ICYMI: #WomanCrushWednesday IG Live featuring Heather Sommer

BY LAURA HARPER/WWR Staff Writer

It is no secret that the music industry can be very difficult for artists to make their mark in, but few artists are able to radiate a positive attitude and embrace the reality of rejection quite as much as Heather Sommer.

Sommer recalls writing her first song about winter inspired by a snowy car ride when she was only nine years old. In high school, she began to take her songwriting more seriously and began to explore her abilities as a vocalist.

Eventually, Sommer started to conduct her own research to find producers and send them samples of her music.

“It was about making my own opportunities,” Sommer said.

Like many artists, Sommer did face a lot of rejection along the way but learned to view that rather unpleasant aspect of the music industry as a way to reroute her career onto a new, better path.

“If you have a passion for something and you love what you do, everything outside of that is trivial,” Sommer said.

Today, Sommer has over 40 million total streams on Spotify.

While a lot of her career thus far has involved songwriting and features on EDM projects, Sommer recently released an original pop project in the form of an EP called Nocturnal. Upcoming, she plans to release even more original content as singles.

Sommer says she pulls inspiration for her songs from a bunch of different sources surrounding her, including her personal experiences, her friends’ experiences, and even quotes she finds on Instagram. However, with her original content, she tries to avoid being pigeonholed into one specific genre.

“I’m a chameleon with sound,” Sommer said. “I’m willing to try any opportunity for genres.”

In addition to creating her own original music, Sommer has also been focusing on her talent for visual arts. Using her iPad, an Apple Pencil, and the app Procreate, she has been able to design all of her own artwork for her releases.

“It was the first time I had my own face on my art,” Sommer said.

Sommer did not just stop at music artwork, however. She also started to design her own merch, which is available for purchase through her Etsy shop and can be accessed through the Merch highlight on her Instagram page, @TheArtistHeather.

Looking toward the future, Sommer is primarily focused on continuing to put out new music for her fans and is looking forward to being able to perform those songs live as soon as it is once again safe to do so. She is also currently working on securing a publishing deal for her music, which she hopes to accomplish by the end of this year.

“I’m mostly just looking to grow and develop,” Sommer said.

For more on Heather Sommer, you can check out the entire interview on Instagram @OfficialWomenWhoRock.