the magazine that has seen her perform in the same line-up as Alex Sharpe, Lucy Kay, Barbara Padilla, Classical Reflection, and more on the virtual stage. In 2022, Natasha was included on the charity album “Stars of Classical Crossover: Christmas” in benefit of the Wallace & Gromit Children’s Charity.