Gigi Perez

gigi understands how a song can change your life. Great music, the New York-based songwriter says, can help you trudge on through hard times. “Music is the only thing that really has ever gotten me through,” she says. “I know that’s what everybody says, but it’s true—it’s that thing we can hold on to.” As gigi prepared the songs for her debut EP, she sought to make songs that inspired this same effect, so she got real. She depicts the life of a queer twenty-something with raw honesty and all-enveloping beauty, showcasing her blunt yet tender poetry amid windswept landscapes of acoustic guitars, swooping strings, and delicate reverb. gigi broke through in early 2021 after sharing a raw and unfiltered perspective of grief, "Celene" which was dedicated to her older sister who passed away that year. The song came together after she experienced an intense emotional reckoning. “One night I had a mental breakdown after reading something she had written to me before she passed away,” she recalls. “I just lost it. I went to my guitar, and the first few lines of that song were what came out of my mouth. I feel like that was the first time I processed that experience through writing. I tried to write about it for a while but I never knew what to say. It was the first time I reached that part of myself in the way I knew how to best. As intense as it felt, it was relieving too. Following the initial virality of "Celene," came “Sometimes (Backwood)” which swirls together purposeful strumming and her strong alto, evoking the otherworldly energy of dream pop with the unfiltered emotionalism of modern bedroom pop. "I was so caught off guard in the best way possible. It's so strange to think that you can have such a pure moment with yourself, completely unaware of where that moment is going to take you." "Sometimes (Backwood)” became a hit after gigi posted a video of herself playing the song on TikTok and went on to amass more than 50 million streams on Spotify. Now, gigi is gearing up to release her debut EP on Mogul Vision/Interscope. The seven-song collection with a focus on romantic longing was produced by Grammy®-winning songwriter Jennifer Decilveo (MARINA, Miley Cyrus). The project’s lead single “The Man” finds her as searching and introspective as her breakout track, pining “wide-eyed” for a lover who’s just out of reach. Swelling and sweet, the instrumental is a perfect canvas for gigi’s simmering vocal take—every moment packed with intense longing. Elsewhere on the EP, “When She Smiles” pairs plaintive vocals with image-rich lyrics that recount a doomed infatuation. "Glue" is a regret-wracked cut that knots together intricate metaphors ("And you are glue / And in all that I do / You're dripping onto me / You don't know how to let me be") before the swooning instrumental hits its peak. It’s clearly the work of a songwriter who has an intimate understanding of her growing gifts. Born in New Jersey and raised in Florida, gigi began writing songs in her teens and taught herself to play guitar, piano and ukulele. In high school, she formed the fuzz-folk band Wendy Lane with some friends including producer and multi-instrumentalist Aidan Hobbs, who is now one of her chief collaborators. She briefly attended Berklee College of Music before relocating to New York, where she began working on the songs that would make up her debut EP. Since releasing “Sometimes (Backwood)” in 2021, gigi has been on the ascent, playing the 2021 Austin City Limits festival, opening for Coldplay at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and will spend fall 2022 supporting Noah Cyrus on The Hardest Part Tour. This new project realizes her immense talent as a lyricist and singer—and gives listeners in search of solace something new to hold on to. "It's scary to think that I’m going to have that out there," gigi admits. "But I realized that when I’m listening to the artists that have gotten me through the craziest times, I’m not necessarily thinking about them—instead, it’s like a song is holding me while I’m going through it.” There’s no doubt that with songs as generous and vulnerable as the ones on her EP, gigi will soon provide the same feeling to people around the world.