Once upon a time, gigi wrote what she described as “a lil song,” and shared it with the world on TikTok.
The clip received over 800k views, and earned gigi a devoted following who completely resonated with her emotional transparency. The song was “Sometimes (Backwood),” and received an official release in February 2021. It quickly received placements on major Spotify playlists, and reached the #1 spot on Spotify USA’s Viral Charts.
Since then, the doors have been swinging open for gigi. The rising singer/songwriter started teasing even more songs on TikTok, and found herself on the 2021 ACL lineup too!
There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to gigi, and her brand new single “The Man” is at the top of the list. gigi spilled some major details on how it came together, plus her journey so far.
Let’s take it back to the beginning. What made you gravitate towards making music?
g: Oooo this is a big one. I grew up doing musical theater in middle school into high school and we used to have our practices on the stage which was in the gym; confusing i know. One day after practice, everybody had gone home and I went up to the piano (which you weren’t allowed to touch) and I taught myself a C major chord. At this point I had already been writing poems and posting them on my Tumblr (lol) but had never written a song. It was kind of like a cheesy Disney movie where the light goes off over the character’s head. That’s what it felt like. I started teaching myself songs and learning chords which then turned into songwriting. Shortly after, a friend from my choir class brought in a guitar one day and I asked him to try it out and I fell in love with it. He ended up lending to me and I taught myself how to play guitar.
In terms of recording, my best friend Aidan (who is also a producer on this project coming out and someone I work with frequently) and I jammed a lot together in high school. He’s an insane pianist and we started writing and collaborating together our sophomore year of high school with our buddy Coco and we ended up creating the band known as Wendy Lane. We only released like three songs but we had a lot of fun together.
Over the past year, you’ve been sharing your life experiences with the world on TikTok. Would you say this has helped you develop your skills and grow as an artist?
g: Oh for sure! I think it made me more comfortable with vulnerability. A big struggle for me was the isolation that came with grief after my older sister passed away. I often wondered how my vulnerability on such a weird and dark topic would even be received by people. Before uploading the song “Celene” to TikTok I had little community except for my family and therapist that understood what I was going through. I actually started posting tik toks as a way to cope with my sister’s passing and a breakup I was going through at the time. I had 300 TikTok followers and I definitely did not think anything of the video I shared and if anything I was a little apprehensive knowing my friends would see such a personal side of me. The reaction I received seeing how many people have experienced the same kind of pain that I have has given me this certain kind of push in exploring themes of grief in the music I want to share in the future as well as being able to talk about the odd world that grief is.
What helps keep your creative juices flowing?
g: Having my heart broken!
Walk us through the process of how your new single “The Man” came about!
g: I met Jenn Decilveo and we instantly clicked. We bonded over sharing what it was like to grow up queer and how that affected the way we interacted and related to the world around us. I had a melody I was working on and showed it to her and we sat down and jammed until a song was born. At first it was written on piano then she asked to hear it on guitar. I didn’t know how to change the chord qualities from piano to guitar so it ended up giving it this beautiful minor sound to it at moments which fit the song perfectly. “The Man” was born from a space of acknowledging the many specific ways that gender expectations interact with anyone in their life. The song acknowledges guilt, shame, sarcasm, resentment, indifference, and freedom. It just depends which way you’re feeling when you listen to it.
You had the opportunity to perform at ACL last year, and you’ll be opening for Coldplay in Tampa very soon! Is there anything you’ve realized about performing for such large crowds (especially as an emerging artist) that many people might not consider?
g: It’s so surreal and I still have a hard time trying to grasp these amazing live shows I’ve had the privilege of experiencing.
One thing I’ve come to know is how important a good sound check is! I started out playing small venue shows here and there where in ears were not a necessity. My first time using them I was super nervous and I’m still learning how to trust myself with them.
I love being able to hear the music reverberating throughout the hall but I know it can cause timing issues etc. so I think becoming comfortable with hearing the live music through a different medium than I’m used to is a fun learning curve.
What is one moment from your journey so far that you simply can’t get over?
g: Hanging out with Michael Tighe (Jeff Buckley’s guitarist) who wrote one of my all-time favorite songs “So Real” with him. Still can’t believe that happened he was so cool and sweet.
If there’s one particular spot in the world you could envision yourself listening to “The Man” at, where would it be?
g: I feel like listening to it on a river in Canada during the winter-ish time would be beautiful but I’ve never been to Canada and I don’t know what a river is.
Let’s speak something awesome into existence! What is one of your biggest goals that you hope to see come to fruition in 2022?
g: Love this question. Hm. Meet Phoebe Bridgers. At the end of ACL last year I saw her driving past me in a golf cart in the artist lot. I impulsively screamed her name and she turned around looking confused. I literally blacked out. I don’t know why I did that. The amount of sincere regret I have over letting the fangirl take over me in a space where you’re probably supposed to be chill is insurmountable. Anyway, the point is I would like a re-do on that.
Be sure to listen to “The Man” below, and say hi to gigi on the ‘gram @geeguscrust!
