These are exciting times for Lights.
The multi Juno award-winning singer-songwriter wowed fans with the simultaneous release of her Skin & Earth album and comic book. The latter was so well-received, Entertainment One is moving forward with a “Skin & Earth” television show.
“We’ve locked in our producer and we’re hunting down a writer,” Lights exclusively told ET Canada. “I will be an executive producer and consultant for key creative elements and obviously keep creating storyline characters for the comic book and hope I can get as much of that into the show as possible.”
If crafting a comic book was new territory for the Ontario native, 31, TV is the new frontier. “Making the comic it was just me. I was just sitting there for a year, working on this thing all by myself,” she said.
“Now, there are more people involved and a lot more creative input. It is definitely exciting and nerve-wracking in a few ways,” Lights continued. “But I know with ‘The Walking Dead’ for example, two of the most popular characters weren’t actually in the original source material. So the idea that there will be probably new characters is pretty exciting.”
RELATED: Lights Forced To Take Down Covers Of New Drake Album
“It is challenging to think that it will be changed a bit,” she admitted. Letting others in on her creative vision, however, is the cost of making something great. “You can’t hold anything too dear that you wouldn’t allow it to reach a bigger audience. I think that is the whole point of why we do entertainment, it’s why we create things to help people escape. It’s all there for a reason.”
Lights also acknowledged her rare position as a musician embraced by the comic book community. Hollywood has made a significant presence at tentpole events like San Diego Comic-Con over the years with their major movie and television properties, but Lights is something of a rare breed.
“There is not a lot of crossover in terms of music and the comic world. That’s part of the thing that drove me to create the comic because I love both of these worlds,” she told ET Canada. “I think they should crossover a lot more.”
Earlier this summer, Lights slaved away on an album cover dedicated to side B of Drake’s massive “Scorpion” project. Several weeks ago, she was forced to take it down.
“We jumped through a bunch of hoops and did everything right, but when you’re dealing with these ‘higher-ups’ you never know,” Lights told her fans on Aug. 14 via Instagram. “Sorry to say I have to take down the drake covers from streaming platforms.”
Addressing the elephant in the room, Lights explained what happened before and after the Drake cover album hit streaming platforms: “I put it up on SoundCloud and people reacted so well to it and so we’re like ‘let’s see if we can get this on streaming platforms so more people can reach it.’ The reality is, I’m not making any money on that.”
Shortly after, someone from Drizzy’s label or party rescinded the approval. “They reached out and said ‘hey, we gotta take that down.’ We got all the clearances and what we needed, but the reality with a camp that size and an artist that big, you never know what makes them want to take something down,” she said. “It’s not illegal to post covers.”
“Essentially, you only need publishing clearance to release a cover, which we had,” continued Lights. “It is what it is. The reality is lots of people heard it and I released the files. It’s just a little harder to find it now.”
RELATED: Lights Says Drake’s ‘Scorpion’ Was ‘Made For Me To Cover’
Do not think that means Lights holds any negativity towards Drake or any parties involved. Lights has been covering Drake’s work for years, stemming from her appreciation for his music and her compulsion to explore his creative process: “It was just fun to do. I still love Drake and I don’t think he even knows [the cover album was removed.]”
Among her upcoming performances, Lights is set to take centre stage at Rifflandia Music Festival in Victoria in September. Lights expressed her excitement over the upcoming gig and broke down the differences between playing for festival crowds versus headlining her own concerts.
“It’s exciting because you get the opportunity to play in front of new people,” she shared with enthusiasm. “I always look forward to that and I try to make a set that grabs you without you having to really know the music. I’m going to do a set full of bangers and try to get people going and drawn into my set. It’s a chance to win new people over.”
“Also, it’s an opportunity to play in the element. I love if there is rain or sun or whatever, you never get that variable in a club show,” she reminisced. “There is something so powerful about that natural dynamic with the festival experience. Some of the most memorable moments for me onstage have been outdoors.”
Lights will take to the main stage of Rifflandia on Sept. 16. Other performances that weekend include Daniel Caesar, Jessie Reyez, SonReal and Adventure Club.
