Premiere: For the Adventurers and the Escapists, Niina Soleil Chases Freedom in Her “Make It Summer” Music Video
DRENCHED IN WARM SUMMER HUES — Niina Soleil’s new music video is sun-kissed and beach-ready. The accompanying visual for her latest single, “Make it Summer,” the video lies on the intersection between contemporary and vintage.
Directed by Carla Dauden, the video depicts Soleil both inside of and atop a ’60s Mustang, her only co-star the car itself, which holds great personal significance for the artist: it's a family heirloom passed down from her grandfather to her father, and now to her.
Warm and hopeful, “Make It Summer” is reminiscent of the adolescent search for freedom. Inspired by a desire to escape everyday routines, the track is the perfect ode to a season sandwiched between semesters and filled vacations and travels.
Read on below to dive deeper into the creative process behind the “Make It Summer” video!
LUNA: Can you talk us through some of the inspiration behind “Make It Summer”? What story does the track tell?
SOLEIL: I wrote “Make it Summer” in London with my co-writer Phil Davidson on an insanely beautiful day in May. We’d been working on a bunch of music for weeks, but that day I just felt like things weren’t sticking. Since we weren't getting anywhere with what we were doing, Phil suggested we take a breather on the roof. He grabbed the acoustic guitar, I grabbed my pen and paper. And the song came immediately when we got up there, like magic.
Lyrically, everything was taken from my experiences in college: when my friends and I had had enough of all the high-octane stress of school work, we’d make the drive from Amherst to NYC or the Berkshires. It was a beautiful drive, and such a thrill to just leave everything behind and hit the road. Super Americana. I’m a firm believer in the drive — having a car is like having a magic carpet. I didn’t have one with me in college, which I guess is why the car belongs to the lyrical “you” and not me. But if someone in the crew had a car? That’s an open invitation to adventure and escape. So “Make it Summer” is about that kind of beautiful escape — breaking free of the ruts and routines of everyday life and taking back your freedom, if only for a weekend. And that’s what summer is about, right?
LUNA: How did you develop the sound for the track?
SOLEIL: Finding the “Make it Summer” sound was like discovering a new spice that I want to put on everything. Since I come from a Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter, indie folk place and Phil came from a more R&B-pop understanding, the sound became a dope hybrid of those influences. I love genre-bending, but I’ve found some constants in my recent work: guitar, layered, background vocals, and beats.
LUNA: What was the creative process behind making the music video?
SOLEIL: Carla Dauden, the video’s director, is a total visionary. I gave her the basic idea I’d envisioned since writing the song: just me and my dad’s car, this gorgeous silver-blue 1966 Mustang that belonged to my grandpa. Carla took that idea and turned the dial up to 11. We had such amazing conversations before the shoot, bouncing ideas off each other, so I felt totally at ease when we started shooting.
LUNA: Visually, what are your favorite things about the video?
SOLEIL: Oh, I love everything about this video. The colors, the landscape, that orange dress — everything. Joao’s cinematography was so incredible — I just loved the way he captured the Pacific Coast highway and the character of the car. My favorite shot is the one of me on top of the car when the surf crashes against the shore — it was the most exhilarating experience of my life, and I think that shows. Two seagulls were flying overhead, the sky was insanely blue, and I felt sunshine and seaspray on my face. That’s what “Make it Summer” is all about.
LUNA/ What did you enjoy most about making the music video?
SOLEIL: Working with such a talented crew! Everyone was so kind and helpful — I felt so honored to work alongside them. Also, my younger brother and my dad were on set with me, which was awesome. Since my brother is in film school, Carla let him in on a bunch of industry magic; it was nice knowing that this experience was an education for us both.
LUNA: What does the summer season mean to you personally?
SOLEIL: It’s all about adventure. And anything can be an adventure — that’s what the song is about. Whether your adventure is a weekend away with friends or family or just lazing in a patch of sunlight and reading a book that takes you far away, summer is the time to escape.
LUNA: Is sharing the visual side of your music important for you?
SOLEIL: Absolutely. I’m a very visual person — I actually play little movies and scenes inside my head when I’m writing my songs, so I think a music video is one of the best ways to enjoy my songs. But I also love the idea of people listening to my music and imagining — or living — their own scenes and movies.
LUNA: How would you describe the vibe of your music?
SOLEIL: This is my summer chapter of music, which means it’s all about capturing the vibe of summer. Long days and warm nights, stolen hours of joy, nostalgia and bitter-sweetness.
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