Summer Walker has been deep in these streets promoting her new album Still Over It with live performances. This week, the “Ex For A Reason” singer brought her talents to BBC Radio's 1Xtra Live Lounge to cover Erykah Badu’s “Bag Lady” and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to sing Still Over It cut “Unloyal.”
Summer has never been shy about her love for Ms. Badu. She was overjoyed to share a stage with her recently and interviewed the iconic artist for Rolling Stone's “Musicians On Musicians” issue last year. For her appearance on the 1Xtra Live Lounge, Walker does a masterful job of covering Badu’s “Bag Lady.” Her take was as cool, calm and collected as Erykah's album version from her classic Mama's Gun. Our only complaint was that Summer didn't sing the whole song! Her live cover was more like an interlude, clocking in at under two minutes long. We're gonna need Summer to stop playing in our faces and drop her full rendition expeditiously. Although she shorted us on "Bag Lady," Summer Walker did supply us with complete versions of her songs "Playing Games" from her debut album Over It and Still Over It track "Toxic" during this performance.
Earlier this week, Walker made the late-night TV rounds with a performance of “Unloyal” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Against a backdrop of red curtains and a red carpet, Summer and her band tell her bitter love story with sweet execution. Looking her usual unbothered, she swayed her knee-length wig to the music punctuated by an intoxicating saxophone. Her "Unloyal" duet partner Ari Lennox wasn't present for the taping, but Summer more than held it down.
Since her incredible yet uncomfortable appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk in 2019, Summer Walker has only grown as a live performer. She’s gained more confidence, more swag and more baggage to put some more emotion behind her performances, and it shows.
