Rachel Halpern: Turn on the Lights
Exploring the behind-the-scenes world of musicians, and bridging the industry gap by sharing their stories, expertise, and advice with early-career artists. Introducing today's guest: Rachel Halpern
Rachel Halpern is a performer (Chasing Laika, Ever Since We Met), visual artist, and lighting designer born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Her practice is rooted in creative collaboration, the joy of exploration, and artistic expression as both a form of self-care as well as a catalyst for growth.
Connect with Rachel Halpern:
Website: https://rachelhalpern.ca [https://rachelhalpern.ca]
Instagram:
@canrachmakeit
@chasing.laika
@eversincewemetband
bandcamp:
https://eversincewemet.bandcamp.com/music [https://eversincewemet.bandcamp.com/music]
https://chasinglaika.bandcamp.com/album/misaligned [https://chasinglaika.bandcamp.com/album/misaligned]
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/album/0UqK8gUvQ7vvFh0QqpMQOc?si=gctf2WesS6yO2pb22iNfog [https://open.spotify.com/album/0UqK8gUvQ7vvFh0QqpMQOc?si=gctf2WesS6yO2pb22iNfog]
https://open.spotify.com/album/1GFqtjlrHsEcA1K8BQ7o46?si=HVWdK6weQ4eVF5rJnI1p5Q [https://open.spotify.com/album/1GFqtjlrHsEcA1K8BQ7o46?si=HVWdK6weQ4eVF5rJnI1p5Q]
Connect with Emma Della Rossa
Website: https://emmadellarossa.com/ [https://emmadellarossa.com/ ]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmadellarossa/ [https://www.instagram.com/emmadellarossa/]
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2HxRFzuI4SKBrauYEiSjad?si=w1JcVg5MQYSMWnWe5OUEcQ [https://open.spotify.com/artist/2HxRFzuI4SKBrauYEiSjad?si=w1JcVg5MQYSMWnWe5OUEcQ ]
[https://open.spotify.com/artist/2HxRFzuI4SKBrauYEiSjad?si=w1JcVg5MQYSMWnWe5OUEcQ ]Stream my song “Worse”: https://li.sten.to/emmadellarossa_worse [https://li.sten.to/emmadellarossa_worse ]
This episode and its music was mixed by Luke Fair at Rosetta Sound.
Rosetta Sound Website: https://rosettasound.com/ [https://rosettasound.com/ ]
Rosetta Sound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosetta.sound [https://www.instagram.com/rosetta.sound ]
Follow Bedroom Studios Podcast
Linktree: https://beacons.ai/bedroomstudiospodcast [https://beacons.ai/bedroomstudiospodcast ]
iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-bedroom-studios-podcast-272744073/ [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-bedroom-studios-podcast-272744073/ ]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bedroomstudiospodcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/bedroomstudiospodcast/]
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BedroomStudiosPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@BedroomStudiosPodcast ]
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Dsn38TzVgMhjedk1YP74V?si=021e8f787b194793&nd=1&dlsi=c864e3ac45024608 [https://open.spotify.com/show/1Dsn38TzVgMhjedk1YP74V?si=021e8f787b194793&nd=1&dlsi=c864e3ac45024608]
More About Rachel!
Rachel Halpern is a performer, visual artist, and lighting designer born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Her practice is rooted in creative collaboration, the joy of exploration, and artistic expression as both a form of self-care as well as a catalyst for growth.
Her academic and professional pursuits have been inextricable from her creative interests; injecting neurodivergent models of problem solving from her Life Sciences Degree, teaching/tutoring, graphic design work, summer camp, and program facilitation for the Autistic community into songwriting, poetry, event production, community events, and more.
Rachel takes part in many musical projects, collaborating with artists spanning genres from Jazz to Punk. Her two main projects are bubblegrunge band Chasing Laika, and emo outfit Ever Since We Met. She has played guitar with Chasing Laika for two years, frequenting most small-to-mid-size venues across the city. The band has cultivated an incredible community of misfits, and revolves around queer pride, trans joy, and chosen family. Ever Since We Met is a more personal endeavour, born out of the pages of Rachel’s journal. The first EP “Bigger Than Before” was released by her and co-writer Isaac Clasky at the end of 2025, and EWSM is set to start playing live shows all the way through 2026.
Rachel’s personal interests, creative endeavours, and education have all led towards an exciting career as a lighting designer. She has worked as a freelance designer/programmer/operator for local bands for the last couple years, learning on the job and making use of any tools available. She is currently studying Stage Lighting and Video at Metalworks institute, with aspirations of inventing interactive artist-facing lighting solutions, and taking part of gorgeous, large-scale productions on stages around the world.
