The Artist Explains: LEW - 'Lights On' (Video)

Danish singer and guitarist  LEW (Sara Lewis Sørensen)  speaks to us about the ideas behind her sizzling and dark indie electronic single and accompanying visuals for‘Lights On’, directed by Jona Bang.
'Lights On' is taken from the album, ‘Black Feathers',  where each track is inspired by everyday life and its embracing of love, family and the grey shades of daily challenges, the paths of destiny and the stuff we carry with us. They are derived from personal experience of the strength of will and imagination. They name the things we don’t talk about and encompass both the wildness of life and the belief in continuing to discover and follow our dreams.

The album features Sara Lewis, vocals and guitars, and Anders Wallin, bass and various keyboards, accompanied by Jakob Høyer (Trentemøller) on drums and Nils Grøndahl (Under Byen) on violin and pedal noise. The album was produced by Sara Lewis and Anders Wallin. It was recorded and mixed by Jakob Høyer and Anders Wallin. The final mix was by Morten Bue and the mastering by John Dent (PJ Harvey, Bob Marly, Motorhead) at his studio in Taunton, Somerset.

 Sara Lewis Sørensen (LEW) Explains

"We filmed the video on a stage in Copenhagen called Musikcaféen I Huset I Magstræde.

We needed a dark room. The video is build up on me singing showing only the face and a lot of film clips coming in and out replacing each other. So we needed the dark room to film me in so we were able to cut me in and out.

I think the video brings the story and meaning alive. And it also brings the viewer to new places. The video is very active and has a great timing so it kind of brings the viewer on the musical speed, like a travel through the story.

The song ’Lights On’ is about the silence just after a huge downslide. A showdown, a disagreement. About wanting to be in the light, about waiting and letting things come and allowing time to speak. “Stars Light on a thousand songs”, the endless possibilities lying just at our feet, about how we choose that which we feel drawn to and are insatiable for a never ending more. About not losing ourselves in causes or stories, but to be in the present and see what comes.

I made a mood board to Jonas with elements: animals, landscapes etc…

Coloring like: pale and withered verses black and red etc… and themes like: empty streets after a storm, the breakdown, the reborn, love, mysteries of our universe, the unknown, nature in action, times speed etc… And he took it into his language and made a version.

With the story in the music video we came across clips and scenes that kind of had the meaning of the song in it without having it outspoken how everything is moving and lives. Pictures from the lyrics and the big picture of what the song is about. Meaning to kind of make the personal story lively with me singing it in front upon the more universal meaning with the film clips coming in and out in a kind of noisy film vibe.

The video wants to tell the story of the song, the personal viewed story “the silence just after a huge downslide” - “Stars Light on a thousand songs”, the endless possibilities lying just at our feet” – “About not losing ourselves in causes or stories, but to be in the present and see what comes.” And put it out as a big whole picture/story viewed in different picturing metaphors where everyone is invited to reflect on the subjects that are presented related to what’s the song about."   

Interview feature by Karla Harris