In the current chaos of the music industry, it’s difficult to know exactly where musicians can stand. 

Before download culture (and then streaming) took over, it was easy to follow a clear path from album sales to general renown, because there was popular visibility – i.e., MTV (in the 1990s/2000s) was probably playing an endless rotation of music videos of bands you could go into a local store and buy a CD of. Now, everything is splintered and specific subgenres and communities give ride-or-die life to bands that most of the population will never hear of. Album sales have given way to GoFundMe pages, unique or one-off merch, VIP meet and greets, and more. On top of this, the recent explosion of sexual assault accusations toward bands has given anyone who wants to be a progressive consumer of art a keen sense of dysphoria about the whole industry. It’s hard to find a talented, passionate, and wholesome musician, but if you’re looking for one, Lights is probably your woman.

Metrics are one thing, but respect and adoration are another, and Lights has both. The Canadian electro-pop musician, who just scored pop album of the year at the Junos, is finishing up her “We Were Here” tour, the first headlining tour in support of her cross-platform epoch Skin & Earth, and that respect and adoration for her has never been stronger.