HNHH recently connected with Sprite for the ongoing Live From The Label series, which aims to highlight emerging talent through a series of livestream concerts. Centered around three headlining shows from Saweetie, Latto, and Jack Harlow, each performance will feature an up-and-coming opening act, with the aim of catapulting their careers up another rung in the ladder.
With Live From The Label set to continue on Thursday, August 12th with a headlining set by Saweetie, her opening act will be Summer Valentine, a Philadelphia artist who has much to say about her journey living through music. We had the chance to catch up with her ahead of her upcoming performance for a special Sprite edition of On The Come Up.
"At the time I started my solo music career, it was really just about being me," she explains, opening up about her musical influences. "Finding who I was within the music. The city definitely had an impact on how I sounded and what I said, mostly because all my supporters, I grew up with them...The city's passion spilled through my music. Going out to the roller skate rink in the summer...I took different qualities I heard or experienced and put it through myself."
Insofar as her own favorite artists, she gives a shout-out to Bruno Mars, Beyonce, and her favorite artist of all time -- Drake. She also has love for the bars, giving props to Big Sean -- whom she deems "a lyrical beast," as well as Eminem. Perhaps there's something about Detroit emcees that speaks to her creativity.
Summer also reveals some insight into her creative process, speaking on what makes a productive studio session. "My creative process stems from how I'm feeling," she explains. "Whatever emotions I have had within that week, I'll try to put it down on paper. Growing up in the industry you have to relate to your music or other people won't relate to it...Going through different things like heartbreak, gaining and losing friends, experiencing different transitions in life...I always knew to put my feelings down on paper."
"I think the best part is collabing with so many different minds," she continues. I can be hard on myself sometimes, so having people flow freely, give quick tips. If you can exchange advice in an open positive space, the song will always come out good. As long as everybody understands each other's visions and knows what the outcome is supposed to be. If you're being authentic and real about what you're doing through, the song will always reflect that."
For new fans looking to put Summer Valentine on the radar, it's never a bad idea to start with the songs she believes to be her most impactful. "I believe I have two that resonate with each other," she says. "The first is called 'Type of Way.' The creative process for that was very slow and intimate...We were really connected with the meaning of the song. It's a 'let go' kinda thing...My other song is called' Me Day,' it's more recent. That process was really about expressing how much I love spending time with myself. Whether spiritually, religiously, or me in the shower putting in a hair mask...different things to cater to yourself."
Get to know Summer Valentine by watching the full episode of On The Come Up, presented by Sprite, and checking out a few of her essential tracks below.
LISTEN: Summer Valentine - Type of Way
LISTEN: Summer Valentine - Me Day