Today marks the much-anticipated release of the new single and video “The Light”, from urban pop vocalist Indigo, produced by JUNO Award-winning producer Lantz (Jazz Cartier). Toronto born and bred, the proud Métis singer is coming off of some early career successes, which includes winning the iN Bullseye grand prize of $10,000 awarded by Slaight Music and the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, which allowed her to begin working with Lantz on this single and a new collection of songs to be released in 2020. The Light’s textured sound palette and modern soundscapes are filled with elastic grooves, memorable melodies and a catchy hook (“Show me how to make it / Throw me a line / Tell me how to face it / Just show me to the light”) that perfectly fits Indigo’s genre fluid style, that seamlessly blends her pop, R&B and dance music inspirations.
The new video for “The Light”, directed by Tim Myles, which premiered to a capacity crowd at imagineNATIVE, with its relationship revenge theme, will either make you want to go celebrate, dance or sing – or do all three simultaneously. Indigo admits that the inspiration for co-writing the single with Lantz and Marlon Pennant comes from the roller coaster ride that people have to get on when trying to navigate adversity in general, as its subject matter covers a relatable theme that occurs in familiar sequences such as falling in love and heartbreak. “The Light is a song about searching for strength to pull yourself up after being knocked down,” explains Indigo. “I wrote this song when I was in a very dark place, I had just gotten my heart broken and was frustrated with myself for being so dramatic about everything. I was lost in no man’s land, emotionally, and I didn’t know when that chapter in my life would be over, so I took my broken heart and made it into art like Meryl Streep remarked when she quoted and honored the late great Carrie Fisher at the Golden Globe Awards.”
While Indigo works steadily on blazing a new trail within Canada’s pop music scene, she is also cognizant of the role her impending success can have on her fellow female music talents, who happen to be Indigenous. “I am passionate about being a representative for Métis artists in the world of pop music and I want to increase visibility for Indigenous people in the global music industry,” admits Indigo, whose paternal Métis roots stem from Six Nations, and on her maternal side, Algonquin, Mohawk or Iroquois. “Growing up, my parents didn’t talk much about my ancestral background. In 2014, my mother and I obtained our Certificates of Aboriginal Status. My hope for the Indigenous music community is for artists to follow their natural and unenforced identification and style, following what’s in their heart and not what society expects of them.”
“The Light” by Indigo is available to stream and download today