“In that heat, I just said yes to life.” As part of our summer People series, artist Anouk Colantoni relives her first taste of New York City – and shares the songs that bring her back into that mood.

I’ll never forget the summer ...
I moved to New York – 2011 – I was at once the most liberated, excited and terrified than I had been ... In that heat, I just said yes to life and I rode around the new streets on bicycles, sweaty, smiling, kissing, exploring with new friends, working out how to exist ... with many margaritas, in ridiculous outfits to fit my new-found freedom, my heart rate so high all the time ... I can always feel it, smell it even – when I travel back in my mind. 

My warm-weather drink of choice is ...
Dependent on my mood: an Aperol spritz to quench my thirst, a spicy fresh watermelon margarita on the rocks with salt, and for a lazy long afternoon a crisp white with icebergs of ice (yes, yes, I can hear the sommeliers sigh).

The best pick-up line that’s been used on me is ...
That lingering gaze that made me shift in my skin; that lip curled up in a wry smile ...

My ultimate summer playlist includes …
Here we go – this has a little of it all for those days that are the same:
Ini Kamoze – Here Comes the Hotstepper
Ace of Base – All That She Wants
INXS – Need You Tonight
Kelsey Lu – Shades of Blue
Van Morrison – Moondance
Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
Princess Nokia – Tomboy
Chilly Gonzales – White Keys
Gipsy Kings – Bamboleo
Salt-N-Pepa – Shoop
The Coasters – Down in Mexico
Blood Orange – Best To You