Behind The Verse: Summer Dennis Shines On Her ‘Endless Summer’ Tour

Endless Summer is a whole vibe. Singer-songwriter Summer Dennis is hitting stages across the U.S. on her first tour—the Endless Summer tour—taking her electric, feel-good energy and captivating vocals on the road.

Fresh off the release of her latest single, “Ain’t No Way,” the soulful songstress is living her dream—performing onstage and connecting with new listeners as well as OG fans. Under the spotlight, the singer is in her element—often head-to-toe in Plus The Designer Is Black, her other passion project. As creative director of the clothing brand, Summer is boosting the label through her performance looks and artist merch.

BOSSIP caught up with Summer as she kicked off her five-city Endless Summer tour to discuss life on the road, her creative process, and new music.

BOSSIP: You’ll be playing shows across the country on your Endless Summer tour, with dates set through July. How does it feel to embark on your first tour as a headliner?

Summer Dennis: I really like being on stage, so the opportunity to do it back-to-back like this is really exciting. I love meeting new fans and being exposed to people who haven’t heard my music—giving them a new experience and making new friends. It’s so much fun. I would totally tour nonstop if I could. That’s the dream, you know? Just to be a touring artist and go city to city, sing your songs, and everybody just loving it—that’s the dream.

I was just at the Howard Theatre opening for Melanie Fiona and Pretty Ricky, and I saw people literally singing my songs. It’s the best feeling ever.

That was in DC, right? As a DMV native, how did it feel to connect with the audience there?

When artists come to DC, it’s known to be a tough crowd here. So to get that kind of love in DC, the fact that people knew my music—oh my god, that’s an accomplishment I will never forget. It feels so good. There’s so much love.

A unique element of your Endless Summer tour is inviting local musicians to perform in a sort of open-mic format. What inspired you to include this in your tour?

The first tour I did was with Open Gem USA and I was one of the performers. The thing with Open Gem is, it’s like an open mic for hidden gems of dope talent. It creates a nice environment for new music, discovery, and openness—and there’s so much love in the room.

What I noticed was that when you provide community for people, it’s really impactful to them. When you share your opportunities with people, they find something in you that they find in themselves. 

I kept doing it, I started my own (open mic) at Lydia On H, and after that, I was talking to Nature (founder of Open Gem USA) and we decided to do it again with this tour. We’re doing jam sessions and open mics in some of the cities—it’s different for each city.

So this weekend, we’re going to have an open jam and musicians can sign up to play. It’s going to be super improvisational … We have some other headliners coming too. It’s going to be a dope environment.

Your newest single “Ain’t No Way” dropped earlier this year. Can you talk us through the meaning behind the music?

I like that we start off the song with the resolve of walking away, from whatever it is:

Was searching for your validation
But you had my antennas raising
You lost signal I lost patience
So I’m giving you my salutations

I’m drawn to songs where you have a strong resolve about not going back, because it’s so important to finally decide what you’re willing to put up with and what your life is supposed to look like.

I’m a survivor of domestic violence and I’ve had my own struggles with that. So on a personal level, I was very drawn to this song because it sounds like, “Raaah! I’m done!” (Laughs) It sounds like that inner warrior that every woman can tap into inside of them.

And the chorus says, “Ain’t no way,” because I’m basically telling anyone—especially a man—I’ve had enough. I’ve realized my worth. I’m not gonna settle for any foolishness. Nobody’s playing in my face. They’re not going to disturb my peace.

What moves you to create?

A lot of real-life situations. I get excited about writing about things that really happened, and I just want to get it out on paper.  Life experiences put me in songwriting mode. I’m like, oh, I gotta tell somebody about this. I’ve gotta tell this story, you know?

You grew up singing in the church. How did that early experience shape the artist you are today?

I got picked to do the songs that would make everybody cry. You know, when it’s time to cry and pay tithes, that’s when I got my solo. And that’s when I first noticed, wow, my voice really does have an impact on people.

It’s a power that I want to use for good. I want to make people feel good. And if that’s just by singing songs that they can relate to, that help them escape for one night everything that’s going on outside, I feel like that’s something I can do to contribute positively.

Catch Summer Dennis on her Endless Summer tour. Visit Open Gem USA for tickets and tour dates.

About BOSSIP ‘Behind the Verse’

BOSSIP Behind the Verse goes beyond the lyrics to uncover the untold stories behind the music. This intimate series gives artists a space to reflect on their creative process and share the moments, memories, and motivations that shaped their sound.

The post Behind The Verse: Summer Dennis Shines On Her ‘Endless Summer’ Tour appeared first on Bossip.