I am Lights (musician)! Ask Me Anything!

Hey Lights, long time fan!

Slayed a dragon for you! As per request by /u/jeremythebug.

• What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

YESSSS!

Where did you come up with the name for your little girl?

We played the PNE last year in Vancouver, it was a wicked night, 7k people turned up and that was the night I told my band I was pregs. I mistook a giant ferris wheel for a rocket.... on stage in front of everyone..... became the joke of the night. My sister said, "hey, that's a good name". Suited her so well so that was that.

Does Beau call you Lights? If not, what does he call you?

Lights! He never knew me before I changed my name so for him to call me Valerie is strange for him.

I have 2 questions and a comment.

1. Do you realize that you are a goddess incarnate?
2. How has having a baby changed your life?

Comment: BC west coast fo lyfe! We welcome you with open arms.

1. I CAN'T EVEN
2. I am worried about so much less, you tend to cut the fat and just worry about the things that need to be thought of. Everything else is just a moment to be enjoyed. Really made me realize how much useless worrying I used to do.

ps THANKS :D Love the west coast! #goodair

When you're travelling by plane, is your ticket issued on LIGHTS/MRS?

It's sometimes just LIGHTSPOXLEITNERBOKAN and the unfortunate soul that has to call me to the gate on the loud speaker hates LIFE.

Do you still play WoW at all? How excited are you for Warlords of Draenor?

I have actually taken WAY too long off from WoW, I think it's been a year and a half since I logged in. I've been spending a lot more time console gaming, BUT that said, Warlords of Draenor is giving me dat itch. Looks amazing. #BLIZZ

Lights! Is Jeremy still your bug?

YES!

I LAV YOU

Jeremy is and always will be my bug!

Lights!

My (now) girlfriend and I had the pleasure of meeting you in Chicago back in 2010. The shared love for your music was one of the biggest factors that brought us together and for that, we are forever thankful. It put the biggest smile on our faces when we saw the Yoda finger puppet we gifted you with on your Video Blog #37. Yoda voice Serve you well Yoda did, we hope.

Question wise…the creative direction you chose for your previous album Siberia was very brave & daring, risking the alienation of a big part of your fan base with a more ‘grungy’ & “dirty” sound compared to The Listening. On that note, based off early initial reactions, are there any misconceptions from your fans (or reviewers in general) regarding the creative direction of Little Machines that you would like to further clear up?

The continual evolution of both your music and self have been nothing short of inspiring. We look forward to watching you perform here in November :)

What is this, a picture for ants?

It needs to be at least 2x this size!!

LIGHTS, you are my favorite female musician and your music has really helped with my depression and anxiety. What were the influences that led you to being a musician and creating the image you have?

That is really amazing to hear, that's tough to go through. I've been in that place and it's not easy. Music pulled me through some of those hard times, especially around the time I was writing for The Listening.

It's those moments of reflection that create the skeleton of a song, looking in and figuring out what you need to say. When you can exorcise that out of your system for a time it's win win.

Hi Lights! Judging by your posts and pictures, it seems like you have an amazing relationship with your husband. What is your best relationship advice? Thanks! Can't wait to see you in Vancouver (again!)

Trust! Copious amounts of trust. You're untouchable if you have that mutual confidence in a relationship. And you should see your partner as an equal, so important. See you in Van!

Since you and Beau are huge fans of Starbucks, what is your "signature drink?" :)

grande sugar-free-caramel iced coffee with lots of milk... I always say "super pale please". Love my pale coffee.

Loving the new single! Question: have you ever felt star struck when meeting another musician or actor?

Thank you! And yes, I cried when I met Phil Collins. It was horrible.

Hey Lights! I am a huge fan, I've seen you 5 times in the last 3 years and actually have front row seats to your upcoming tour! You are such a huge inspiration to me personally both musically and as someone who fully accepts the person they are without fault. You are an incredible role model to young people everywhere about being true to yourself. My question is: What finally pushed you to take a chance in the music industry? How did you get started? I'm at a crossroads in my life right now where I have hundreds of songs written but I've never done anything with them publicly. If you could give me one piece of advice what would it be? Thanks for being awesome and I can't wait to see you live again!!

There is no textbook way to make it happen for yourself. When I was starting out it wasn't beyond me to think someone "influential" would walk by my house and hear me singing and BOOM I'd be famous. But that's not how it works out and I could never have predicted how it would work. What matters is that you're perfecting your craft, finding your place and slowly building what is ultimately YOUR art. I believe if you do that AND take all the opportunities that present themselves, no matter how weird they may seem (I met my manager at a walmart photo shoot!) then it will happen.

Lights,

Little Machines is a phenomenal album that really shows maturity, and even evolution, in your music. It was nice to sit down, relax, and really listen to the album. "Don't Go Home Without Me" is a track that stands out to me because it sounds so serene and sincere; one of my favourites from the album.

A theme that runs deep in your albums is about growing up, and the joys of childhood; like Pretend (The Listening), Running with the Boys (Little Machines). So, what is your favourite childhood memory?

Thank you,

Tim :)

This is a great question! I'm so happy you recognized the nostalgic sentiment of some of the songs, I definitely reached into my past while writing Little Machines for that innocence of imagination to remind myself how much I really enjoy music.

One of my favourite memories is actually documented in the first verse of Running with the Boys! We had a little imaginary forest town called "Scrawny Town" when we went to our family camp. I was vice president, the whole town was built around this tiny scrawny tree which we built a shrine around. We had a national anthem and even a latrine...(don't ask). Now if I were to go back it would just be a boring forest. Being a kid was so much more fun!

Hey Lights! Long time fan of yours. I always looked up to your ability to play different instruments so well.

