Summer Yuki is the kind of artist who doesn’t just release music—she releases unhinged confessions. Her debut EP Toxic Pink Bubbles is the sonic equivalent of a knife wrapped in pink tulle: playful, girly, and sharper than it looks.
We sat down with the Japanese-Jewish American singer-songwriter, rapper, and former science and tech journalist to talk about diary entries turned bangers, bodily autonomy in music, and why she’s just now letting the world in.
EP & Creative Process
When asked what she wants people to feel when they hear the name Toxic Pink Bubbles, Summer doesn’t hesitate:
“The name came to me without much thought. The EP is in first person, and my behavior is bubbly but toxic, and I wield femininity as power.”
The EP represents her first batch of songs, which she wrote in Japan, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles.
“I started writing Toxic Pink Bubbles while working full-time as a journalist in New York. There was a lot going on outside of my job, like an injury that kept me from dancing, but I also had a newfound sense of freedom. Plus it was also summertime so my internal baddie came back with a vengeance.”
Each track is build from real emotions, written like a diary entry in first-person.
“I was really going through it,” she admits, laughing. “But I tackled it in a fun way. I could have written a track about finding ways to survive, but instead I wrote songs like High Hoe, a fun story song about discovering sugar daddy culture.”
“’Roommate’ was inspired by a situationship. Every time I perform it, people laugh and say they strongly relate.”
When people hear Toxic Pink Bubbles, she wants them to smile.
“I want people to feel happy. To laugh at the toxicity. To not give a shit. It’s about body autonomy and saying fuck it.”
She relates to something Jessie Reyez says: she likes to sing about things she doesn’t like to talk about.
“That’s how it is for me, too. Music just… comes to me, even when I didn’t ask it to. And it comes because I feel strongly about something, even if I don’t want to talk about it.”
Background & Identity
There’s duality in her name – Summer and Yuki (Japanese for snow)— and her artistry reflects a life lived on both coasts and across cultures.
“Summer is summery, just like me. I like to have a good time. But I’m also very serious, like the cold East Coast winters I knew growing up.”
“It was snowing when I was born, and so my parents gave me the middle name Yuki, which means snow. Not every Yuki is written as snow, but mine is. It’s pretty cool.”
From attending synagogue multiple times a week to vibing with freestyle West Coast jazz, her influences are layered. She credits J. Cole, Amy Winehouse, and Fiona Apple as musical north stars.
Sound, Influences & Collaboration
When it comes to sound, Summer leans into contrast—heavy basslines paired with high-frequency hi-hats, a sonic formula she continues to refine with producers like Malik Yusef and Burundi Partlow.
Dream collab?
“Definitely J. Cole or Amy Winehouse’s producers. I love when music feels honest and hits.”
Power & Persona
So what’s the most toxic lyric in Toxic Pink Bubbles?
Without blinking, she drops a few:
“Can’t booty call a married man so sifting through the trash again. Saying what you want to hear, you’re easy, I’m aggressive.”
“If you say ‘commitment,’ I will leave the state. If you say ‘relationship,’ I will leave the country.”
“I have severe trust issues—but fuck it, so do you.”
Summer values presence over proximity. She was struck by something a friend told her in LA:
“He said, ‘It’s not about who you know. It’s about who knows you.’ I want to be someone who brings something to the table.”
For first-time listeners, she offers this:
“I’ve been secretive. This is my first time really sharing my story – and it’s not even the full story or my story today. It’s the beginning of an arc that includes where my music journey began, and that foundation is absolutely chaotic.
“I don’t want to be reduced to one vibe. I consistently show up as myself, but who that is changes.”
Visuals & The Rollout
Her music video for “Low Lift Boy” is a high-gloss fever dream that blends streetwear aesthetics, feminine power, and Tokyo cyberpunk vibes into a visual cocktail that’s as intoxicating as the track itself.
“There are literally birthday body shots in the credits,” Summer says with a smirk. “We had fun with it. I got to collaborate with really talented people—stylists, dancers, directors. Everyone brought their A-game. And we celebrated that.”
But it’s more than just a music video—it’s a statement. A celebration of indulgence, chaos, and feminine energy without apology. From the styling to the cinematography, every frame screams: this is Summer Yuki, uncensored.
With Toxic Pink Bubbles, Summer Yuki isn’t just dropping an EP—she’s cracking open the bottle of everything she wasn’t supposed to say. It’s messy, magnetic, and unmistakably hers.
She’s not here to be palatable. She’s here to be powerful.
And for the first time, she’s not just letting us hear her story—she’s daring us to feel it.
Instagram: @songsbysummer
Website: https://www.songsbysummer.com/
