Custom Scott Henshall for Bright Light Bright Light

Bright Light Bright Light is Welsh born, New York City living Rod Thomas, who has released four studio albums that have won him fans from the public, critics, and peers. His music has taken him around the world. And, he’s the most notable as the chosen opening act for legends Cher, Sir Elton John, Erasure, Scissor Sisters, and Ellie Goulding. He has also recorded four songs with Sir Elton John, duets with Andy Bell of Erasure, each member of Scissor Sisters, and a slew of LGBTQ+ artists like Justin Vivian Bond, Sam Sparro, and Madonna's backing vocalists Niki Haris & Donna De Lory, who populated his 2020 UK #1 Dance Album '"Fun City." He was the first, and to date, the only unsigned artist to perform on Graham Norton's BBC One TV show. As an independent artist for his whole career, he has redefined what is possible to achieve without the power of a record label behind you. As well as collaborating with the aforementioned icons on his own material, he has penned and co-written songs for RuPaul's Drag Race alumni “Scarlet Envy” and Tia Kofi, produced and remixed Katya Zamolodchikova, Trinity The Tuck and Mix Cracker, and has written for UK pop icons Bananarama, and produced two remixes for Dannii Minogue. His mashups have seen him win a legion of fans on TikTok and Instagram, and his DJ sets have seen him perform at Prides and festivals across the world.

In May 2024, he will release "Enjoy Youth," his fifth album focused on finding joy in the chaos of modern living. It features guest turns from dance music legend Ultra Naté, GRAMMY nominee Mykal Kilgore, and 90s electronic chanteuse Beth Hirsch. As per his last 12 years, Rod will use his next career stage to amplify and uplift the LGBTQ+ community and use his live shows and DJ sets to create safe spaces for the amazing followers he has amassed to date.

Before we jump into your extensive musical career, when you look back, what sparked your initial interest in music?
I think it's that, growing up in the middle of nowhere, music and film were a way to learn about other lives and other parts of the world. It was so cool to hear so many different voices, accents, melodies, and harmonies that sounded nothing like the voices in my life. Also to hear beats, rhythms, and instruments that suggested this really exciting world. I can't remember a time when I didn't sing. I think I just always kind of did it? Wales is known as the lang of song, so music was always a big part of culture there.

Who are your favorite artists and biggest inspirations musically?
There are so many: Grace Jones, George Michael, Madonna, Björk, Deee-Lite, Scissor Sisters, Elton John, Erasure, Kate Bush and Goldfrapp. I'm a huge Mariah and Janet fan, and Kylie Minogue is like the perfect popstar. But I also get a lot of inspiration from films. I spend a lot of time listening to old film scores by Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, and Henry Mancini, and even more so the old Italian Giallo films with composers like Stelvio Cipriani, Berto Pisano, Bruno Nicolai, and Pino Donaggio (who was Italian popstar turned composer). The way they use melodies is absolutely amazing.

Bright Light Bright Light, so good you say it twice. What was the inspiration behind your musical name and identity?
Mentioning Jerry Goldsmith, who scored Gremlins and my name is a line from the film where the mother takes a polaroid of Gizmo the Mogwai and he's allergic to bright light so he screams "bright light bright light." I don't know why I thought of that at the time, but it suggested something shimmering, something disco and dance floor influenced, something fun and exciting.

Your latest album “Fun City” has been described as a love letter to New York. How has the city's vibrant queer scene influenced your music and creativity?
New York changed my life. To see the artists who live here support each other, mingle, collaborate, cross pollenate work, rally, and thrive is so inspiring. It's uniquely New York. Many of my favorite songs and artists from the 90s came from New York City and got to learn about the nightlife icons like Joey Arias, Justin Vivian Bond, Amanda Lepore, Machine Dazzle. I saw them all still making amazing work, still performing and keeping the city weird and fabulous. It's incredible the energy and creativity that this city has.

Much of your music has a nostalgic 80s sound, enhanced by synthesizers. What draws you to this genre and how do you modernize it?
Partly that's what was on the radio growing up, or the music I'd hear in stores or wherever I'd be, you know the songs that first connect with you have such a special place in your heart. Synths for me were so magical because they were just that—synthetic--and as someone whose first instrument was the flute (yeah I was really cool in school, lol), having the ability to morph and shift a sound without knobs and buttons to create your own was such a wild idea. I think nostalgia is a powerful element to music. Something about feeling nostalgic is delicious. But because of these sounds being attached to films and bands that were nothing like my lived experience, it makes me feel nostalgic for a life I didn't even have. Which sounds bonkers with you is a special feeling.

You have collaborated with a plethora of artists for your albums. How do you compare the process of creating with another musician versus going solo?
It's just so much more fun, honestly. I've always just gotten on with things myself. I've never been "in a band." I always made music by myself. And I love writing songs and composing, and bringing someone else into the mix and their brain is totally different. No two people create the same way, so I find that it both lets me hear approaches that I would never even dream up, and it makes my brain work in a totally different way. It opens new doors and ways of thinking. It's really the most rewarding thing about my career I don't often write with the guest vocalists on the tracks, maybe though I have them in mind. I collaborate musically with other writers a lot and I find that so magical.

A proud highlight of your career is how far you’ve gotten without a music label behind you. Can you share some of the benefits, as well as challenges, that come with remaining an independent artist?
I guess the benefit is creative control, which is a blessing, right? I see many artists who are signed talk about how they hated a record they made, were pressured to do something, or were stopped from doing something, or the horror story of being dropped or worse shelved where your work is owned and never coming out and you can't do anything with it. So, I've sidestepped that and that is incredible. The major challenge is money. People touting around that "being independent is the new model" are not talking about people like me or unsigned artists, they are almost always referencing people who were on major labels, had the marketing spend and then became independent with a fanbase that few totally independent artists can achieve. The presence and the visibility that having the machine behind you offers are real and is such a barrier to making music totally alone.

Your new album “Enjoy Youth” is coming out this May. What was the inspiration behind this new era?
Joy. There is such horror in the news cycles these days, even this week it's been hatred, bleakness, bigotry, death. I want to remind myself, and my listeners, that it's so important to find moments of joy and laughter in each day. I spent a lot of my "youth" as it were worrying about my career, money, boys, everything, and I'm trying to worry less about minutia and focus more on the things that make me happy, so that when it comes to dealing with the horrors of the world, I have more juice in my battery. I want the records to be super uplifting and to celebrate things that made my past full of life: a song about my best friend, getting Ultra Naté, Berri, and Beth Hirsch on the record whom I listened to NON STOP as a teen and in my early 20s. I focus on what I can do to make the present and future as bright as possible for me and those who join me on my little electropop journey.

What can fans of your music and shows expect from this new album?
FUN. Something clicked in me after Covid. Before that, when I was touring a lot, I was so stressed about shows going well and things being perfect to look super professional and to fight against an industry that just didn't seem like it wanted me to succeed. But afterwards I couldn’t do live shows for nearly two years. Since getting back on stage it's been so EXCITING. I’m not nervous about things going wrong anymore, I'm just excited to do them. And I get GOOD nerves like "I can't wait to play this show." That switch flicking to the other direction was amazing and my shows are 100% committed to making every person in the room feel seen, heard, loved, appreciated, and FANTASTIC. You will also cry as some of the old songs are still really sad.

PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Talent: Bright Light Bright Light
Fashion Stylist: Bright Light Bright Light
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Ethan Engh, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine

Bright Light, Bright Light, New Release New Album, "Enjoy Youth"