"Summer Magic" is a song recorded by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai, released on May 17, 2019 through EMI Records and Universal Music Group.[1] It is Ai's first single to be recorded fully in English and served as her second international single, her first being "Beautiful Life" (2012).[2] The song, written and produced by The Rascals and Ai, is an upbeat tropical song with R&B and pop elements. Lyrically, the song is about being with a lover at the beach during summer. The Japanese version of "Summer Magic" was included on Ai's extended play, It's All Me, Vol. 1 (2020).[3]

"Summer Magic"
Japanese version single cover
Single by Ai
from the EP It's All Me, Vol. 1
B-side"Summer Magic (Japanese Version)"
ReleasedMay 17, 2019 (2019-05-17)
Recorded2019
Genre
Length3:35
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ai singles chronology
"Kira Kira"
(2017)
"Summer Magic"
(2019)
"You Never Know"
(2019)
Music video
"Summer Magic" on YouTube
"Summer Magic" (Japanese Version) on YouTube

Background and release

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I'm very happy to be able to collaborate with Amazon for the 20th anniversary of my debut! "Summer Magic" is a song I wrote for a commercial that will liven up this summer...It's a happy summer song that makes you want to hum right away with unprecedented sounds and melody lines.[4]

— Ai's comment on "Summer Magic"

After giving birth to her second child in December 2018, Ai returned to her musical career after a year break.[5][6] To celebrate her twenty-year anniversary in the music industry and the then upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics, Ai traveled to her hometown, Los Angeles, California, to record a series of songs for an album. On May 1, 2019, the song and its accompanying music video were teased on her social media. In addition to the English version, Universal announced a Japanese version would be released through Universal Japan on the same day. Upon its release, it was announced that the Japanese version would be used in an advertisement by Amazon for their series of Echo devices.[1][7]

In an outdoor advertisement displayed at Shinjuku Station for "Summer Magic", Ai revealed her distaste of searching her name mononymously on search engines would show results for artificial intelligence rather than information about her.[8][9] She jokingly added, "Is it just me or will artificial intelligence take away my job?"[10][11]

Live performances

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Ai performed "Summer Magic" and other songs during her 20th anniversary premium live gospel choir tour that took place in November 2019.[12] Further performances were scheduled in 2020 but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour was rescheduled to May 2021 and was postponed due to rising cases of COVID-19 in Japan as of May 10, 2021.

Music video

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A music video was shot in early 2019 in Penghu. Recorded by drone, Ai is seen singing while wandering a beach and various locations within a town. Various shots of the island are seen throughout the video. The video closes with Ai standing on a cliff near the ocean watching the sunset.

Track listing

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  • Digital download and streaming
    1. "Summer Magic" — 3:35
  • Digital download and streaming (Japanese Version)
    1. "Summer Magic" (Japanese Version) — 3:37

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from Tidal.[13]

  • Ai Uemura – vocals, songwriter, producer
  • Leon Thomas III – songwriter, producer
  • Khris Riddick-Tynes – songwriter, producer

Release history

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Release history and formats for "Summer Magic"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various May 17, 2019 Original [2]
Japan Japanese version [14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "AI ラスカルズとの共作による新曲「Summer Magic」がAmazon EchoシリーズのCMソングに、5月17日より世界同時配信 | SPICE - エンタメ特化型情報メディア スパイス". SPICE(スパイス)|エンタメ特化型情報メディア スパイス. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "J-Pop Singer AI Shares New 'Summer Magic' Single in English & Japanese: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "AI、20周年記念ミニアルバム『IT'S ALL ME – Vol.1』先行配信決定". BARKS (in Japanese). June 22, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "AI、新曲「Summer Magic」がAmazon EchoシリーズのCMソングに決定". Real Sound|リアルサウンド (in Japanese). May 17, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "「割とマジで困ってますw」 歌手のAIさんが「AIの登場で迷惑している」とメッセージ". ITmedia NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  6. ^ "AIのニュース (4ページ目) - 音楽ナタリー". natalie.mu. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "AI、Amazon Echoシリーズ新TVCMソングに新曲書き下ろし". BARKS (in Japanese). May 17, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  8. ^ 株式会社インプレス. "「AI(エーアイ)の登場で一番迷惑しているのは、AI(アイ)です。」 AIさんが切実!?なメッセージを新宿駅で公開". ネタとぴ (in Japanese). Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "AI(アイ)、新曲「Summer Magic」(Amazon EchoシリーズのCMソング)好評配信中". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1|PR TIMES. May 20, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Inc, Natasha. "AIに職を奪われそうなAI、新宿駅にて意見広告(コメントあり)". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved July 6, 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ "AI自虐"AI"に職を奪われる!?「カンペキ負けてて」「割とマジで困ってますw」". ORICON NEWS. May 20, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "AI 20周年イヤー第一弾新曲「Summer Magic」のティザー映像が公開". LMusic-音楽ニュース- (in Japanese). May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "Credits / Summer Magic / AI - TIDAL (US)". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  14. ^ "AI、20周年イヤー第1弾の新曲「Summer Magic」ティザー映像公開". Real Sound|リアルサウンド (in Japanese). May 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2021.