Ever since July 2024, so many people’s hearts have been struck by the impactful music of Gigi Perez with her release of the hit “Sailor Song”, but most aren’t aware that she’s not new in town! Let’s learn more about Gigi’s journey in music and how her life has impacted her songs.
WHO IS GIGI PEREZ?
Gigi (full name Gianna) Perez is a 24-year-old artist who has been around with her deep voice and touching lyrics since 2018, although, back then, she used to be part of a band (called Wendy Lane) and didn’t work solo.
Despite first having her work released in 2018 and having an impressively early start to music while dabbling into songwriting at age 15, Gigi started posting her singing to TikTok in 2020. What triggered her start on social media was a series of tragic events that happened in her life, with her relationship ending and her sister passing away, so posting videos started as a coping mechanism– which meant that her songs were all very emotionally charged in response to what inspired them.
She grounds her music on her life experiences. She deals with topics that are relevant to her (such as her previously mentioned breakup and family loss and sapphic relationships) but that also ends up being relatable to her audience and fans.
GIGI’S FAME
Perez’s first look into wide recognition came in early 2021 when she posted a video singing her song “Celene”, an ode to her late sister, and a bit later in the same year, she released “Sometimes (Backwood)”. Although she never came around to release the first song, the latter is her second most-listened song on Spotify and marks the start of her rise into fame.
Later in 2022, she opened Coldplay’s and Noah Cyrus’s shows and got her name spread around even more, and in 2023 she released her EP How To Catch A Falling Knife. Even if she was not as well known back then as now, Gigi was steadily building up her name and recognition over the years, showcasing her talent to a bigger audience every time.
And then, in 2024, she hit the jackpot: after releasing “Normalcy”, a queer love song she had teased in 2022, “Please Be Rude” and “Sailor Song”, Perez went viral.
“Sailor Song” even found its way to the Hot 100 Billboard, having been there for 8 weeks and currently standing on the 33rd position! Her breakthrough is a win for the lovesick, the sapphic couples, the folk enjoyers, and everyone open to listening to something new.
Perez impact
When talking about “Sailor Song”, it is remarkable to remember the controversy it gathered when it was finally released in July: a specific lyric, “I don’t believe in God/ But I believe that you’re my savior” sparked up some criticism from some Christian and far-right communities that came across the song online.
For example, you may have already seen someone post a video complaining about the lyrics and asking for a change or refusing to sing the lines altogether because it didn’t go along with what they believed– and what those people did sparked some more reactions from Gigi’s fans and even Gigi herself: Perez’s fans responded by claiming that, if those people didn’t agree with what was said, the song wasn’t made for them and the singer herself stated that she would NOT be changing her lyrics because it expressed what she felt, and therefore they would stay the way the intended.
With all the reactions and experiences that came with “Sailor Song”, Gigi had the inspiration to write another that spoke on the topic of religion: “Fable”, which will be released on October 25th and went viral for Perez’s haunting vocals singing “Love was the law, religion was taught”, words that spoke to many listeners around the world.
Gigi made quite an impact on people with religious trauma with that song, but with her overall career, she has shown her 18.9 million Spotify listeners that LGBTQ+ people have space on the Billboard and mainstream media, that it’s fine to stand your ground when faced with backlash and when people question your beliefs, and that it’s good to express your feelings and be romantic and express grief and just be your true self.
It has been truly inspiring to see such a young artist blow up after working so hard for long years and difficulties, and we can’t help but be proud and happy that Gigi Perez has come so far over the years because the world deserves to hear her refreshing lyrical and instrumental work, and she deserves the recognition!
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The article above was edited by Beatriz Gatz.
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