Summer in the Winter

*profile written in October 2021 prior to the release of Summer Walker’s
most recent full-length album entitled “Still Over It”*

Comfortably lounging on a couch—or balancing on a stool—typically surrounded by a bass guitarist, a pianist, and a drummer is where Summer Walker tends to shine the brightest (which says a lot considering the room is almost always dim). Some days you may even see a guitar draped across her lap as she perches behind a mic stand. No matter the specifics that make up the scene, the basic elements remain the same: clear vocals, live band, no audience.

Summer has not shied away from discussing her social anxiety—even going as far as to cancel most of her concert dates in 2019 (her first and what fans believed to be her last tour) on the basis of her mental health. The artist seems almost uncomfortable and on edge whenever there is more than a small group of onlookers—or strangers, albeit whatever title those people may hold as fans—physically present to watch her perform. During her NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, Summer barrels through a five-song setlist with her eyes enamored more by the contents of the desk in front of her than the adoring crowd watching from just beyond the camera’s view. As the nervous singer leans forward shoulders hunched and body swinging from side to side, a hot pink plushie—named Friends—balances on her lap no doubt for moral support and comfort. In another performance for Jimmy Kimmel Live Summer wears baggy clothes, a hood over her head, and at one point even turns her entire back to the audience singing to her own reflection in a mirror—arguably the most at peace she appears throughout the entire performance. Even the set design attempts to mimic the intimate solitude the artist is accustomed to (an entire bedframe, lounge area, and vanity mirror are positioned on-stage).

She is not a dancing, hip hop-singing performer who thrives on social interaction with fans, that’s for sure. Because of this, the majority of her performances lean more towards her vocal capabilities and the harmony between all the instrument sounds. Following Covid mandates, Summer’s live performances were ridiculed less by large audiences and more by her own interaction with the music surrounding her.

During her performance of “Body” for the Jimmy Fallon show she does not appear on-stage but in a small room that holds enough room for herself, her band, an expanse of flowers covering the floor, and a single mic. Her body sways to the music and the fluid movements of her arms are expressive and confident.

She is in her element.

Summer has become notorious not just for her soft, mellowed out vocals, but for her ability to describe heartbreak, desire, and love lost—or more accurately, love unrequited—in ways that speak to your own tired heart. So, with the release of her first official album Over It (October 2019) you may have found yourself drawn to her lyrics out of relatability. You may have found yourself lying wide awake in a dark room, windows ajar, blasting her music as loud as your phone speakers will allow. You may remember the way you placed the track list on repeat. Religiously listening to “Playing Games” as if it was a lullaby whose soft delivery would send you into a tearless sleep: All I ever asked was you to pick up the phone when you alone. All I ever asked was you to show me some love, kisses, and hugs.

I’ve certainly found myself doing just that on cold nights, each song marking the end of summer and the move into what many term “cuffing season”. The way her vocals warm the heart and make you feel less alone. The way “Fun Girl” sounded all parts beautiful, endearing, and oddly accusatory (as if you were listening in on her most authentic and deepest thoughts). Its simple components (the entire song is just Summer’s voice singing alongside an acoustic guitar) and lyrics resonated with your own inner turmoil: Is it because I know what I want just like you? Cause I make my own money and my own rules. Love who I want…I guess that makes me undesirable, guess that makes you so attractive. Life’s unfair.

Now, with an entire summer behind us, the cold winter nights approaching, and with a span of two years having passed since you first listened to the album, waiting for a new project release has become tedious. You log on to Twitter and Instagram to lament—almost begging—about it having been so long since Summer released new music. Thankfully on October 1, 2021, Summer informed the world that—following much harassment and hounding from fans—“more details [regarding her] new album will be revealed on the Anniversary of ‘Over It’!!” A few days passed and on October 4th, Summer promoted the release of a new album (coming on November 5, just in time for a new season of heartbreak) entitled “Still Over It”.

I am hesitant to heave a sigh of relief.

While the unofficial princess of Neo Soul’s music embodies the genre through its lack of flashiness (producing raw, unfiltered vocals on top of slow, reverbed instrumental tracks), the same cannot be said of Summer’s personal life. The past two years have been ridiculed with the rollercoaster of a relationship with London on da Track—the father of her child and the producer for most of the songs on her first album. The singer went on Instagram live, marking the end of their relationship, saying, “I was supposed to have my child, be married…and carry on with my career silently…leave me alone!”.

Summer’s desire to lead a private life is often thrown off-course by her own public persona. She has garnered much criticism for receiving plastic surgery and even for the way she has parented her child (placing her baby on a vegan diet, that replaced formula milk for that of hemp seeds, raw honey, and mushroom powder). In March 2020, Summer posted misinformation regarding the virus which has since then been deleted, but this didn’t stop the star from noting in a recent Instagram story post that “If u vaccinated please stay away from me”.

Fans have accused Summer of being xenophobic, a terrible mother, just plain dumb, and the list goes on. I cannot exactly say that Summer makes this public access to her life difficult. In some ways it seems she even thrives on it, despite what she may say regarding her social anxiety. All artists depend on some level of public attention and consumption. For Summer, engaging with the public does not necessarily always present itself in the way of live performances but often instead through the perceived protection of a phone screen.

Recent publicity for the new album erupted in what Summer called a “hard drive tour” in which swarms of fans across the country gathered (in Atlanta, NYC, and Chicago) for a chance to listen to the album prior to its official release. The only barrier between a lucky listener and Summer’s new music was a case of glass (sitting upon a pink pedestal) and a hot pink hammer. As fans swarmed the streets in an effort to be the one to smash open the glass box containing the hard drive to the new album, Summer remained out of public sight.

The excitement marked by the publicity campaign quickly muddied the criticism surrounding the singer’s not-so-private life. The concern was no longer Summer’s problematic behavior; it was the contents trapped inside the glass jar. At what point does this literal breaking of records (along with the past two years of criticism) cross the line between love and obsession? And how critical can fans be of an artist without it coming off as imposing unreal expectations to be perfect?

Despite whatever points of disagreement may arise from taking these questions into consideration, Summer still strikes at the very core of our personhoods. As humans we are constantly wanting more from something (or someone), are sometimes let down by those expectations, and eventually learn to brush it off for the sake of coping. In the title track for “Over It” Summer has a moment of introspection that responds to external perceptions placed upon her: Am I really that much to handle?…You say I ain’t got no discipline. And that there, why I wasn’t listenin’.

Perhaps after a tumultuous two years of grappling with the realities of stardom fans will witness a return to the old Summer, begging to be loved and left alone.