"Lights Out" was written all the way back in 2010/2011 by Reid Zakos, and Toronto based DJ/Producer/Beat-maker Elliott Cesta, also known as DJ Shaw T.

At the time, Reid had recently come out as gay and also became legal drinking age in Calgary, Alberta that year. He began going out to gay nightclubs and bars and began to accept himself and his queer identity with a group of close friends dubbed "The Fab Four". 

Reid was inspired by artists such as Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, and Britney Spears at the time, and he approached writing this topline with confidence, swagger, and talk-singing-pseudo-rap with confidence and self-acceptance.

As he was recording and writing the demo he had a few lyrics flowing but wasn't sure of a title or a concept yet. Divine timing and inspiration hit as coincidentally, all the lights in Reid's room burnt out. He instantly thought "Oooh! Lights Out would be a great title" and then proceeded to finish the song in under 10 minutes.

"Lights Out" quickly became a favorite and quotable track of Reid's friends, and was performed at many house parties and local nightclubs. 

Fast forward now to 2023, Reid was encouraged by close friends to possibly revisit the song and consider releasing it on streaming platforms. He was hesitant at first, but decided to re-record the vocals, alter a few lyrics, and give it an official release treatment because he thought the rest of the world should have access to this fun track and "get wild, be free"

Lights Out

Reid Zakos is a dancepop gladiator slaying his own path. Born in Calgary into a musical family, he always possessed an undeniable stage presence and infectious charisma. He began songwriting as a way to free himself from all the bullying he faced growing up for being different. Many of his lyrics are centred around self-empowerment from an unapologetically queer perspective. Immersed in years of dance and theatre training, performing became escapism and he would grow into the triple-threat performer he was always born to be. Now based in Vancouver, his first album “Legends & Myths” was released in 2020, inspired by nudisco and retrowave production. 
Reid then continued collaborating and experimenting with electronic dance and pop artists on various singles and remixes with Paul Michael, Khaled Rahime, RedPanda Productions, and Jayden Mckenzie. Singles such as “Doctor Smile” and “POSE” dipped into more house and nightclub-ready soundscapes. In 2023, Reid released his second album “Brighter”, featuring more 2010s-inspired dancefloor pop. “Lights Out” and “A World of Yes” give into the party on the dancefloor while other tracks like “Danger” and “Bubble” show more sophistication and maturity to his vulnerability as a songwriter.

Stay tuned for more music in 2024!

New tracks tagged #ARTPOP ACT II