We had the good fortune of connecting with Summer Swee-Singh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Summer, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Though I would describe myself as risk averse in most instances, deciding to take a chance on a music career was an extremely risky decision for me. I was very much planning on becoming a lawyer after having graduated from UC Berkeley in 2010 with a B.A. in Legal Studies and a Music Minor, studying for the LSAT, and landing my first full-time job as a recruiting assistant at an internationally-known law firm in San Francisco. Pursuing a career in law was what my parents encouraged me to do since I was young and, for some time, I was convinced that it was the right path for me as well… that is, until I started writing piano and string arrangements for fun and sharing performances of them on YouTube back in 2011. It was just a fun, silly hobby, until one of my piano and string arrangements was reposted by Skrillex–that repost gave me the validation and confidence to start really working on my arranging skills. About 6-9 months later, it became apparent that I felt very fulfilled staying up all night writing arrangements on staff paper by hand, and that I was improving my skills with every arrangement and performance; I realized then that law school would always be there to apply to and attend at any age, but I knew the entertainment industry would care about my age and appearance, so if there was a time for me to take a shot at a music career, it would have to be right then. I left the law firm, to my parents’ dismay and disappointment, and decided to attempt a music career with no formal music degree or any musician network, but I knew I had the determination, work ethic, and business savvy to find a way to make things work. That said, that risk has given me the career and life I have today and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I rarely feel like I’m special or worthy of recognition for my work–I’m very proud of the work I do, but there are just countless, hardworking, brilliant musicians out there who I am constantly in awe of and inspire me daily. I am proud of the fact that I was able to even become a studio and touring musician after having no clear path carved out for me post-college and starting out with zero industry connections. I am grateful for the people who believed in me and encouraged me back when I was not getting recognition from any established artists; it was that encouragement and confidence it gave me which helped me overcome countless challenges. Some projects I’m particularly proud of include my collaborative beat pack with KSHMR on Splice (Chords of KSHMR Vol. 1 – Summer Swee-Singh), my collaborative album with Anthony Green (Would You Still Be With Strings), and starting my own instrumental band called GRP (with drumming phenom Jessica Burdeaux).
I’ve learned too many lessons to name in this answer, but some notable ones include: always have a signed contract for every gig and make sure it is as thorough as possible; the best musicians don’t care about social media numbers, what credits you have, or what you look like–they care about your skill and personality; surround yourself with musicians way better than yourself, you’ll become better than you ever dreamed you could be by trying to elevate yourself to their level.
I just want the world to know that I love creating music, and even more important than the music is that I love the people behind the music; some of my closest friends are musicians with whom I’ve worked and its those friendships that I value the most about my career. You’re going to get metaphorically screwed at least once in the music industry unless you have family members or close friends in high places, so the people who have your back during those times are more precious to me than my career.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If one of my closest friends was visiting me, I’d be sure to take them (assuming post-pandemic life allows for it) to: a show at The Observatory; multiple restaurants and bars including Stowaway, La Sirena, The Blind Pig (RSM), Snooze (Tustin), Din Tai Fun (Costa Mesa), Piadina, and Central Bar; a Laker home game and/or a USWNT game if there was one in Carson, LA or San Diego; a few beaches to catch a nice sunrise or sunset too — maybe Newport or Laguna (A Thousand Steps). Thanks to the pandemic, I’m being completely honest when I say I’d be happy just hanging with my friends in my neighborhood, outside, at the local park, birdwatching and people watching… there are lots of cool places to visit and things to do in OC/LA, but just having an outdoor picnic and hanging with friends (anywhere) is probably my ideal hang these days.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to thank my mentor Dr. Mark Nelson for having faith in my abilities as a musician way before I even dreamed of a music career. I’d also like to thank my husband for all of his support and faith in me to pursue my dream career; he’s always there to pick me up when I’m feeling down and to encourage and support me even on those days when I do not believe in my myself. I also have to shoutout the first established musicians to take a chance on me when I had few credits to my name — Circa Survive (especially Anthony Green and Colin Frangicetto), KSHMR, and CHON (Mar, Erick, Esi, and Nathan). Other close friends I’d be remiss not to name who’ve kept me sane throughout the past decade include Miren Edelstein, Brittaney DeLaTorre, Thitiwat Phromratanapongse, Chris Appleby, Tim Henson, Jessica Burdeaux, Yvette Young, Anna Sentina, Tony Ervin, Brendan Liu, Joe Barton, Jeff Young, Dan Loney, Clara Yoon, Heather Hirsch, Alex Shipp, Samina Lutfeali, and Alex Morgan. Shoutout also to Jae Deal for looking out for me and being another of my mentors. Last but certainly not least are my in-laws and my parents who I appreciate and love dearly.

Website: http://www.summersweesingh.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/summersweesingh

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sssheartstrings

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ssweesingh

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/summersweesingh

Other: Bandcamp: https://getagrp.bandcamp.com Clubhouse: @summersweesingh

Image Credits
NVS Photography, Hank Ford, Jeff Young, Jake Johnston, Trishography, Jeff Tsao

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.