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.
