Derek Vincent Smith (born November 25, 1981) is an American electronic musi… Read Full Bio ↴Derek Vincent Smith (born November 25, 1981) is an American electronic music artist who performs under the stage name Pretty Lights. He is also the proprietor of an associated music label, Pretty Lights Music.

Smith's music relies heavily on digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples.". Pretty Lights' sound is generated by manipulating samples and organic beats using the Novation X-Station, monome and the Akai MPD32. Smith uses these digital controllers to program the music production software Ableton Live 8. When performing live, Smith uses two Macbook Pros running Ableton Live 8 and two Akai MPD32s. Smith usually considers his music as "Electro Hip-Hop Soul", a mix between elements of electronic based music, and beats from hip-hop and soul music.

Pretty Lights released A Color Map of the Sun on July 2, which is Grammy nominated for the Best Dance/Electronic Album . The two-CD collection contain the 13-song album A Color Map of the Sun plus a second album, Live Studio Sessions From A Color Map of the Sun.

A Color Map of the Sun builds on the original Pretty Lights sound and style that Smith pioneered. He spent a year composing and recording music and vocals that emulated genres and time periods that spanned the last century, then pressed it to vinyl. He used that vinyl along with a custom built analog modular synth to create A Color Map of the Sun. The resulting album is analog electronica – soulful, electro hip-hop that pays respect to music’s immense power to touch listeners emotionally, kinetically and inspirationally.

For more information and to download all Pretty Lights albums at no cost, visit http://www.prettylightsmusic.com.

Flitting between moody downtempo and upbeat, densely layered material geared for club play, Colorado's Pretty Lights was the project of Derek Vincent Smith. Smith spent his high school years making hip-hop and ultimately dropped out of his freshman year at the University of Colorado at Boulder to focus on his music. He made his recorded debut as Pretty Lights in 2006 with the full-length Taking Up Your Precious Time, which he supported with gigs for acts including STS9, the Disco Biscuits, and Widespread Panic. From there, he kept up a busy release schedule for the rest of the 2000s, issuing the double album Filling Up the City Skies in 2008 and another full-length, Passing by Behind Your Eyes, the following year. In 2010, Pretty Lights went on an extensive North American tour, playing that year's Coachella, Ultra, Movement, and Electric Zoo festivals, among other stops. Smith continued touring into 2011 and also developed his Pretty Lights Music imprint, releasing albums by Michal Menert, Gramatik, and Eliot Lipp. In 2012, Smith appeared in the music documentary Re:GENERATION Music Project and began work on Pretty Lights' fourth album. Instead of sampling existing recordings, Smith worked with longtime drummer Adam Deitch, Soulive's Eric Krasno, the Harlem Gospel Choir, and members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Treme Brass Band to create vintage-sounding original music that he then refashioned into the Pretty Lights sound. The results were 2013's A Color Map of the Sun, which became the first Pretty Lights album to be released physically and digitally at the same time. ~ Heather Phares & Andy Kellman, Rovi

Pop Quiz
Pretty Lights Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

you are fly, you are free, you are family
i see your feeling sad and blue

Overall Meaning

In Pretty Lights's song Pop Quiz, the lyrics "you are fly, you are free, you are family" convey a message of positivity and reinforcement of one's self-worth. This line suggests that the person being addressed is free and autonomous, while also being part of a larger community or family, thereby rooting them in a sense of belonging. The following line, "I see you're feeling sad and blue," indicates that despite these positive attributes, the person is struggling emotionally, and the singer wants to help lift them up. Together, these two lines urge the listener to take pride in their independence and identity, while also acknowledging the struggles that come with it.

Line by Line Meaning

you are fly, you are free, you are family
You are living a good life, with plenty of freedom to do what you want, and you are part of a loving community of people who care about you.

i see your feeling sad and blue
I notice that you are feeling down, and maybe a little depressed. I want to help you feel better and lift your spirits.

Contributed by Connor L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

@chrisvasconi4630

4y↑10

How am I only the 5th comment on this masterpiece and theirs only 71 likes/23k views??? This is easily one of my favorite pieces of works by Derek. Moves me everytime