The petite synth pop songstress LIGHTS is coming through SOMA on Nov. 4th in support of her sophomore release "Siberia". Moving into a new realm of dub step with sparse and heavy beats, with a little more grit than her previous releases. LIGHTS jumped on the scene back in 2008 as a Canadian local hero, garnering best new artist at the Junos (Canadian equivalent to the Grammys) and heading out on international tours while she was still in her late teens. Her twinkly electro pop was first heard on Old Navy commercials and national successful following soonafter with her full length release of The Listening on Universal.
LIGHTS may look like your average Myspace-era bedroom artist, but the girl knows how to craft a good pop song. No stranger to auto tuning, her songs evoke imagery of aliens, outer space and anime. Her first release was packed with feel-good anthems, like "Face Up" and "Pretend". They were odes to growing up, missing childhood, and believing in yourself. Her sugary vocals and optimistic lyricism, however, seemed to conflict with her increasingly oversexed image, with no shortage of publicity photos to choose from. Her hair often strategically tousled to one side concealing half her face, doe-eyed and almost cartoonish. Now however, similarly to most young stars (Miley Cyrus) LIGHTS image has caught up with her sound- with Siberia perhaps her most daring and dark pop music to date. Songs like "Everybody Break a Glass" featuring Canadian hip hop artist, Shad and her collaborative producers behind the scenes- Holy F*** really show her evolving aesthetic.
This has proven successful for LIGHTS, with over half a million Facebook fans, the artist has garnered a cult-like following. This is also due in part to her online connection to her fans, known for consistent blogging about things that are "super cute" or totally "nerdy" she speaks to a demographic of young people who can't get enough of her sweetened vocal melodies and tattoo covered arms. Maybe her reinvention is a necessary move. You can't have light without a little dark.
Nada Alic runs the San Diego-based music blog Friends With Both Arms.Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly.
