USA - Country music’s rising star Alexandra Kay is out on the road on her headline tour, Cupid’s a Cowgirl, spanning 31 cities across the United States and Canada. The tour, with a lighting system from Bandit Lites, launched at the end of February and will run through 6 April 2025.
Having worked as Alexandra Kay’s LD for about a year, Corbin Alvae pivoted his previous experience of rock and metalcore to Kay’s style.
“With AK’s show, the biggest thing I focused on was making sure it brought the visual side of what we envisioned when planning this design. Hints of flashy moments, but also big, fun moments and making sure she was lit up as the focal point,” he said. “I really went towards defining that her and the band looked like superstars on stage every night.”
The system ultimately landed on the vibe that Kay dubbed ‘lover girl era’, made apparent by the massive heart constructed of TMB Mozart FLR on two halves of a 5ft diameter circle pipe and two 6ft pipes connected to baseplates.
“I went through so many concepts, and at the time,” Alvae explained, “I didn’t like how the looks came out; it didn’t portray exactly what I pictured as a ‘lover girl era’. So, I had to tap into my feminine side, did some research about what love actually meant, and during a holiday trip home back to Detroit, I drove by a giant heart monument. That was the moment I knew exactly what the plan was. We pulled it off and I can’t even fathom how proud I am of this team.”
“Corbin came to me with the heart-shaped design and the question became how to construct it and how to make it more than just a shape,” said Bandit Lites client representative Mark Scherer. “Corbin used the TMB Mozart to change the heart from a strobe, to a night sky, to a dance floor with ease. Each song utilised the individual pixels to create a new centre piece for the music to revolve around. Surrounding this heart with PXL Curve 12s and Protron Eclypses.”
Bandit Lites equipped the tour with Ayrton Ghibli, Chauvet Colorado Solo Battens, Chauvet PXL Bar 8, Chauvet PXL Curve 12, Elation Protron Eclypse and TMB Mozart FLR.
“I wanted fixtures that have a lot of dynamic choices to work from,” said Alvae. “Considering I absolutely love doing pixel-mapped shows, the PXL Curve 12 is a fixture that allowed me to do all of that: from movements to pixel mapping. Hands down a favourite fixture.”
Kay saw the lighting design come to life at Bandit’s Venue One rehearsal facility, where she captured her joyful reaction in a viral video.
“I watched each song come to life as Alexandra Kay and her band rehearsed in our rehearsal facility Venue 1,” said Scherer. “It was an absolute pleasure working with Alexandra Kay and her entire crew for a second year and I look forward to growing with her as she rises on the charts.”
