|| The Sound Faction (dot com) ||

A few months ago I went to go see Protest the Hero, Chiodos, and From First to Last with Natty and Ed. The opening band was... a little odd, considering the rest of the music to be heard that night. Sweet, mellow synth-pop, performed by a girl named Lights. I loved her, and have wanted to talk to her properly since seeing her that first time. I was lucky enough to actually get the chance to!

So read on, and find out about how her Old Navy campaign started on MySpace, how attached she is to her listeners and... how we nerd out about World of Warcraft...

"The astronaut, is actually played by my dad. And I got him over to be in it, and it was really cute! I mean, you can't tell it's him in the video, but it was really exciting for me."
- Lights

So for our readers who don't know who you are, roll call! Who are you and what do you do?

I'm Lights, and I play keyboards and write synth-pop music.

What is it that got you interested, and started, in the music industry?

Well my dad has always been the musical one in my family, my mom, not so much, but I was home schooled as a child and one day out of every week my dad would take over and teach us, and that was the day we got to do music. So kind of from day one I was on keyboards, or in front of camera singing. Even when I was like two I was singing in front of a camera. And then when I was eleven I got my first guitar, and he taught me my first chord and then it all kind of blew up from there. I was like, I'm going to write a song! And it feels so empowering, and it's helped me vent, so from like, eleven on, I was writing.

So right from the beginning?

Totally, totally!

Not only have you been MySpace's featured artist, but some of your songs have been used in the new Old Navy commercials. How did that come about, and how has that effected your fan base?

It actually, it all started on MySpace! And MySpace is a great tool, especially if, you know, nowadays where you can create yourself, basically, and put yourself online the way you want people to see you. So that's why a few years ago I put up a MySpace, and you know, everything has just been building really slowly, from all the people that are on my team it started on MySpace, then I guess one of the Artistic Directors from Old Navy started listening to my stuff, bookmarked the page and stuff, and it influenced ideas for the new campaign. The he got a hold of me about a year later, and was like how they wanted to see me involved.

There was a bit of negotiation that went on because, uhm, I just wasn't sure, you know? Because it was a huge step for me. But I wanted it to be perfect, done exactly the right way, and then they said it was going to be this romance story, and there's going to be like, episodes, and it was just going to be really cute.

(Manda's note: To see these commercials, click Here, Here, Here, and Here.)

Okay, so I have to say it: You have the cutest style. It's like, 80's, new wave, intergalactic sort of thing.

Yeah!

It's so cute! How much of that is your personal style, and how much of it is kind of like a stage persona?

A lot of it is my personal style! Although, like... I love to wear dresses. I always have little dresses on. Although when I'm in the streets, I obviously don't wear as bright of colours, because then you catch everyones eye, and you just feel awkward. So I'll tone it down, obviously today I'm wearing pants (Manda's note: She really was.) but normally I'd wear skirts and dresses and stuff that's inspired by like, Barbarella. Actually, I just shot my first music video today and it's going to be coming out on Tuesday for Drive My Soul and it's very much that style. It's all kind of space setting and it's really awesome and I can't wait for it to be released.

Well, you say it's in a space setting and stuff, but what else can you tell us about your video?

Well, there is a special guest in it! There's an astronaut in the video, and basically, the concept of the video is, that I'm on this sort of retro, future earth, looking out to space with these crazy binoculars on, like I've gotta get to this purple planet that's out there. There's an astronaut there that I'm trying to get to, and I ultimately get to the astronaut by building a rocket and everything. The astronaut, is actually played by my dad. And I got him over to be in it, and it was really cute! I mean, you can't tell it's him in the video, but it was really exciting for me.

Especially considering what you said earlier about how he's the one that got you started in music.

Exactly! He drives my soul! That's so cheesy!

But it's so cute! And it's probably not far from the truth!

It's true. Very much so! He's a big inspiration.

So I have your EP. I love it, I got it actually when you were playing with Protest the Hero, Chiodos and From First to Last. When can we expect a full length album, and what other kinds of songs can we expect to hear on it?

Well I'll tell you this much, it's almost done, and the songs are like... I like them even better than what's on the EP. A couple of the songs that are on the EP are going to go on the full length one as well, because some people won't get the EP. It's going to be about a ten to twelve song album... it's like the EP, only one step deeper into everything from sound effects, to lyrics, to song structure, just everything is a bit more mature. And I'm really excited for it because I'm loving the songs, and I'm trying to stop myself from being overly excited because it's not coming out until next early summer. So I'm waiting for that, but the EP has yet to come out in the states.

