Summer XO

Summer Esso[1] better known as Summer XO (born August 12, 1978) is a Los Angeles-based American singer-songwriter who plays guitar, piano, and ukulele. Though not her primary focus, she is also a visual artist who creates poster-size pastel drawings of abstract emotive female faces.

Summer XO
Summer XO with one of her Wechter Pathmaker guitars
Summer XO with one of her Wechter Pathmaker guitars
Background information
Birth nameSummer Esso
Born (1978-08-12) August 12, 1978
GenresPop, Indie pop
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, visual artist
Instrument(s)Vocal, guitar, keyboards, ukulele
Years active2006–present
LabelsIndependent
Websitesummerxo.com

Musical career biography

Summer XO releases songs and music videos. She ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to release an EP, titled, "Hello World."[2] This EP was released in late 2016, but she released each song as individual singles, beginning June 2015. The order of releases, "That One Thing," "It Would Last," and "Usually."[3] Half the songs were produced by producer Mikal Blue, who is best known for his work on Colbie Caillat's "Coco."

Before renaming herself and securing the US Trademark for Summer XO in 2013, she performed as and held the trademark for the name "Summer."[4]

In June 2013, she released the song "Invented The Word",[5] which was accompanied by an official music video. It was produced by Henry Strange and Uri Djemal.

In August 2012, Summer digitally released a cover version of the Cyndi Lauper song, "True Colors", produced by Henry Strange and Jess Stroup.[6]

Summer released the album Timing And Lighting[7] on LossLess Records in September 2008. It was produced by Henry Strange, with the exception of the song, "Messed Up," which was produced by Jess Stroup.

In October 2006, Summer was recognized as one of the "Top Ten Songwriters of 2006" by the Portland Songwriting Association.[8]

Summer XO exclusively plays handmade Wechter brand acoustic guitars that have a visually unique double cutaway body style. She owns three Wechter Pathmaker Elite series.[9] She often performs with all three on stage because of her use of different guitar tunings.

Visual art biography

Summer XO also releases a series of pastel drawings of abstract female faces that depict a clear emotion.[10] She sells them online through her online store/.[11] Due to the subject matter, Summer XO refers to the pieces in this series as "The Girls." She also often displays her drawings on stage during music performances.

  • "Francesca" Painting by Summer, 2009
    "Francesca" Painting by Summer, 2009
  • "Perdita" Painting by Summer, 2008
    "Perdita" Painting by Summer, 2008
  • "Sophia" Painting by Summer, 2009
    "Sophia" Painting by Summer, 2009

Personal life

Originally from West Virginia, Summer XO is the eldest of five children. She spent most of her youth in the small town of Bridgeport, WV. Her father is an engineer and her mother is a homemaker. The 6' tall Summer XO took up residence in Tampa, FL, Aix-En-Provence, France, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, Portland, OR, Miami, FL, and Paris, France. Summer XO moved to her current residence in Los Angeles in March 2013. From December 2011 to January 2013, Summer XO lived in Paris, France. While there, she busked in the Paris metro and played live shows.[12] Her marital status as of 2018 is unmarried and she has no children.

Discography
Summer XO Performing in Paris in July 2012

Albums

Singles
  • "Usually" (2016)
  • "It Would Last" (2016)
  • "That One Thing" (2015)
  • "Invented The Word" (2013)
  • "True Colors" (2012)

References
  1. "Facebook public profile" (website). facebook.com. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  2. "Finishing Summer XO's Hello World EP" (website). kickstarter.com. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  3. "that-one-thing-single" (website). itunes.com. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  4. "Summer XO Trademark" (website). USPTO.gove. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  5. "Invented The Word on iTunes" (website). iTunes.com. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  6. "True Colors on iTunes" (website). iTunes.com. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  7. "True Colors on iTunes" (website). iTunes.com. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  8. "psa_newsletter_spring2007.FH10" (PDF). Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  9. "photo of Summer's live performance with Wechter Guitars". Facebook.com. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  10. "Summer XO Painting Page" (website). storenvy.com. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  11. "Summer XO Painting Online Store" (website). storenvy.com. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  12. "Summer to offer Paintings in Online Store". Fanbridge.com. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
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