Photo by Rasmus Weng Karlsen
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At a time when Americans are debating the definition of cages and Donald Trump's former campaign manager is mocking children with Down syndrome, Danish pop act Lightwave Empire is instead shining a spotlight on these little ones and saluting them.
Lightwave Empire is this week releasing their new single "Too Close to the Sun," a summery and uplifting cut, with frontman Bjarke Niemann's enamoring vocals on full display. And it's accompanied by a video starring a group of children with Down syndrome.
"I wrote 'Too Close to the Sun' at a time when I felt everyone around me were controlled by anxiety," Niemann says of the inspiration behind the new track. "That's why it's a song about love and about not letting fear get the best of you. We are all going die at some point anyway, so I'd rather leave this place as a worn out corpse that tried to make the most of it, than a as a prototype, that [was] never really put in action. I wrote this song for my wife shortly after her mother's suicide, so I wanted it to be spiritual and cheerful. I wanted the song to encourage her."
According to Niemann, the idea for the video came to him while in Copenhagen, when he was approached by a young boy with Down syndrome wearing a gold medal with a Coke in hand.
"When he saw me, he smiled and came up to me and gave me a hug and said something along the lines of, 'You're a really good guy,'" recalls Niemann. "Instantly, I thought of 'Too Close to the Sun.' The boy had the same uplifting vibe that the song was meant to have."
Directed by Savages and MØ collaborator Anders Malmberg, the video is out now and the song will be available on digital retail and streaming platforms on Friday.
See the video below.