Oh yeah?

Well, Tuesday. [Sept 23rd, 2008]

Oh! Awesome!

Yeah! Same day as the video.

That makes sense! *laughs* So, you're about to go on tour with Boys Like Girls, and Cute is What We Aim For-

Yes! Which is awesome!

What are you expecting from the crowds, and what's something that you're looking forward to?

Well I know- *laughs* It's a little more relaxing to know that it's going to be different from the Protest / Chiodos crowd for sure! So I know I don't have to worry so much about that. I was very nervous before the Protest show.

Which is funny, because I had a whole bunch of friends who went, and as soon as you were off stage we were all like "We... didn't catch the band name!"

I know! I kept forgetting to say it! I'm like "Crap!"

I passed by a whole bunch of my friends, because we were heading straight to the merch booth, because I'm like "Okay, I have to find out." and everyone was like "Yeah, if you find out, let us know because she was awesome."

Aw! That's so cool! Yeah, I was just kind of like... I found out I was doing some shows with Protest and Chiodos, and they're so great. The guys from Protest are amazing, and they're into my music, and obviously I love their music. And so I found out I was going to do it and at first I was excited and then after I was like "wait... what am I gonna do?" So I just thought , you know, after deliberating how I was going to present myself, I was just like, I'm just going to go out there, and do what I do, and if you like it you like it.

So when it comes to the Boys Like Girls and Cute is What We Aim For tour, I think it's going to be a little bit more the crowd that's used to my kind of music, and that's going to be one less stress off of me, one less thing that I have to worry about. But I think it's going to be a blast because apparently they're great live and I've never seen either of them live, so now I'm going to like, thirty times, you know? *laughs*

They're going to be great, It's right up my alley with the music, the crowds are going to be awesome and... I'm just really pumped. And it's going to be a campus tour as well, so that's going to be interesting.

What kind of message do you try to convey in your music?

I think one of the biggest things for me is to just maintain a positivity and just turning a negative situation into something you can benefit from. Like if I'm really sad... For example, Last Thing on Your Mind, I was in the worst place ever in my mind, I was sad, and I mean, I almost feel guilty taking credit for writing that song because at the time, all could write was sad things, and then I just felt like this voice was being like, if all you can sing about is sad things then sing about the last thing on your mind. And so that's what inspired the whole song and everything started flowing then, and I turned a really negative night into something really positive.

So I like it to be sad but hopeful, and pretty, and lush, and put you in another place.

I think anything that's sad, should at least have some form of hope in it.

Some form of hope, yeah! You don't need another thing to make you sad. There's so many sad things about the world!

With something like Last Thing on My Mind, it is one of your sadder songs, but at the same time, you can still hum along to it, and bob your head and smile through it.

Yeah, and you feel encouraged by it. That's exactly what it did for me and I almost feel guilty every time I listen to it because I'm like, this is mine! I wrote it to make myself feel better. It's like my own lullaby.

Music has impacted so many people, how has it impacted you?

In what way?

Just in general, like in your life.

Probably in every way. Music is... it's such a common phrase, but music is the soundtrack of life and there's certain music to suit different moments and I have some of my favourite artists that I love to listen to that don't influence my music so much like Rage Against the Machine for example, not really a whole lot of that in my music. And then there's people like Imogen Heap or Bjork who directly influence my music, but I love to listen to them too.

It makes the soundtrack to my day and it obviously inspired my career, so it pretty much effects every aspect of my life.

And it's kind of on the same note, but, music obviously means something to everyone, like you said, it's the soundtrack to your life. so what does being able to make music that so many people listen to, mean to you?

It means a lot. I sit on MySpace, and I'm in contact with a lot of my listeners on MySpace, I mean, I just think it's great, and they're the reason I have my career. I go on there, and see what people have to say about it and how it's encouraged them, or people will send me stories about how it brought them and their friends together or something and it's the reason I'm doing it. And honestly, every-time I read a message like that I'm just like...yeah! It's like getting a little high, and it's awesome! And I wanna write more! Then you write more! It's a vicious cycle!

Not so much vicious!