These days I work for a music education non profit that teaches kids "modern band" instead of concert band, jazz band etc. This means guitar, keyboard, drums, etc. We also focus on under privileged inner city schools that have had their music programs cut.

What's your take on the current state of music education?

I don't know any kind of stats re: music programs getting cut, but I do know that it seems to be one of the first things that gets the boot when funding is low, which is extremely unfortunate. Music is so important for young people, it helps organize your thoughts and feels at a young age, it's cathartic, and potentially a path for many! Something so influential that is sometimes overlooked.

Are you a fan of anime? And if so what are some of your favorites?

Attack on Titan is a new favourite! Long time fan of Bleach and Full Metal.

After working with Kaskade and Swanky Tunes, do you see yourself working in the EDM scene with any other artists in the future?

Sure! If the right song and opportunity come, I'm there. It's all about loving what you're working on, regardless of genre. Might be something new in the works as we speak....

Lights! Where can I find nirnroot IRL?

All I can recommend is low lands.... swamps? lake edges?

With "day one" when was the decision to make it lyric-less and what's your personal feel/interpretation about it?

Day One was literally the recorded jam session from first day I sat down to collab with Holy Fuck. That helped determine the direction of the record, and in those moments we were so immersed in creation, it was a great 10 minutes.

Will Lance make another comeback?

Lance LIVES. Constant state of comeback, every time I toss him 5 fresh crickets.

Despite the obvious electronic influences in your music, what are some other, surprising musical influences for Little Machines and you in general?

^{Also, the new album is fabulous and probably a contender for my album of the year, keep up the good work!}

The Clash, RATM, Mars Volta, Drake, Kanye, lots ! There are such great musical moments I've had with these bands. Whatever can create a catalyst moment for inspiration I consider an influence on any project.

Hi Lights, What's your favorite song from Beau's band blessthefall? Just curious :D

Promised One's is in my head a lot. And 40 Days! And Open Water... ;)

Hi Lights! I absolutely LOVE Little Machines. Lyrically and musically the best work you have put out. It kinda just takes me somewhere. I know it was a bit of a struggle this time to write it. When you were completely blocked, what did it feel like when you finally got something to work?

Thank you!

Ironically some of the best stuff was written when I was blocked, I just didn't know it. For example, Muscle Memory (which seems to be a sleeper favourite now that I'm seeing people's reactions to the album) I hated when I first wrote it. I just wasn't feeling it. Later on when inspiration freed up and after my team yelled at me that it was a good song, I reworked it a bit and it's one of my favs. And that felt really good!

what about being in the earth ship helped you write songs?

The writing process for Little Machines involved needing a nice fresh environment, a change of scenery from the studio room I'd been writing in for a while and feeling pretty dry from. The earthship is a completely off the grid, carbon zero home, my recording rig was powered by solar! It was such a cool experience to be off the grid. The surroundings were otherworldly. There was a giant tarantula on my window. It was just where I needed to be to zero in on creativity and inspiration. If you haven't seen the blog, here it is! Such a cool trip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze8px9X0BQw

fun fact, Portal, Meteorites and Don't Go Home Without me were written there.

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That is an amazing story, you're very strong! Power to you in your journey, I know you'll have a great one.

I wrote Portal, which started as a poem, in a very frustrated, uninspired time. I felt like I lost my knack for writing, I was angry it wasn't coming easily, sort of like I was losing my purpose. It was sort of a cry for something sure during a time that I had a lot of questions.

My friends say they see you around town a lot, how do you feel when a fan recognizes you and comes to say Hi?

I feel SO COOL sunglasses emoji

seriously. Makes me feel like my music has had an effect somewhere, and that's a great feeling.

There are a lot of fresh 80's vibes on Little Machines. Were there any specific vintage synth artists that helped inspire the sound?

I'm always heavily inspired by new wave, from New Order to Human League, to Pet Shop Boys and Kate Bush. In terms of recent stuff, I was loving the vibes Com Truise and XXYYXX were putting out, with all that down tempo, lush synth stuff. Didn't hurt that we had access to Moog voyager/Juno-60/prophets for the recordings!

Was the "Up We Go" music video your idea?

My only initial idea was to do a one-take video that involved a lot of chaos. Alon, the director, just took that to ANOTHER level. Just slammed a whole lot of random scenarios into an elevator, now that was fun.

Hi LIGHTS! I have been listening to your music since 2008 I really adore your music and who you are! ♡ I love your cover of joga by Bjork. As a fan of bjork too, I wanted to know how has she influenced you and your music? Cant wait to see you live in NY! ♡ much love

Bjork DGAF! She doesn't feel she needs to fit her songs into any specific sound or format or length. There's something really creatively freeing about that, she's amazing.

Hey Lights, thanks for doing this AMA! My question is if you've felt songwriting process has changed since The Listening and Siberia? If so, how?

My writing style is generally the same, just improved upon (hopefully!) but one thing new on Little Machines was my experimentation with poetry. For a stretch I wrote a poem a night in attempt to free up my mind lyrically, and the first track on the album, Portal, is a direct result of that! Poetry to song.

Lights have you ever considered voice acing? If so who would you love to voice?

I would love to voice act someday! I actually voiced a cute character (the teacher) in a PSA a few years back, so fun! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScL6QNVDnTY

What is on the typical Light's dinner menu ?

SO MUCH CHEESE.

What is one of the biggest struggles you have overcome?

CHILDBIRTH

LIGHTS! Big fan here, my question for you is when you sing in the shower, do you often sing your own songs? Or songs from other artists?

I always feel awkward singing in the shower to my own songs, it's usually songs that are annoyingly stuck in my head and I fit random words I'm thinking at that moment into the melodies because I usually don't know the words.

Where is somewhere you haven't traveled yet but wish to?

Iceland!