Canadian artist, LIGHTS, is fast becoming a tour de force on the music scene. Yet she’s not just gifted musically. LIGHTS is an avid World of Warcraft player, sporting a level 80 Draenei Death Knight. Find out more about LIGHTS, her music and her WoW passion below.
Please introduce yourself and tell readers a bit.
My name is LIGHTS, and I make electro pop music.
You are, according to PR, an avid WoW player. Tell us about that.
It is true, I do find myself escaping to WoW more than every now and then. It’s a great way to find your head in someone else’s body for a little while, with a different skill set, abilities, professions, rank, rep, everything. When your job and your hobbies and who you are as a person all become one thing, it’s impossible to take a day off. WoW is a mental getaway I think.
Describe your main character.
My main is an 80 Draenei Death Knight, she likes raiding and long walks on the Stranglethorn shores at sunset. For the most part she’s a peacekeeper, won’t generally attack a non-threatening Horde, unless in a BG or he asks for it. She is a herbalist and in her spare time, enjoys “scribbles” (inscription) which is the closest thing to comics in WoW professions I suppose.
Alliance or Horde and why?
I’m Ally, mainly because they seemed like the more positive of the bunch. Most of the Horde characters are kind of beastly, except for Blood Elves. I figured if I wanted to play with grace, might as well avoid the troll/cow/zombie route.
What’s your favorite in game activity?
I like raiding with friends (or strangers?) and going for achievements. Next on my list is Haris Pilton’s Gigantique Sack.
Do you roleplay?
In real life, no. Are we talking LARPing here? Because I’d really like to, to be honest. I just don’t know anyone else that would be into it! If you’re talking about being in an RP realm, no. I would get frustrated watching my character walk at a nice easy saunter through Elwynn Forest, just taking in the scene.
Have you played any other MMOs? If so, which ones?
I’ve tried my hand at Aion and Champions Online, but not enough to really get a good grip of it. So far WoW is the main game.
You have been creating your own music since you were 14. Has WoW influenced your music at all?
Track 11 off of my record is called “Lions!” (ed note: Listen to a snip of “Lions” HERE.). It’s for the most part about being unafraid in scary situations, but I channeled my WoW characters for lyric ideas. The first line of the chorus “Lions make you brave” sounds like “Alliance make you brave” if you tweak your ear! There are a ton of other references in there too that you’ll recognize if you’re a player.
You have been a very successful artist in Canada, your home country. Tell us about your music.
I put a strong focus on making sure there is a good song at the core of it all–something that can be stripped down just to vocals and guitar or piano and still hold its own. Once that is established I drape it with electronic beats and synths. It brings a really modern dynamic to what would otherwise (hopefully) be a pretty classic song.
What other artists do you listen to and how much of an influence are they on your work?
I’m a long time fan of Bjork, not only because she has amazing lyrics, but also because she’s the whole package–a strong female who clearly makes the decisions about production, music, image, everything. I’m inspired musically by artists that use strong melody and creative production, like Depeche Mode, Cyndi Lauper, M83 and Animal Collective.
Have you ever given any thought to producing music for a video game?
I would have a total blast making video game music. It’s one step further into creating a get-away type of experience which I like to do with my music anyway. The dynamics and the story being told without lyrics seems like it would be a great kind of challenge, and I’d get to boost my uber-epic production ambitions ten fold.
What type of video game might spark your creativity?
I’m a huge fan of fantasy games, just because it’s an ‘anything-goes’ environment. One of the worst things as a song-writer is feeling trapped by the laws of logic, or the “rules of songwriting”. With my head in a place where orcs fight elves and islands float in the air, and weapons come to life, pretty much no rules apply. It’s very liberating creatively.
Pirates or ninjas? Why?
Pirates are loud and ungraceful, and only win anything based purely on mob size, not really skill or expertise. Ninjas pride themselves in being able to take on a whole army without aggroing everyone. Instead they pick them off one by one, and no one even notices. It’s all about precision and agility, not brute strength. Which one sounds more appealing?
Links? We’d love ’em!
My website: http://www.iamlights.com
My WoW char: http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Korgath&n=Lightsalot
Published: Oct 23, 2009 03:25 pm