The Voice Season 19 finalist Cami Clune released “Summer Fantasy” (Acoustic) today, October 23. The stripped-back re-recording is available on all streaming platforms.
The new version is built around acoustic guitar and pedal steel. It pulls the song down to its core and draws out the wistful ache behind it. “Summer Fantasy” first appeared on Clune’s July debut album, should be sleeping, and has become a staple of her acoustic sets.
“We play ‘Summer Fantasy’ pretty often at our acoustic shows, and I’ve always loved how people respond to it stripped down,” Clune said. “I think this version really highlights the story and lyrics, and brings out the nostalgia and longing behind the song.” She added that she wanted pedal steel because it heightens that feeling and gives the song “a whole new life.”
Clune and Nicholas Chiari, who records as Grabbitz, co-wrote “Summer Fantasy,” the fifth track on the album. Album producer Keegan Ferrell returned to produce, mix and master the acoustic version. It pairs Clune’s vocals with Mason Laboski on acoustic guitar and Brian Senfelder on pedal steel, bringing the country undercurrent of her pop-rock sound to the surface.
The release follows Clune’s viral NHL playoff anthem performance, which drew international coverage from Reuters, The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR and USA Today. should be sleeping is her seven-track debut, and she describes it as her most cohesive and vulnerable project to date. Ferrell produced and mixed it, and Fred Miller mastered it.
Collaborators on the album include Chiari, Grant Michaels, Kyle May, Katlin Owen, Tucker Richmond, Hamilton Belk and Matt Kelly of City and Colour. The songs blend pop, rock and country with theatrical storytelling, exploring heartbreak, hope, limerence, nostalgia and the restless late-night thoughts that come with life’s transitions. Clune said the songs were written mainly during the summer of 2023, as she navigated the end of her first long-term relationship and fell for someone who “ultimately wasn’t who I thought they were.”
Clune grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, immersed in music, musical theatre and performance. Her influences range from Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks to Alanis Morissette and Amy Lee. She first gained national attention on The Voice, where she earned a rare four-chair turn and coach block.
She has since built an independent career as the official anthem singer for the Buffalo Sabres. She has appeared as a featured vocalist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor JoAnn Falletta and has performed for the Buffalo Bills, NASCAR events, and SailGP competitions.
Click here to stream “Summer Fantasy” (acoustic)
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