Lights is known for the electro-pop sound of her debut, self-titled EP that garnered the award for Best New Artist at the Junos in 2009. But the singer said she doesn’t want to be constricted by the genre.

“I’m supposed to deliver what the fans are expecting,” Lights said, “and that can be pretty crippling to your creativity to feel like you’re boxed in like that. Obviously you aren’t in the same place you were as when you made your first record.”

In 2008, Lights legally changed her name to Lights Valerie Poxleitner from her birth name of Valerie Anne Poxleitner. She released her first full-length album, The Listening, in 2009.

With the release of her sophomore album, Siberia, on Oct. 4, Lights said she was able to push the boundaries, thanks to support from people like her manager, Jian Ghomeshi.

“The worst thing I would want is for people to say [Siberia] is exactly the same as the first record, nothing’s changed, all these songs sound the same,” she said.

Siberia still carries Lights’ familiar electronic sound, but it’s a departure from the contemplative style of The Listening. “Lyrically, The Listening was coming from kind of a more sad place,” she said. “The songs on Siberia ultimately are all pretty happy songs for the most part and coming from a real place of confidence and happiness.”

Lights said Siberia showcases her personal and professional growth over the past three years.

“It’s still me, but the next level,” she said. “I drew some influence from dubstep, some of those elements like the heavy bass, the slow beats and the sparsity.

“There’s a lot less tracks in the new stuff than in the old stuff, which is a testament to … the integrity of each piece and the quality of the sound.”

The album features collaborations with Canadian artists like Shad and Holy Fuck.

“A year ago, if I had tried to work with others, it may not have been as successful,” she said. “You have to be confident when you walk in there with other extremely talented musicians. You have to be confident in your craft or you’ll get overtaken by whatever they’re bringing to the table and it’s not going to feel like you at all.”

Since her headlining tour in 2010, Lights has been on hiatus to work on the album and has only played eight concerts, including appearances at Montreal’s Osheaga festival and the Calgary Stampede. She’ll start her Siberia tour in Kingston.

“They’re always little fun shows,” she said. “Kingston’s always been kind of interesting.”

Lights plays Sydenham United Church tonight at 7:30 p.m.