Diandra Interviews Lights: How A Woman’s Wisdom Shines Her Musical Soul

It is lovely to see a talented person be so humble and warm. Lights embodies her name, as she is bursting with energy and wisdom. Interviewing her felt like a conversation with an old friend. She is instantly open and kind. Her sweet demeanor and vast intelligence helped me understand why she has and will have a long music career: she is light.

Diandra: When looking at your near 10 year career as a musician, one can see that you are like multiple artists living in one. You have done so many genres and image changes. I have to ask as a visionary person, how do you clear your mind to target yourself creatively?
Lights: I guess I don’t let myself be ruled by having to live under a certain brand, style, or genre, or route of creativity. You should be able to exercise all your creativity like, today, I am making art. So, I guess it’s about making sure that all parts of you get to see the daylight.

Diandra: Do you think because you started so young, 15, that has given you self- permission to explore?
Lights: Yeah, I think so. My music has definitely evolved. I mean my passion and my goals have been the same but, obviously, my music matures as I do. Like lyrically, I’m not making the same choices I did six years ago. I think starting young totally made me feel empowered. Unlike some stories, I’ve had a lot of control over my career from a young age. I started writing and introducing myself to the music world at age 13, which was long before I had a label or management. So I had a pretty good idea of who I was before I got signed, which helped me to follow my own path and have no boundaries. And that is how it should be as an artist.

Diandra: It seems like you have been very lucky because you hear all the time of artists’ struggling with their image and voice. I had read that your parents always raised you to believe you were the best and could do anything you dreamed. Do you think that encouragement has helped you persevere as an artist?
Lights: 100 %! I think that people are so guided by fear of what they aren’t that they make decisions to be people they weren’t or never should be. We should be guided by the things we believe in, we love, and feel proud of. Growing up, I thought I was the best songwriter by age 12, and then somebody told me I was not and I fought him (she laughs). I had to learn how to take others’ input and allow them to advise me. That took me years to understand and accept, but it made me wiser.
Diandra: Wow! That is wisdom!
Lights: (laughs.)

 Diandra: Well, your parents were missionaries, and from a young age you were traveling the world. Do you think having that spiritual/ religious background helped you bring ‘otherworldliness’ to your music?
Lights: Yeah! It’s hard to say how it affected my perspective because I did not know any other way. But I definitely knew I had, from a younger age, a better understanding of what was happening beyond my country (Canada) and my town than most people. And that became really important in what I got involved in once I had a platform to work from. I’m involved in World Vision and Music Counts. There is a lot of stuff music can do, and having lived in a third world country it means a lot more.

Diandra: Do you think having such a rich history helps you conquer self-doubt? I say this because I know that you went through a bit of writer’s block while doing your new album, Midnight Machines. So I want to know if those experiences help you to push forward through periods of complete self-doubt?
Lights: Well, I think in periods of complete doubt there is nothing that can push you forward. I think it’s something you just have to wander through. There is no resolution that can make you feel better, and I was just advising a friend on this and telling them, “You have to just walk through it until you get out of it.” Still, you have to remind yourself that you never lose your talent and you never lose the power you have developed through your life.

I think seeing the world, and being a pop musician, you realize that it all really does not matter in the big picture. It may matter to a few people, but, at the end of the day, you are just a musician, and when I think of that it relieves the pressure. Whether the pressure is real or delusions of what you should be producing, ultimately, just do what you love and be happy. That is what matters in life.

Diandra: Well, I know that you are a video-gamer and into fantasy, and I noticed that when you speak about music you describe it as a channel of energy. So, let us fantasize that the Angel of Music came to you. What would you tell it?
Lights: Hmmmm…. This is the fist time I have been asked this question, and it is awesome. Hmmmmm….. I would say, “Get into my body right now!” (we laugh) I am always searching for that energy, and I believe it is floating around us all the time. I believe it’s about picking it from the sky and trying to catch that spirit of creativity. So, if it was right in front me, I would probably just take it and put [that energy] right inside me (she laughs).

Diandra: Oh my god! I think I would say, “Thanks, for everything!”, and faint from awe.
We laugh.
Lights: No, I would be like, “You are mine. Get over here!”.
Diandra: Brilliant!

Diandra: You are also an advocate for women’s empowerment in music. Have you seen a lot of changes through your years in the industry? Especially, because you started so young and now you are a seasoned professional with your own family. So, has that changed things?
Lights: I think over the years the perception of women in the industry is “equaling” out. Whether it is because I am older now and take more ownership over what I do or if it is because the temperature is changing towards women in the industry, I don’t know. I just want to show young women and people, in general, that as long as you keep steadfast on your vision and work and not let anybody tell you that you are not good enough, the stigmas will change. Down the road, there will be more women getting into the industry, so just be an example of somebody that is doing this because they love it, and nobody can hold you back.

I am always talking to women that want to be in production and lighting and I tell them, ‘Then why don’t you do it?!” They say. “Oh, there are no other women that want to do it,” to which I say, “Why is that stopping you?” I think the problem is we do no have enough role models from the past. There are only a handful of female producers that even exist and are recognized, So, for me, I think the best way to go about this is to be the best musician I can be, whether or not I am a woman, and hope that other women are inspired by that.

Diandra: Your new album, Midnight Machines, is kind of like a “re-version” of your last album Little Machines, because you re-made its songs with new acoustic arrangements. I am wondering how you make something “old” to you feel new and fresh for both yourself and the audience?
Lights: That is a good question.  I think that is the power of just being able to play spontaneously by yourself. It never gets old, and you lose yourself in your instruments. When I play my guitar or piano, I could zone out. For me, it was about figuring out a way to play these songs without me having to think about them, They would just roll out of me. It is more about heart than thought.

Diandra: Like I said, I know you are a video- gamer and into comic books. So, I want to know what would be your superhero name, power, and cliché plotline. I’ll give you an example. I would be Anti-Cellulitis, and my power would be to assure no calorie counts.
Lights: (laughing) AWESOME!
Diandra: My plotline would be that my best friend/crush does not know that I am Anti-Cellulitis because I have thick glasses. Your turn!
Lights: Wow, Actually, when my first album came out, I did a short mini-series with Marvel called Captain Lights. She’s an audiophile that travels the universe picking up sound and music and becomes this ultrasonic music hero. She goes across the universe to keep music alive. In metaphorical terms, that would be what I want, but, in practical terms, I would be Terrific Transporter Girl, and I would teleport across great distances in a matter of seconds. My tagline would be, “Travels Economically!”
Diandra: I think I might edit that tagline out because Jetblue might steal it.
Lights: (laughing) I would never have to pay for a plane ticket again and it would be wonderful and I would say, ‘ Just played Germany.! See you in five minutes, Japan!”. My cliché plotline would be that I am a really poor girl that does not have the money to be a musician and then realizes her superpower and tours the world for free.
Diandra: Please Call Marvel Again!

Lights is an absolute pleasure in both song and presence. Her newest album, Midnight Machines, soars acoustically into every listening heart. I am very happy to see a great person succeed. There should be more stories like that in the world. Check Out Here Official Website  And Buy Midnight Machines Here.