Exclusive Interview: Lights Talks Writing, Her Baby & New Video ‘Up We Go’

In case you missed it, one of our Buzznet favorites has released a new video and we got an exclusive interview to go along with it!

Lights has released a new video for her song “Up We Go”…

The song is SO catchy and the video makes me want to ride in an elevator more.

What was your main inspiration behind the concept of your video?

The initial idea I had was to do something in one take that involved a lot of chaos. I felt that would be a good representation of the daily battles of life and how we kind of just power through it and keep looking forward, which is what the song touches on. I let the director take it from there. Alon took a basic idea and brought it to life, almost to the point that I thought it would be almost impossible to pull off. But we did it!

What was it like working with Mike Stent?

Spike Stent mixed a few of the tracks off Little Machines (including “Up We Go”) from his studio in London actually, so unlike our first time working together on The Listening when we were able to pow wow in person, the collaboration happened from quite a distance. He is such a talent, he brought a life to the songs that I wouldn’t have even pictured when I was creating them. Some of his changes took me aback at first because I’d been so close to the songs for so long, but after a couple listens it was hard to imagine them any other way. That’s how you know you’ve got the right mix!

Was it challenging having to go back and forth from LA to BC to record?

The only reason we didn’t complete the album in LA, where the producer Drew Pearson is based, was because I wanted to have my baby in Canada and when we were three weeks away from the due date we moved the sessions up north. So other than the fact that it was physically hard to maneuver around at that point, the change of scenery was actually nice. It ended up working out great being in Vancouver because it took us a little longer than originally planned to finish, and I was able to get back in the studio three days after giving birth to finish the record.

In your video there are so many crazy things going on around you, was it hard to keep a straight face while filming?

Aside from knowing the general activities and stories, I had no idea what was going on behind me. All of the set changes, choreography, and comings and goings happened behind my back so it was actually pretty easy to keep a straight face. All I could see were the cameras. What was challenging was making sure I was nailing a captivating performance every time so that when the moment came that every single thing went as planned, we’d have a good take.

In the video, there are a many characters coming in and out. Did any of these have any particular meanings?

Most of the scenarios were invented by the mind of our killer director, Alon Isocianu. Some were references pulled from moments we loved out of movies or other videos, e.g. Wes Anderson was a big influence and there are even some sci-fi moments. The point was just to have a lot of varying and entertaining little situations to make what is ultimately a lifeless set seem super entertaining.

Was it awkward trying to film the scenes with the couple?

The couple was totally not awkward at all. They are engaged to be married in real life so they had no problem getting right in there. Between takes we all just sat around and laughed.

What part was it hard not to laugh at?

When I was standing between the two wrestlers it was hard for me to maintain seriousness for the first little while. They were really nice dudes and the scenario was just so dorky, two big guys getting in a scrap over something one sees on his little phone. Also, when the shirt hit me in the head I was just praying my hair wasn’t messed for the rest of the take.

What was your favorite part to film?

I loved when the band came in with me for the choruses, it felt like a natural performance and was a lot of fun. Also loved the party scene with the twenty fans we invited out. They were such troopers and the moment had so much energy.

Which part was the most difficult?

The most difficult part was the fact that I had to sing the song over and over again! Just lip syncing while filming is never convincing so to get a natural appearance you need to actually sing along. The song is at the top of my range all the way through so my voice was really tired afterwards.

At the end of the video you break “forth wall” which is something that hasn’t been done before, what made you decide to do that?

This was another of Alon’s ideas, which turned out spectacularly because there is actually so much more going on behind the scenes than the video lets on. When the camera pulls back and you realize it isn’t actually a real elevator, you kind of get a glimpse of how many moving parts and how much work was involved in pulling a video like this off.

Besides this great track, what else can we look forward to when your album is released?

Aside from the Little Machines Tour this fall, we have so many goodies to release over the next little while, including in-studio videos of making the album, more music videos, bonus tracks and other goodness.

Lights Fall 2014 US Tour Dates:

10/24 Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall

10/25 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club

10/29 New York, NY – Irving Plaza

10/31 Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony

11/01 Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live!

11/02 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts

11/04 Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall

11/05 Chicago, IL – House of Blues

11/07 Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall

11/08 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex

11/11 Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre

11/13 San Francisco, CA – Grand Ballroom at Regency Center

11/14 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater

11/15 Seattle, WA – Showbox At The Market

What are your thoughts on Lights and her new video!?