Interview with Light Army
Sessions 58 presents a special performance by London based artist Light Army.
Light Army is the brainchild of London based multi-platinum selling singer/song writer, Katerina. For the debut single 'Want You', she has enlisted the talents of Grammy Award winning producer Paul Harris, with James Hurr and Si Hulbert, to deliver an eclectic hybrid of pop, alternative and house, unique to Light Army.
We caught up for a chat and got to know her a little bit more.
LookingGlass: Hi Katerina thank you for catching up with us. Can you briefly introduce yourself and your music?
LightArmy: Hi, I’m Light Army and my debut single ‘Want You’ is out now :)
LG: How was Light Army born?
LA: My background as a professional song writer let me explore my creativity within different genres, allowing me to recognise which influences and styles resonated with me. I then decided to create a project which would enable me to come out of the shadows and be in the light.
LG: For your debut single you scored some impressive collaborations, what can you tell us about the process of recording the song?
LA: The Light Army production team ( Si Hulbert, James Hurr & Paul Harris) for this single and my forthcoming EP individually have very different production styles. I wanted to fuse their talents together to create something unique to Light Army. As soon as I heard the riff on ‘Want You’ played by guitarist Arno Spires I immediately connected with it.
LG: When it comes to writing about personal experiences, it can be tough to share something private. How do you cope with exposing yourself to the public?
LA: I’ve been used to other people singing my lyrics and telling my stories so I’m still adjusting to people knowing it’s my story. I’m enjoying the creative process as I can say exactly what feels authentic to me without having to shape it to suit another Artist.
LG: What’s the first song that inspired you to become a singer-songwriter? And why?
LA: Mariah Carey was my idol when I was young and I’m sure she influenced my career path but to chose one song is difficult. I used to write poems and stories as a child so I think it was a natural progression to write songs.
LG: Since James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome sang “It’s a Man’s World” in the ‘60s, a few things have changed.. What’s your experience being a woman in the music industry?
LA: I think women generally have it tougher in all industries but so far I have been lucky enough to not experience any real sexism or lack of opportunity by being a Woman. Going forward I think the only way the balance could be redressed is to see more female authority figures in Management, A&R and publishing .
LG: And last, if your sound were a flavour, what would that be?
LA: It would be a Tutti Frutti/dark chocolate & chilli combo.