The Toronto-based R&B/Alternative artist and Singer-Songwriter Elyssa Plaza returns with a sweet and emotional summer single entitled "It Was Summer."
Through years of choir singing and vocal lessons, Elyssa Plaza has landed herself amongst the stars with her breathtaking delivery that never fails to captivate the listener. With inspirations like Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, and Daniel Caesar, Elyssa Plaza is able to convey her truth while doing so in the smoothest of ways.
Diving into false infatuation with her recent single, "It Was Summer," Elyssa Plaza expands on a summer fling that ended with an agreement to be friends. Co-written and composed by Ryan Patrick O'Grady, Elyssa Plaza's honest lyricism touches on the emotions she felt when blindsided by the fact that her fling ended their relationship over text before she got the chance to do it in person respectfully.
Listening to "It Was Summer," the song begins with samples of birds and cicadas that warm the air alongside a tender electric guitar and a downtempo r&b drum arrangement. As Elyssa Plaza starts to serenade us with her smooth and velvety vocals, she later expands on how she would steer away from those lonely midnight blues when she landed upon someone new who could make her feel whole once again.
Diving into the hook, Elyssa Plaza elaborates on how she felt taken advantage of when she would reach out for a hand to hold. This separation might have hurt her ego, but it clearly offered a needed lesson to the young singer-songwriter, as she can now reflect on those experiences through her sweet-sounding tunes.
Lose yourself in the warmth and tenderness of Elyssa Plaza's latest single, "It Was Summer," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
We're truly infatuated with the overall delicacy and bliss you've poured through our speakers with your latest single, "It Was Summer." When did you begin feeling inspired to release your thoughts and emotions through song?
The music inspires me to express my life experiences in ways I verbally can’t. I’m able to use the sound of music to depict the kind of emotions I'm feeling. I like to write during times where I feel like I’m not heard. For this single, I wanted to incorporate the feeling of summer and failed summer flings. I wanted to write about the experiences I’ve had with the emotions of taking chances and getting hurt.
What sort of sonic atmosphere and vibe were you aiming to achieve with your instrumental arrangements and production in "It Was Summer"? How did you want the sonics to make the listener feel?
I was aiming for a nostalgic throwback summer vibe. I curated a playlist to inspire the sounds of the song. These included classic hits from the Bee Gees, ‘So In Love’ by Curtis Mayfield, and ‘Strawberry Swing’ by Coldplay; I wanted the soundscape to bring back memories, make you feel warm, and be an escape. From the sound of the cicada’s, birds, and vintage guitar sounds, I wanted anyone who listened to 'It was Summer' to immediately begin thinking of a nice summer's day.
What was it like collaborating with Ryan Patrick O'Grady when writing and composing "It Was Summer"? How did he help the song flourish?
It’s such a great process collaborating with Ryan. I feel as though he gave me a lot of helpful feedback when it came to writing the lyrics of ‘It Was Summer’. We would always go back and forth with ideas. I would send him what I have and he would critique the lyrics until the end product was good. Ryan is also open to ideas and trying new things. When collaborating on production, Ryan is able to encapsulate all my ideas while taking time with production; and adding new things allowing the song to flourish.
Seeing that "It Was Summer" is your first release of the year, why did you choose to release this song as your comeback to reintroduce yourself to listeners?
I started working on ‘It Was Summer’ back in 2020 while working on my last single ‘Is it Really Love’. I’ve been so eager and excited to release it since the song has been in the works for some time. I wrote the song after reflecting on failed summer flings. I was so proud of the lyrics and how the sound came together, becoming a tribute to personal growth with a good summer vibe. I thought that anyone else who is going through/went through the same thing and is trying to feel good inside could use this song. I also felt like this was something that needed to be released during the summer season.
What's next for you?
I plan on releasing more music for the rest of the year and hopefully get my song on a Spotify Editorial playlist! I also think a music video would be really fun, so I would love to do that next!
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