Q&A: Rony G On “Light Beams” And Measuring Success
Born in Israel and raised in the Philippines, Rony G found her musical home in New York. There she became one half of the pop duo Xelle, releasing a series of fun uptempo singles and innovative music videos in collaboration with songwriter and producer Zach Adam.
Now Rony has teamed up with both Zach Adam and Swiss DJ Extasia for “Light Beams”, a track that was described as “a new gay anthem to light up the dance floor”. The song has so far reached the top 15 of the US Billboard Dance Club charts, marking Rony’s first Billboard charting release.
We caught up with the singer-songwriter to discuss “Light Beams”, measuring success, and self-empowerment.
Part I — Getting To Know Rony G
An album everyone should listen to:
Hamilton Cast Recording (such a smart concept album)
A song everyone should dance to:
“Light Beams” by Extasia & Zach Adam feat. Rony G (of course!)
A movie everyone should watch:
Wonder Woman (finally a super hero I can identify with — it was about f*cking time)
A book everyone should read:
Ender’s Game (don’t watch the movie, it sucks)
A place everyone should visit:
the gorgeous beaches of Israel
A mistake everyone should make:
give yourself completely and fall in love — it can be a mistake, and you pick yourself up and do it again
Sing along, listen, turn off — Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift:
hmmm… let’s get specific! I’d sing along with Miley’s “Wrecking Ball”, listen to Taylor’s “Blank Space”, and turn off Katy’s “Bon Appetite”.
Part II — Q&A
You released a series of singles as one half of the pop band Xelle. What’s your favourite song and video you did with Xelle?
Wow, that’s rough. I love almost everything we’ve done with Xelle. It was a beatiful time, you know. I think that “Party Girl” still resonates with me, being the beginning of it all and such a fun video to do. If you asked me I would get on that train right now and dance again. Like, right now. I’ll relearn the choreography, I’ll do it all. I’ve still got the dress!
Your new single “Light Beams” is a collaboration with Extasia and Zach Adam. What was the creative process behind the song?
Zach Adam wrote the song. He was the producer of Xelle and has basically been a part of the group throughout the whole process. Zach wrote “Light Beams” for Extasia, and they were searching for the right sound. Zach was like, I got the person, and brought me on board the project. Extasia and his managers thought it was the perfect fit, and so I recorded the song. It was just this awesome fit. The whole process was really fun.
How does “Light Beams” compare to your earlier releases with Xelle?
I think that “Light Beams” is a bit more mature. Xelle was this fun bubblegum mega pop. If you compare it to fashion, Xelle was more harajuku, while this is something darker, something like… goth. Although the message is super uplifting, the same kind of message as the Xelle song “Invincible”. But it’s delivered in a more mature, darker kind of way.
Actually, I don’t like the word “mature” because I don’t mean “older”. I mean that it’s more… what’s the right word for it? More complete of a message, more refined. Bubblegum pop is fantastic, but it’s very pop-cultury I guess. And “Light Beams” has a depth to it that I really enjoy.
How would you describe the central message of “Light Beams”?
I think it’s just: shine! Do what you want, do what you think you should. Be who you are and let it out for everybody to see. The lyrics go, “it’s my moment to break free” and to “shine like a light beam,” because that’s who we are. We are light beams!
What is your favourite line from the song and why?
It’s not even about the deepness of it, but I love “shine like a light beam,” that idea of lighting up the darkness by being who you are. Because, you know, our world is rough, the things that are happening right now. So the idea that if we are truly ourselves we light up the place, that’s so beautiful to me.
If you think of a nightclub, with the light beams shooting around and making everything more beautiful, fuller, better. That’s who we need to be. Don’t cover up who you are and let it stay dark. Be a light beam. If we all do that we can make everything better, basically.
The music video very much focuses on you as the vocalist. What thoughts went into the concept and the aesthetics?
Zach came up with the concept. He also shot and directed the video. The idea is of walking around in the wilderness, trying to find yourself — trying to find that place where you discover your true self.
I’m walking around in that big coat and then I finally take it off and party in the club with the light beams shining down on me. That is basically the whole metaphorical message and musical journey of the song. Find yourself and let that shine on the dancefloor.
That was essentially how Zach designed it to be. Then we both dove very much into the process of perfecting the look and making it fit the more “mature” sound.
“Light Beams” has climbed into the top 15 of the Billboard Dance Club Charts. How do you personally measure success? When do you deem a song “successful”?
I can say, as this is my first Billboard charting song, that that’s certainly a dream come true. Did I feel like I wasn’t a success until that happened? No, because I measure success in happiness and being able to do what you want to do.
It’s when I get messages from people saying, “we put this song on in our living room and we danced to it and it made everything better,” that’s the success of art. I don’t see music as this competition of where I can get to. I see it as enjoying the journey, which I’m so lucky to be able to do.
In your opinion, what are important criteria for a good song?
Great lyrics! It really brings me down sometimes when a song has a great beat and then you’re like, “oh, is that what they’re saying?”
Also, the music has to carry you and send you onto some journey. If it makes a person feel something, it’s good. At the end of the day, art is about your audience. You have to make them feel. It’s not about, “oh, look at me on stage, I’m singing and dancing!” It has to resonate with the audience.
And sometimes it’s just one line that is so strong and so right with the music that it’s worth the whole song. Some of the other lyrics might not be that great, but they’re less important. It’s just that one moment with that beautiful lyric and that beautiful melody that hooks you in.
There are some singers who say, “I’ll only sing the songs that I’ve written.” But as a songwriter I can recognise a great song and focus on putting my spin on that. If it’s amazing, I want to be a part of it. Like with “Light Beams”, it doesn’t have to be something that I wrote.
What is a song that really annoys you at the moment and why?
“Look What You Made Me Do” [by Taylor Swift]. Very controversial, I know, because a lot of people love that song. I just don’t like that sentence, that title. It’s not even about the rest of the song. I mean, I get the whole, “oops, look what you made me do, I’m so bitchy” thing. But it simply doesn’t resonate with me.
Are there any artists you would love to collaborate with?
Lady Gaga blows my mind. I love what she stands for as a person and I love her journey as an artist. I must admit I haven’t heard everything on Joanne, but “A Million Reasons” is just one of the most gorgeous songs she’s ever released. I absolutely adore it.
I always respond to artists as who they are in specific songs. For instance, I love Pink and what she stands for in her life. Do I know all of her music? Do I even know one complete album from beginning to end? No. But there are specific songs that she has released that have changed my life and become a part of my journey.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a beautiful new song, a duet with another artist, which Zach Adam is producing. I’m really excited about that. As of this moment it’s probably gonna end up as a power ballad, but we’re not sure yet how it’ll continue.
I’m also branching out into other things. Zach and I are doing an acoustic show of our music, which we’re taking around New York. Can you imagine [Xelle’s] “Party Girl” with an acoustic guitar? How awesome is that? Zach is doing some of the music he’s written, and then we’re doing some Xelle and of course “Light Beams”. “Light Beams” with a guitar turns out to sound really cool.
I’m also translating an amazing musical from Hebrew into English. I’m so excited about the process of that. It’s different from just regular songwriting. It’s about a story and creating an idea that existed in another language, another world. How do you translate not only the lyrics themselves, but the idea behind them? You have all these rules you have to follow. You have a certain amount of syllables, you have certain rhymes, you have a certain everything.
So there’s a whole bunch of things coming up. I just keep making art, keep making music. That’s the important thing. That’s what success is.
Buy “Light Beams” by Extasia & Zach Adam feat. Rony G wherever music is sold and light up the dark!
