Summer XO
Summer XO | |
|---|---|
 Summer XO with one of her Wechter Pathmaker guitars | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Summer Rose Virshup |
| Genres | Pop, Indie pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician Songwriter Visual Artist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocal, Guitar, keyboards, ukulele |
| Years active | 2006-present |
| Labels | Independent |
| Website | www.SummerXO.com |
Summer Rose Virshup better known as Summer XO, (born August 12, 1982[1]) 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.
Musical Career Biography
Summer XO 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 first single to be released was, "That One Thing." [3] Half the songs were produced by producer Mikal Blue, who is best known for his work on Colbie Caillat's "Coco (album)."
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
Since 2005, Summer XO has been regularly continuing her work on 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.
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"Francesca" Painting by Summer, 2009 -
"Perdita" Painting by Summer, 2008 -
"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 2017 is unmarried and she has no children.
Discography
Albums
- Hello World EP (2016)
- Timing and Lighting (2008) on LossLess Records
Singles
- "Usually" (2016)
- "It Would Last" (2016)
- "That One Thing" (2015)
- "Invented The Word" (2013)
- "True Colors" (2012)
References
- ^ "UBL: artist profile - Summer". Ubl.com. Retrieved 2008-11-29. [dead link]
- ^ "Finishing Summer XO's Hello World EP" (website). kickstarter.com. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
- ^ "that-one-thing-single" (website). itunes.com. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
- ^ "Summer XO Trademark" (website). USPTO.gove. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
- ^ "Invented The Word on iTunes" (website). iTunes.com. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
- ^ "True Colors on iTunes" (website). iTunes.com. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
- ^ "True Colors on iTunes" (website). iTunes.com. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
- ^ "psa_newsletter_spring2007.FH10" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ "photo of Summer's live performance with Wechter Guitars". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
- ^ "Summer XO Painting Page" (website). storenvy.com. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
- ^ "Summer XO Painting Online Store" (website). storenvy.com. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
- ^ "Summer to offer Paintings in Online Store". Fanbridge.com. Retrieved 2012-12-19.