Karma

Album: Last Day of Summer (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Before Summer Walker struck fame as a R&B singer, she made ends meet as an exotic dancer in an Atlanta strip club. That experience inspired this song, where she sings of the karma that comes back and bites the men who lust over her.

    Nice to meet you, I'm sorry
    I'm just here to do my job
    Nice to meet you, no running
    Please don't fear me, I'm just karma


    Men get carried away in strip joints, and some thought they'd fallen in love with Walker. They wanted to take her home, but for Walker, it was just a business transaction and she refused to get involved. Walker didn't care if she upset them by appearing cold and heartless, as that's the universe taking revenge. It's romantic karma for all the pain and heartbreak they'd imposed on their previous lovers.
  • Summer Walker recorded "Karma" for her debut commercial mixtape, Last Day of Summer. She didn't release it as a single, but it has since become one of the project's most-loved songs.
  • Before Summer recorded Last Day Of Summer, her manager suggested she'd work well with the Atlanta producer Arsenio Archer. He introduced them, and Archer produced or co-produced nine of the 12 songs on the mixtape, including "Karma."
  • The original version of this smooth ballad was much wilder. "We actually had it pitched up, crazy, changing her voice," Archer told Learning In The Open. "I actually have that version. But, in the end, we ended up stripping it all back and keeping her natural voice."
  • Archer sees "Karma" as the biggest song on Last Day Of Summer. "It's a really big ballad," he said. "It slows to a crawl at the end, but it still keeps your attention."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

John Parr

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.