Gigi Perez makes her mark in indie music with debut EP

By: Anna “Monty” Montoya-Gaxiola

Photos by Deanie Chen

Singer-songwriter Gigi Perez released her debut EP “How To Catch A Falling Knife” on April 28. If you’re a fan of Lizzy McAlpine or Gracie Abrams, this EP is perfect for you. Perez created a combination of slow and fast tracks, giving listeners a space to form their own perspective on each song. Through the eight tracks, she expresses some of the biggest hardships of her life — grief and heartbreak. Perez began writing these songs on her bedroom floor in Florida, using lyricism as an outlet to communicate her deepest feelings and experiences.

“The person I was before this project, I had a wall up, I thought vulnerability was a weakness and that's why I built a wall,” the now New York-based artist said in a recent press conference.

It all started on Feb. 5, 2021, when “Sometimes (Backwood)” was released. Her single went on to amass more than 87 million streams on Spotify after reaching popularity on TikTok. The single speaks on the crave we feel to be loved and the frustration of questioning if you’re with the right person. Perez mentioned the safe place her listeners created when speaking of their own emotions and experiences.

“You're not your trauma, grief or the things that happened to you — heartbreak is so lonely, so if we have the opportunity to be there for each other why wouldn't we?” she said.

Perez explained the importance of her impact on her listeners. She hopes to “be a vessel so people can experience what they need to” and serve as a reminder that “others experienced the same.”

Each song on the EP portrays a different emotion and phase many people experience during hard times. Beginning with the feeling of delusion, then toxicity, anguish and more.

Perez explained the perfect setting to listen to her EP. The first would be a pitch black room with both headphones in, as this is an intimate session for you to fully feel the emotions being presented. The other option would be on a drive through the woods, windows down viewing a scenery of forest green trees. This dark green is the color that Perez gave to the EP.

Before the EP’s release, Perez expressed the fear she had to be so open with the loss of her sister and how beautiful and terrifying love can be. She was grateful to have had time to “sit and heal.” It was a time she now looks back on and recognizes that she may never have that opportunity again. She is OK with that.

“This is my calling and this is what I signed up for — be as vulnerable and comfortable as I can be,” Perez said.

As she continues in her music career, she emphasized that she is always “reevaluating the goal.” It’s a journey where you learn to love your deepest feelings and accept your delusion. This is how you catch a falling knife.

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