Rod Thomas (stage name Bright Light Bright Light) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

singer-songwriter, based in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Bright Light Bright Light incorporates many elements of nu-disco into his music, also branching into

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

, dance and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

music. Two of his albums have reached the top 20 on the

UK Independent Albums Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

Career

1982-2009: Early years

Thomas grew up in a small village near

Neath Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...

, Wales, and learned several instruments as a child, including piano. His first forays into music were more folk-based, led by acoustic guitar with, due to a lack of equipment, minimal beats around it. Thomas later stated his dalliance with folk was due to his lack of knowledge with production techniques, and that he was always drawn to

and

. He left Wales to take a place reading English literature and creative writing at

Warwick University , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

, then made the move to London. In London he set up a studio at home, and spent rush hours busking busy London tube stations. In 2009 he sent demo tracks to American producer

Boom Bip Bryan Charles Hollon (born June 22, 1974), better known by his stage name Boom Bip, is an American record producer and musician. He is one half of Neon Neon along with Gruff Rhys. He is based in Los Angeles, California. Biography Boom Bip started ...

, resulting in Thomas being invited to Los Angeles for two weeks to collaborate on tracks. Thomas stated Boom Bip's production on the song "A New Word to Say" helped him find "my sound".

2010-present : Bright Light Bright Light

Thomas released "Love Part II", his first single under the name Bright Light Bright Light, in 2010 on the Popjustice Hi-Fi label. Thomas chose the name Bright Light Bright Light from a quote spoken by the character Gizmo in the 1984 movie ''

Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of ...

''. 2010 also saw him tour as the support act for

Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. Her career began when she met record producers Starsmith and Frankmusik, and she was later spotted by Jamie Lillywhite, who became her manager and Artists and ...

. The singles "Disco Moment" and "Feel It" followed in 2011 and 2012, and, after appearances at

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organ ...

in the UK and

South by South West South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

in the US, he released his debut album ''Make Me Believe in Hope'' in 2012. The album tracks on ''Make Me Believe in Hope'' were co-written and produced by Rod Thomas,

The Invisible Men The Invisible Men is a songwriting and music production trio consisting of Jason Pebworth, George Astasio and Jon Shave. Invisible Men's songs have so far achieved over 7 billion Spotify streams, 30 million record sales worldwide and the trio ...

and

Andy Chatterley Andy Chatterley (born 8 May 1973) is a British record producer and songwriter. He is also the CEO of online content protection company MUSO. Life and career Chatterly was born in Jersey, Channel Islands. He attended Victoria College, Jersey. ...

. The album features several collaborations, including vocals from

Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) as dr ...

' guitarist

Del Marquis Del Marquis (born Derek Gruen on August 31, 1977) is an American musician and the lead guitarist for the American group Scissor Sisters. He is also the creator and producer of the American group Slow Knights. Scissor Sisters Born in New York Ci ...

on the track "Cry at Films". ''Make Me Believe in Hope'' was released in the UK on 4 June 2012 through independent label

Aztec Records Aztec Records is an independent British record label. It is specializes in electronic and pop music, in the subgenres of Synthpop, Synthwave and Retrowave following the 80's. It was founded in 2010 by Laura Fares and Ariel Amejeiras. Label D ...

, and the album received generally positive reviews from music critics and bloggers, with The Fly magazine noting the album among releases that just missed its annual top 50. The album was voted at number 4 i
The Guardian's Reader Choice: Best Albums of 2012
The single "Disco Moment", from the album, was placed on the

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

play list. In June 2012 the album made the final shortlist for the annual

Welsh Music Prize The Welsh Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from Wales, as voted for by members of the music industry. It was founded by music promoter John Rostron and radio presenter Huw Stephens in 2011. It was originally schedul ...

, but lost to

Future of the Left Future of the Left are a Welsh alternative rock band based in Cardiff. The group consists of former Mclusky members Andrew Falkous (vocals, guitar) and Jack Egglestone (drums) and former Million Dead bassist Julia Ruzicka. History Beginnings F ...

. 2012 also saw Bright Light Bright Light support Scissor Sisters on four venues of their UK tour. In 2013, the EP ''In Your Care'' was released; followed by "I Wish We Were Leaving", a second single from Thomas' second album, featuring

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

. Following the latter's release, Thomas toured with Elton John during summer 2014. Bright Light Bright Light's second album ''Life is Easy'' was released in the UK on 7 July 2014, charting at No. 139, and was preceded by the single "I Believe" on 29 June. Thomas spent most of 2014 and 2015 touring as the opening act for Elton John in the US, Canada, UK, Europe and Russia, playing 55 shows. He ended 2015 with a short US tour opening for John Grant. In 2016, ''Choreography'' was released, entering the UK Album Chart at No. 72, the Independent Album Breakers chart at No. 1, and the US Billboard Dance / Electronic Album Chart at No. 12. The album features guest appearances by

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

, all

members and Mykal Kilgore. All guests feature on the album's lead single "All in the Name", which was unveiled in a live performance on

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy ...