Yeah! Probably the best kind of cycle *laughs*

So obviously you have your EP coming out in the states, and your full length coming out soon, but in the long run, how do you feel about how everything is going for you?

It's so great. And there's so many more things- I actually just released my bio, which is in comic book form and I spent a couple weeks drawing, like illustrating the whole thing, I was going to bring one today, but I just got them a couple days ago. It looks so good, and that's leading up to a graphic novel that'll be released sometime.

You've gotta let me know when I can get one, because I'm a huge comic book fan-

I'm the hugest comic book fan!

...I don't know, I think you may have some competition. I know me and Ed are pretty big...

Did you go to Fan Expo?

I wanted to!

It was so good! I went there, and I went by myself, and someone was like, hey... are you Lights? And I was like, Yeah. And they're like, are you here by yourself? I was like, Uhmmm....No... my friend...

My friends one of the Storm Troopers!

Totally! He was here, now he's gone.

You have to let us know when we can get it!

Definitely, definitely, it's going to be fun. It's going to be sold as a merch item, my comic book bio, so I don't know how much it's going to be, but it's going to be a cheap little purchase.

I have to get one, that's all *laughs*

I spent a lot of time on it, and it's kinda like this true... fiction... It's all true, but it's in a fiction form. Like space, told like space. And there's all these little nuonce connections between all my different media. Like the rocketship I have in the comic book is the same one that's in my music video. And the monsters that represent my band members are in the other video I just finished which is for Ice, but that's not coming out for a little while.

Ah. *laughs* So... us at The Sound Faction are really random and we try to end each interview with five random questions to try to make people laugh or smile and all that so... here we go!

Okay!

What's your favourite midnight snack?

Grapes.

Leg Warmers: Functional piece of clothing, or bad fad?

It depends what you're wearing! And it depends on how fluffy they are! If they're like really fluffy, it's bad, but if they're small, it's doable.

If you could have any Non-Standard superpower, what would it be?

It would be teleporting. You know, I've liked teleporting forever, and then all of a sudden Jumper came out, and I was like, grr, stole my power! But I would totally teleport!

If you could be any fictional character for a day, who would you be and why?

Wonder Woman! Cause she's awesome! She represents everything amazing! Love, and peace, and strength, and hope, and she's beautiful and being able to fight evil and staying beautiful while you do it! And she has this crazy tiara which inspired my headband and she can cut people's heads of with it! ...*motions to her headband* This one can't but... *laughs*

It'd be awesome if it could though!

Oh totally! Like ninja stars? Totally epic.

If you could be the champion of anything, what would it be? And, if you say the world, we'll have to die laughing, just so you know.

*laughs* Okay, if I could be the champion of anything, it would have to be... probably Arena in World of Warcraft.

That's awesome. I have to say it, I love you, you're as big of a nerd as me and that's hard to find! I love WoW!

WoW is the best!! I just bought a WoW action figure today! Uh... The Human Warrior guy. I forget what his name it. But yeah, Human Warrior, that's what my character is.

I always end up a Night Elf.

Oh yeah? Night Elf, is that your main?

It is, yeah. Rogue Night Elf.

I tried so many different ones, but the Human Warrior is so good!

I know! I tried going over to the Horde a couple of times just to see.

I know! Me too!

I can't do it!

I tried it, and tried it and I got to like, level 7 and I was like...noo... I have to go back to Alli!

I know! I tried... I got to a level 6 Undead-

I totally did too! I got to like a 14 Undead and I was like, I feel so ugly!

The only really cool thing is that they kind of mosh, when you want them to dance?

True! They kind of like, mob around and it's so good!

That's fun! But then I was like... I can't do this anymore!

I know! So you're totally Alliance?

I am.

Awesome! *highfive* Alliance for the win!

Thank you so much for talking with us! And this is shameless self promotion time! If there's anything you want to say or talk about that we haven't already covered, now is the time to mention it!

I was featured in a new movie called One Week that's coming out starring Joshua Jackson and I'm kind of singing all the way through it and you don't really find out til the very very very end, at the end end end of the credits, but if you know it from behind the scenes, you'll recognize my voice!

Thank you so much for talking with us!

Thank you!

Thanks again to Lights for being awesome enough to talk with us, and if you want to check out her music, you can find her MySpace here! Also, check out her YouTube account for videos and blogs. You can find it here.