By Tia Lowe, Howard University News Service

Summer came early this year in D.C. – Summer Walker that is. On Wednesday, March 27, 2019, the young R&B star arrived in Washington, D.C. for one of her last stops on the “Girls Need Love Tour” at U Street Music Hall.

Summer Walker got her big break in the music industry with her single “Session 32.” Although it was less than two minutes, the song grabbed the attention of R&B fans everywhere. The single was followed by her 12-track album, “Last Day of Summer,” which features the song that inspired the tour’s name and was recently named platinum, “Girl’s Need Love.”

Eager fans arrived more than two hours early to secure their front row spot. “The line was definitely worth the wait, other than a few mishaps… I ultimately enjoyed talking to my friends as well as a few new friends we made,” said Kristen Miller, a student at Shepherd University in West Virginia. Fans traveled hours to come to support the rising music sensation.

“I found out about Summer Walker through Kylie Jenner’s Snapchat, after she posted one of her songs. I looked up the lyrics and from then on, I’ve been obsessed with all her,” said Aryon Green, another student at Shepherd University. Walker brought a few other artists from her label to open the show. The first act was a singer by the name of Janiyah, she had a similar singing style as Walker. Her melodic r&b tone was a befitting introduction to Summer Walker’s set. The audience seemed to be familiar with her lyrics and reciprocated the energy she delivered during her performance. Following her set, was a pop-rock singer named Maya B. from Los Angeles, California.

Fans were anxious to see Walker and she did not disappoint. She performed over 10 songs. “‘Girls Need Love’ and ‘Riot’ were my favorite to hear live. “I felt another level of energy when those two songs were performed,” said Michelle Lewis a student at Shepherd University. (You are forgetting the quotation marks)

The crowd was interactive the entire performance. At one point, Walker stopped singing and said, “I got a choir in the front row.” She was interactive at times as well. “I would definitely go to another [Summer Walker] concert, especially if she were to go back on tour after dropping new songs,” said Miller.

Summer Walker definitely brought the heat when she came to D.C., at least for a few hours – back to low temperatures.