An Interview With Well Known EDM Singer-Songwriter, BRIGHT LIGHTS On Her First Solo Record and More!

Bright Lights has penned tracks for Britney Spears‘ “Femme Fatale”, Far East Movement‘s “Free Wired”, Fantasia‘s Grammy-nominated “Back To Me”, and Justin Bieber’s “My World 2.0″ (“Somebody To Love”).

Her powerful voice and beautiful compositions makes her one of the most sought after singers in all of dance music. She is responsible for several #1 hits including “Language” w/ Porter Robinson, “Never Say Goodbye” w/ Hardwell, and “How You Love Me” w/ 3LAU just to name a few.

After lending her vocals to a number of EDM hits for the likes of Benny Benassi, Dash Berlin and Zedd, it was only natural for highly talented singer-songwrter BRIGHT LIGHTS to step into her own light.

She’s recently released her debut single as a solo artist, “Runaway” featuring 3LAU, through Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records. BRIGHT LIGHTS will tour the country this fall and her debut album is due out in early 2016.

Enjoy the following All Access interview with Bright Lights here:

Thanks for your time! How was your summer and how’s the fall shaping up to be for you?

My summer was a lot of fun with some big festival dates and new song releases. This fall is GO time. I just released my first single, in anticipation of the first Bright Lights album, so there’s a lot of work to do and new trails to blaze.

How did you first come up with your artist name?

Bright Lights is the name of a screenplay I wrote a few years ago and is the foundation of this project. All the music is based on a story.

You’ve written music for a ton of artists. So, why now did you decide to branch out and work on a solo record?

The decision to branch out and work on a solo record has essentially been the plan all along. I’m an artist at heart and a very visual person so I needed to do more than just songwriting to feel fulfilled. A year ago, the goal was to be working on the Bright Lights brand full time and here we are finally. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tequila to get here, but I’ve never been so happy or had so much fun! The stage is my favorite place to be. It’s where I feel the most alive and the most comfortable. Songwriting is something I will always do, but it’s a very small piece of who I am.

How do you approach writing songs for other people as opposed to writing your own material?

I don’t do much writing for other artists anymore, but it is a different approach. Writing for other artists professionally became a bit too cerebral for me. I would wake up everyday thinking, “I wonder what Rihanna wants to talk about or what Justin Bieber is going through right now.” And the truth is, I can’t write that way or even live my life that way. When I write for myself I don’t think about anything… I’m literally freestyling and whatever comes out is what it is.

The magic of a song comes from your heart, not your head. And as a professional songwriter, I was writing 5-8 songs a week. With that much output and that kind of pressure, I often had trouble writing from my heart. So now, as an artist, if I don’t feel like writing, I don’t have to. I work on my album cover, or a music video or work on a new production for my live set. My creativity is a lot more balanced. But when I am inspired, the songs essentially write themselves.

You’ve written for Britney Spears, The Wanted, Usher, Justin Bieber and others. What’s been a favorite collaboration of yours?

I will always have fond memories about “Somebody To Love,” the song I wrote for Usher and Justin Bieber with The Stereotypes. I smile every time it comes on.

You recently put out your debut single, “Runaway” featuring 3LAU. What was the inspiration for that song?

Runaway is essentially about anyone who runs away from a good thing out of fear. I don’t think fear and love can really co-exist.

When do you hope to release your debut studio album? What’s the process been like for you putting together an album?

The studio album will be released some time next year. This is the first album I’ve made. It’s the most work I’ve ever done but it’s also the most fun I’ve ever had. The album overall is very fun and upbeat with an emotional, raw edge to it. It’s the most honest I’ve ever been musically.

How will the songs on your first collection be similar and/or different to “Runaway”?

The one thing that will always remain true to my music is the pop and soul of it all. That will never go away. This first Bright Lights album in particular is a pop project that’s rooted in dance. So you’ll hear sprinklings of my favorite influences… trap (which was used in “Runaway”), deep house, chillwave, tropical house, progressive, electro, and a full spectrum of dance. The glue to it all is the pop/soul vocals and the catchy hooks.

You’ve sung on tracks with Benny Benassi, Dash Berlin and Zedd before. What were some of the highlights?

I love them all in their own unique way. When you make a song with someone, you are connected to that person for life. So my little heart always swells when I hear their names, or see them doing well. And to now have Hardwell and Dannic supporting my debut single and to have 3LAU involved means more than I can put into words.

How’s your segment, “60 Seconds With Bright Lights” going? Have you gotten any really wild and unexpected questions?

The series is doing great! I’ve been getting a ton of messages and questions. I like the questions that bring out my personality or show a different side of me. Someone asked “what’s your favorite cereal?” And I thought, what a simple question, but it’s something fun that most people wouldn’t know. Someone else asked if I was a porn star! (Laughter)

I’m in love with your bright purple hair! When and why did you first start coloring it? Why purple?

Why thank you! Years ago, when I was designing my character (her name is Mona), I wanted to give her a few superpowers and an odd hair color that would go on to become the brand’s signature color. I decided on purple because my eyes are green and purple is on the opposite end of the color spectrum, so it was a great match aesthetically.

How excited are you to be touring soon? What can fans expects from one of your shows?

The stage is definitely my favorite place to be. My shows are very unique. Bright Lights Live is something you just have to see to believe. I’m singing live, dancing, DJing and I have plans to play live instruments on this next tour as well. People may love my music initially, but it’s not until they see the live show that I make fans for life. I put everything I have into these performances. I also play more underground DJ sets from time to time, where I show up having no idea what I’m going to play and I just vibe off the crowd. That’s when I really love DJing.

What do you hope fans take away from your music? Do you think there is a message in your songs?

There’s a message behind most things I do. Bright Lights is all about positivity, good energy, and seeing the bright side of things. My perspectives are usually pretty unique and sometimes kinda “out there.” So I love showing people a different way of looking at the same tough situation.

The most amazing thing is connecting with fans who say my music changed their life or helped them through of a bad situation. One guy told me after a show that my song saved his marriage. It brought tears to my eyes because the whole reason I’m doing any of this is to help people.