where The Ready Room
when Wednesday 8 p.m.
price $16-18

If you’re a fan of electronic-fueled synth-pop filled with syrupy sweet vocals (think along the lines of Icona Pop, Ellie Goulding, or Marina and the Diamonds) then The Ready Room should be your destination of choice this Wednesday night. Canadian producer-slash-chanteuse Valerie Poxleitner, better known under her stage name Lights, comes to the downtown venue on her headlining U.S. tour.

Although she’s never truly made it big in the U.S., she has a loyal following of fans devoted to her catchy tracks and engaging live presence. Also, you could say that she’s a pretty big deal in Canada, cultivating her audience mainly in her home country and on tours of the U.S.

Lights, known primarily for upbeat and radio-ready singles like “Drive My Soul” and “Up We Go,” was born in small-town Canada but grew up traveling the world, getting her education in far-fetched cities and countries, and the various influences shine through in her multi-layered musical styles.

Signed at the tender age of 15, Lights remained behind the scenes in the early stages of her music career as primarily a songwriter for others—as well as that short-lived TV show “Instant Star.” She released her debut album “The Listening” in 2009 to critical acclaim and won the Juno Award (basically the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) that same year for Best New Artist.

After an almost three-year break of recording new music (aside from an acoustic rehash of her album “Siberia”), Lights released her third studio LP, “Little Machines,” in 2014, citing influences from strong female artists like Bjork and Kate Bush, while also expressing a desire to make the album a little less dark and exposed than her previous offering, “Siberia.” “Little Machines” is full of easy-to-please jams and tracks perfect for the live setting and energy required for getting a crowd pumped up.

Shandi-lee Cox | Flickr Creative Commons

Lights is an electric presence onstage, combining her distinctive vocals with euphoric electro-pop melodies and choruses that are never too difficult to sing along to. Even if you’re not familiar with a lot of Lights’ music, it won’t take long for her stage presence or memorable lyrics to win you over. After all, what else are you going to be doing on a Wednesday night besides adding a new favorite artist to your pregaming playlist for the weekend?

Lights is playing at The Ready Room this Wednesday, Feb. 18. Doors at 7 p.m., Show at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $16-$18.