Every Summertime by NIKI has always been a bop, so it only feels right and correct seeing the euphoric love song get its much warranted praise.
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Life works in mysterious ways. You may be expecting one thing to happen, but then life throws you a plot twist when you least expect it. 88rising’s NIKI knows a lot about this. Born and raised in Indonesia, the 22-year-old rewrote the rules of what it means to be a pop star and has now ascended to become one of the biggest rising acts of the new generation.
And this unexpended twist in life also occurred with her song, Every Summertime. When she dropped it as a single in August 2021, it was well-received, but it didn’t necessarily set the world on fire. That was until now, and honestly, it absolutely deserves it. Every Summertime is an A-tier pop song and it’s only right to see it receive the love it’s getting.
I’D GIVE UP ANYTHING TO TRAVEL INSIDE YOUR MIND
Every Summertime was released as the lead single of the official motion picture soundtrack for the MCU film, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings. The track was also included in the movie’s official soundtrack album Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings: The Album. It doesn’t take a lot of repeat listens to understand why it is getting as much praise and plays as it is now.
An exuberant love song about two Asian college students falling in love in San Francisco, the track features somewhat of a throwback sound reminiscent of classic R&B and soul. NIKI’s voice in the track is divine, but where the song truly shines is when it reaches its godly chorus. From the retro sounding verses, the track then transitions to a euphoric chorus that sounds like what happiness feels like. It’s a mesmerizing section as NIKI sings about how loving a significant other feels like summertime. It’s the kind of song that would be perfect to soundtrack any love stuck teen romance in a movie, or any relationship in general.
“Every Summertime came together so fast–we wrote it in less than an hour! It was one of those magical moments where there’s a special kind of alchemy happening whilst creating and now it’s one of our favorite songs of our careers,” shared NIKI on the song’s creation. The mood setting is truly something else and harkens to a time of young love. NIKI, along with her co-writer and co-producer Jacob Ray, did an excellent job with this intoxicating single.
I FALL IN LOVE EVERY SUMMERTIME
@niki thank u @soundonid for the love ?? #fyp #everysummertime #niki #niktok ♬ Every Summertime – NIKI
For most of 2021, Every Summertime experienced mild success. But that all changed by late 2021 when the song suddenly started going viral on social media, particularly on TikTok. Say what you want about the video sharing app, but if it has brought us one good thing, it’s that it gives songs that deserve mainstream popularity its chance in the spotlight. As of this writing, Every Summertime has been used in videos over 742,000 times, and that’s just the official version.
@88rising We’re sharing our favorite Every Summertime covers over the next couple weeks! Use #LoveSongCovers and tag us + @niki ♬ Every Summertime – NIKI
From song covers to being used as the BGM to many kinds of videos, the song soon gained in popularity. Currently, it has over 70 million streams on Spotify alone and is currently in the Top five of Spotify PH’s Top 50 chart. Speaking of song covers, some Filipino musicians have also hoped on the trend. Composer extraordinaire Trisha Denise is known for uploading Tagalog versions of Korean songs on her TikTok page. And she gave the Tagalog treatment to Every Summertime, which got NIKI’s seal of approval as she commented on the video. BINI, meanwhile, delivered a beautiful cover of the song, and has raked over 2.4 million views and counting.
EVERDAY IS SUMMERTIME WITH YOU
Clearly most of Every Summertime’s success has been driven by organic growth as more and more people discover the song. But NIKI herself has also helped in promoting it as well. She dropped not one, not two, but four music videos for the song. The first was released on August 9, 2021 along with the single. It follows a father and son, played by rapper and actor Dumbfoundead and Minari star Alan Kim respectively, driving around the neighborhood and listening to tunes. The second video features NIKI singing and making her way through the aisles of a 99 Ranch Supermarket, a renowned Asian-American grocery chain in the US. The third video is more autobiographical as it loosely follows the arc of NIKI’s own music journey from college student to rising superstar.
The latest video was dropped just recently and it’s more of a lovely short film. It centers on a young couple in Los Angeles in the 1970s on the day of their anniversary. The young woman hands him a beautifully wrapped gift box revealing a fancy pair of shoes. It then shifts to the present day and follows a dapper elderly man in Chinatown as he gets dressed for his 50th anniversary. As he walks through the neighborhood, the video flash backs in time to a young couple falling in love. The music video culminates in the old man arriving at the iconic Chinatown Central Plaza in LA and performing a heartwarming dance sequence in memory of his late wife.
I’M STILL ON YOUR SIDE
What’s most impressive about all of these is how NIKI has included her Asian heritage in nearly every step of this process. The song itself came from NIKI’s own experiences as an Asian. “I think I just wanted to get at the Asian diasporic experience. What it would look like for two first-generation Asian Americans, going to college and falling in love—that was the inspiration,” she told Teen Vogue. From the Asians that star in her music videos to filming at an popular location for many Asian Americans, NIKI rocks her Asian heritage with pride.
With tracks like lowkey and La La Lost You, this isn’t the first time NIKI has scored a hit single. And this probably won’t be the last time. And with the fact that she is set to be the first Indonesian to perform at Coachella later this April, NIKI’s star continues to rise. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll go back to listening to Every Summertime.
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