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Photo by Jake Dibley

Summer might be drawing to a close, and with it, your seasonal flings. However, what’s one to do when you want that situationship to last through the rest of the year? It’s something pop artist Alyssa Baker and DJ Baby Yu explore on new single “Summer Love,” a laidback track about trying to turn summer love into something more. 

“Every song I create starts with one question: What do I want the listener to feel? Before the melodies, production, or lyrics, I want to create an emotional experience,” Baby Yu told OnesToWatch. “With ‘Summer Love,’ I kept coming back to that beautiful space at the beginning of a relationship, the moment where you're not quite together yet, but the possibility of something is everywhere.”

“Summer Love” embodies that on-the-edge feeling, with relaxed production and smooth vocals that turn a potentially stressful question — “So, what are we?” — into an earnest declaration of love. 

“I’m not trying to forget you,” Baker sings, telling her partner she “need[s] more than just a season,” and wants them to be “more than a summer love.”

Baker’s vocals — sweet and sincere, without being cloying — give “the song its identity,” Baby Yu explained, adding, “When I met Alyssa, her adult contemporary pop background brought a freshness and sincerity that perfectly matched my vision.” 

The DJ shared that he took inspiration from the ultimate summer fling anthem, Grease’s “Summer Nights,” saying, “It captures how a single summer romance can become a story people remember forever.”

He continued, “In many ways, ‘Summer Love’ is our own modern take on that timeless emotion, the kind of song that reminds you of someone, somewhere, during one unforgettable summer.”

While the song’s production and theme feels fresh, “Summer Love” has actually been in the works for “almost a decade,” Baker told OTW, adding, “It was actually my first experience toplining. Baby Yu already had a clear vision, and the song was such a bop that it was easy to get inspired.”

“For the last several years, it’s been sitting on a hard drive, only being shared with friends and family,” she continued. “I’ve listened to it so many times, imagining what it would feel like to finally release it and sing it live. It’s such a great feeling to finally share it with the world. I’ve been in this industry for a long time, but this moment feels particularly meaningful.”

It’s been a long road to get “Summer Love” released, but for a song like this, it was well worth the wait.

Listen to "Summer Love" below: