.gay Music Monday Feature: Bright Light Bright Light
On this edition of our .gay Music Monday Feature, we interview singer-songwriter and .gay All-Star Bright Light Bright Light.
The Welsh artist, who has worked with Elton John, Cher, Erasure, Scissor Sisters & more, just dropped his latest single, "Sweet Release," last week.
Read more about the inspiration behind the optimistic and empowering track in our chat below.
What first inspired you to start playing and making music?
Happenstance maybe? As an only child, I grew up in the middle of nowhere, so I filled a lot of the quiet with music. My parents would play a "greatest hits of 1985" cassette over and over in the car or a Beatles compilation, and I loved listening to the radio to hear all the voices and lives of people, unlike me. I think I just assumed that everybody sang and made music - Wales is also a famously very musical country, so lots of people sang in choirs and such in school - so it wasn't really a conscious choice, I just ... did!
What are the parts of creating music that you like most?
I think the collaboration, in the writing process, mostly. When you work with someone you click with, it opens your mind and your brain works on levels it never would alone. I find that so fascinating and so exciting.
How would you describe the music that you make for someone who has never heard it?
A delicious mix of camp and heartbreak that, more often than not, you can dance to.
Why do you think it’s important to be out and proud in the music industry?
Because when I was a child, I saw nobody like me in the music industry. I don't mean just "a gay person", nobody LIKE ME. In the late 80s and 90s there were plenty of stereotypes, and one or two actual celebrated LGBTQ+ artists like Elton John or RuPaul or Boy George, but nobody that looked and felt like the person I was growing up in a rural Welsh valley. I think it's incredible that now, people all over the world have LGBTQ+ reference points of people who they can visually or culturally relate to, not just a few superstars who somehow escapes the crossfire of very conservative era censorship. Hearing voices, seeing people of all walks of life talk about being LGBTQ+ gives youth hope that they too can be respected, can love themself for who they are, and can succeed without hiding themselves in a vessel that doesn't represent them.
As an LGBTQ+ artist, what do you want to convey with your songs?
Humanity, compassion, hilarity, emotion, ridicule. I want people to get a sense of the things that make me laugh, cry, dance... between my stage shows, music videos and social media, I think I'm fairly transparent and I want to create a world where people feel inspired to be themselves, laugh at themselves, and with their communities at the better things in life.
We are so excited for new BLBL tunes. Tell us about your latest release!
It's called 'Sweet Release' and it's about someone helping you flick the switch in your brain changing you from feeling stuck or defeated to feeling like anything is possible. It's Spring and I wanted to serve up something optimistic and empowering. The whole of the next album era is aiming to uplift and elevate.
Both you and your label have active .gay domains — why does helping to create a safer internet for LGBTQ+ people matter to you?
We all know that the internet is rife with trolls and extremely violent anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups who hide behind avatars and launch tirade attacks on accounts online, and in many cases in person resulting in horrendous fracturing of community and sometimes suicides or attacks. Whatever we can do to create a safer internet is crucial as - while it is an amazing tool for connecting people - it can also be the portal to hell for many of us if you end up the wrong side of the internet safety zone. There are attacks from every angle on LGBTQ+ people, so whatever safety we can nurture is extremely important.
Can you tell us a little bit about your label and the ethos behind launching it?
I wanted to launch a label that could eventually be a home for many other artists. It's a slow build, and it's very rooted in LGBTQ+ life, so I try to use it to reshare pertinent information that benefits a wider community, create a network of interesting and interested minds, and my long-term goal is to be able to use it to fund and support emerging creatives.
Anything else you’d like the ..gay audience to know before we go?
Yes I really like bagels, and they are always welcome at any show of mine.