's BBC TV show with Elton John on stage with him. The song was added to the Radio 2 B-list playlist and scored Thomas his widest-reaching single to date. Aside from creating his own music, Thomas runs a daytime dance party in New York (which transfers to London when he is touring) called ''Romy & Michele's Saturday Afternoon Tea Dance'', named after " Romy & Michele's High School Reunion", one of his favourite films. The party takes place both in Brooklyn and at

Club Cumming Club Cumming is a gay bar and nightclub in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It frequently hosts cabaret events, Broadway-style shows, dance parties and drag performances. Celebrities, especially Broadway actors, of ...

, a bar in Manhattan's East Village run by

, who stars in the film that inspired the event. In 2017 Thomas appeared as an extra in one of his favourite TV series, ''

The League of Gentlemen ''The League of Gentlemen'' is a surreal British comedy horror sitcom that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England, originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the lives o ...

'', in the first episode of their three-part TV return, "Return to Royston Vasey", as a job-seeker in Pauline's restart class. This marked his second time working with actor, director and writer

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...

, after composing the theme tune for Mark's BBC4 series ''

Queers ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

'', created as part of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's cycle "Gay Britannia", to mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of the

Sexual Offences Act 1967 The Sexual Offences Act 1967 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom (citation 1967 c. 60). It legalised homosexual acts in England and Wales, on the condition that they were consensual, in private and between two men who had attained th ...

. The show features interviews with gay characters at the margins of the community. It was broadcast by

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary ser ...

in collaboration with

AMC Networks AMC Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York. AMC Networks owns and operates the eponymous cable channel and its siblings, IFC, We TV, and Sundance TV; the art house movie theater IFC Cen ...

. In 2019 he was picked as the opening act for

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

's European tour, playing nine shows across Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden. Thomas provided the vocals for the animated intro to ''

Murder by Numbers ''Murder by Numbers'' is a 2002 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder and starring Sandra Bullock in the main role, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb c ...

'', released March 5, 2020. Later that month, he released "This Was My House", featuring

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

's backing singers

Niki Haris Niki Haris (born April 17, 1962) is an American singer and dancer of pop, R&B, dance music and jazz, perhaps best known for having been one of Madonna's backing vocalists from 1987 to 2001, and as being the guest lead vocalist on various Snap! s ...

and

Donna De Lory Donna De Lory is an American singer, dancer and songwriter. Part of a musical family, De Lory has been performing since a young age. Her voice can be heard on albums by Carly Simon, Ray Parker Jr., Kim Carnes, Santana, Martika, Laura Branigan, Be ...

and produced by Initial Talk, as the first song from his fourth album ''Fun City''. The song was described as "a perfect disco song" by Paper Magazine, written about how the LGBTQ+ community's safe spaces have been under attack in recent times, and how, despite the upsurge in anti-LGBTQ+ and xenophobic rhetoric, everybody deserves to feel safe in the place they call home. ''Fun City'' was a number 1 UK Dance Album hit on its release in September 2020 receiving widespread critical acclaim, featuring a slew of LGBTQ+ talent adding their vocals:

Brendan Maclean Brendan Maclean is an Australian singer-songwriter and actor. Music Brendan Maclean's debut EP, ''White Canvas'', was uploaded to iTunes March 2010. In January 2014 he released a second EP, ''Population'', produced by Paul Mac. The lead singl ...

Jake Shears Jake Shears (born October 3, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the male lead singer of pop-rock band Scissor Sisters. Early life Shears was born in Mesa, Arizona, the son of an entrepreneur father and a Baptist moth ...

, Andy Bell of

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

Sam Sparro Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictional c ...

, Caveboy, Niki & Donna, KAYE, The Illustrious Blacks,

Big Dipper The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" ...

adding a spoken word piece, and Justin Vivian Bond. In November 2020, Bright Light Bright Light released a duet with alt-cabaret star

Justin Vivian Bond Justin Vivian Bond (born May 9, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Described as "the best cabaret artist of heir!-- MOS:GENDERID --> generation" and a "tornado of art and activism", they first achieved prominence under the pseudon ...

, "Saying Goodbye Is Exhausting". The haunting ballad captures grief in the LGBTQ+ community. It was "released to raise some hope, money and awareness for Trans Awareness Week and

World AIDS Day World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease. The acquired immun ...

2020, the official day of release of the EP."

Personal life

Thomas has described himself both as "

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

" and as "

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

Discography

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright Light Bright Light Welsh rock singers Welsh singer-songwriters 21st-century Welsh male singers Synth-pop singers Welsh gay musicians People from Neath Welsh LGBT songwriters Welsh LGBT singers Gay singers Gay songwriters Nu-disco musicians Living people 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people British male singer-songwriters Queer men Queer singers Queer songwriters 1982 births