SUMMER is back, and she’s bringing that wonderful spring breeze with her. The dancer-turned-vocalist, known for her refreshing energy and million-view dance covers, revealed her newest single, Little Kitty, a Korean–French collaboration born from her 2024 Choreo Awards win. With French producer Thibaut Pezzo, the RGBY team, and PAINTER behind the track, SUMMER delivers soft vocals wrapped in a delicate seasonal mood; that moment when autumn slips into winter. The result? A city-pop gem filled with warmth and a sprinkle of French charm.

But beneath its sweetness lies a beautifully unexpected perspective: SUMMER becomes the cat. Inspired by the pure, unchanging affection a pet gives its owner, she wrote from the viewpoint of a little cat whose love remains constant even as the world grows colder. In our interview, she shared how shifting into this inner world unlocked a whole new way of storytelling, expressing unspoken emotions through ambience rather than direct confession. The French line “Mon petit cœur, efface-moi” becomes the emotional heartbeat of the song.

And just like the song, the music video wanders into Seoul’s night streets. Director Kim Daru films a retro, comforting mood as a lonely cat roams the city in search of warmth. SUMMER told us it’s a reminder of how silent love, even one-sided, can be powerful, and how her diverse background in dance, fashion, and musical theatre shapes her artistic depth today. She’s playful, thoughtful, and wonderfully honest about her process (yes, she insists cats are “subtle hidden bosses”). With Little Kitty, SUMMER steps confidently into her next chapter with a full heart.

The bright and refreshing energy people often feel from my performances comes from the image of city pop, the genre I pursue. City pop may seem light and simple on the surface, but it carries clear emotional messages beneath.

View of the Arts: You’ve said that in Little Kitty, you become the cat rather than the owner. What did that emotional shift unlock for you creatively – did it change the way you approached storytelling in your songwriting and performance?

SUMMER: Starting the storytelling from a cat’s point of view was challenging, but it opened up entirely new possibilities for me. Since I cannot communicate with cats directly, I began with the question, “When their owners aren’t around, do they ever feel lonely?” I wanted to observe the world through their inner emotional perspective. This emotional shift led me to explore a form of storytelling that expresses implicit, internal feelings rather than direct emotions, in both lyric writing and performance. 

VOA: The song captures the fragile moment between seasons and when warmth begins to fade. How did you translate that physical feeling of changing weather into sound and emotion?

SUMMER: The emotions of “quiet loneliness” and “waiting,” which inspired the song, aligned naturally with the season when leaves begin to fall. When translating the physical sensation of warmth fading into musical emotion, I wanted to avoid exposing the intensity too directly, even if the feelings inside were explosive. That’s why I incorporated the French phrase “Mon petit cœur, efface-moi” (“My little heart, erase me”), allowing the mood of the song to be completed in a sensory and symbolic way. 

VOA: There’s a beautiful tension in the song between unconditional love and loneliness. Do you think one-sided or silent love is harder to express in music than mutual love, and why?

SUMMER: For me, expressing love that cannot be spoken aloud is much more difficult. Unlike mutual affection, this kind of emotional tension must be conveyed through atmosphere and internal emotion rather than direct language. It was important to delicately balance the complex feelings of “unconditional love” and “loneliness” within the genre of city pop. 

VOA: This track was created through a Korean–French collaboration, with French lines woven into the lyrics. How did hearing another language inside your song change the emotional texture or atmosphere for you while recording?

SUMMER: Incorporating another language (French) deepened the emotional climax and atmosphere of the track. The idea of “revealing your true feelings only in a different language” is a key emotional axis of this song. It resembles a cat trying so hard to express something but speaking in a language different from humans, which naturally elevates the overall mood of the track. 

VOA: The music video shows a lonely cat wandering through Seoul at night. If that “cat version of you” could speak directly to the owner, what do you think she would say that the song leaves unsaid?

SUMMER: If the “cat version of SUMMER” could speak to her owner directly, I think she would say, “Always look only at me, just like the first day! If not, then forget me completely!” This reflects the pure and extreme loneliness felt by a being who gives unconditional love. 

I’m the type of person who focuses only on what I’m interested in and doesn’t dwell much on anything else. I always knew I wanted to pursue music from a young age, and that certainty forms my artistic core.

VOA: You started in musical theatre and street dance, and now you’re stepping into your identity as a vocalist. How do these different disciplines shape the kind of artist you’re becoming?

SUMMER: Musical theatre, street dance, and my current work as a vocalist all fall within the broad realm of “music,” yet each requires a completely different form of expression. Every time I transitioned into a new field, I felt moments of uncertainty. But over time, these diverse experiences have become the driving force that expands my expressive abilities. They shaped my multifaceted understanding of music and helped me stand on stage as a more dimensional artist.

VOA: Winning the 2024 Choreo Awards opened the door to creating this single. Did that recognition change the way you see yourself, more as a performer, a storyteller, or a creator?

SUMMER: Winning the 2024 Choreo Awards gave me a sense of relief, confirmation that I was doing well, and it was also a moment of artistic recognition. The experience led me to collaborate with a French composer, and I was amazed by the potential for global collaboration between overseas track makers and Korean artists. Creating this new single as a global project brought the biggest shift in how I see myself, especially in my role as a creator. 

VOA: Your performances are often described as “spring-like” – light and refreshing. How do you protect that sense of joy and softness in such a high-pressure industry? 

SUMMER: The bright and refreshing energy people often feel from my performances comes from the image of city pop, the genre I pursue. City pop may seem light and simple on the surface, but it carries clear emotional messages beneath. Instead of competitive or intense imagery, I focus on expressing “pure joy” and “pure sadness,” which I believe many people perceive as a soft and positive energy. 

VOA: You’ve worked as a performer, dancer, fashion figure, and now singer. When things feel overwhelming, what brings you back to your artistic “center”?

SUMMER: I’m the type of person who focuses only on what I’m interested in and doesn’t dwell much on anything else. I always knew I wanted to pursue music from a young age, and that certainty forms my artistic core. Whenever work feels overwhelming, I remind myself: “I’m happy because I’m doing what I love. I’m lucky because what I want to do is exactly what I’m able to do.”  This mindset turns difficult moments into something positive—“The thing I wanted so much has finally arrived in a big way”—and it gives me the strength to overcome any challenge. 

VOA: Fun question: If “Little Kitty” were an actual cat with a personality, what would it be like – shy and quiet, playful and chaotic, or secretly the boss of everything?

SUMMER: Based on my experience with “Jerry,” the real-life model for Little Kitty, I can say that cats are definitely “subtle hidden bosses.” They may seem quiet, but in reality, they control my heart completely like the most charming Casanova [laughs].

The questions were surprisingly profound, and I was genuinely amazed. I feel grateful that this interview allowed me to express important points I had wanted to share but had never articulated before. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!

Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of RGBY agency

_{Big thank you to More To Come for their assistance with the interview.}

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}