Mary Gilmore, Staff Writer
“Sailor Song” artist, Gigi Perez, has released her debut album, “At The Beach, In Every Life.” This album contains intense themes of love, grief, and religion. The story of this album begins with an unfortunate loss. Perez’s older sister, Celene, died in July 2020 at only 22 years old. Several of Perez’s songs on this album contain references to her sister, whether through gut-wrenching lyrics or voice memos from her late sister.
“This is the album I needed to listen to when I was twenty years old following the passing of my older sister, Celene,” said Perez in a statement to Billboard. “It’s taken years to process, and seeing how it’s coloured everything in my life, it feels like a flag down in the sand at a checkpoint rather than a destination.”
She continued, explaining that, “This project is as close of a reflection of my experiences over the past five years as I could get. My grief has shaped the way that I love, in friendships and with family and romantically. On the project, those things exist next to each other.”
This grief is especially strong considering Celene was the first person Gigi came out to as lesbian. She was 17 at the time and was scared as she lived in Florida. Her sister made her feel seen and supported, allowing Gigi to eventually come out to her friends and family. Themes of queer love can be seen in several of her songs as she navigates relationships alongside her grief.
Her album also draws heavily on being raised in Florida. She lived very close to the beach and has a deep connection to water that is exemplified in her music. Her viral single on this album, “Sailor Song,” peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, and represented her connection to the sea. She compared her intense romance to the way sailors return from voyages, urgent for a passionate connection.
The water theme doesn’t end there. The album is entitled “At The Beach, In Every Life” and contains a song with the same name. This song begins with the lyrics, “Saw it by the water,” setting the scene for an emotional and passionate song. Specifically this song talks about the beach, where the ocean can be vast and unpredictable, similar to her relationship. She mentions washing up on shore, which reinforces that no matter where they end up in life, they’ll always find their way back to each other. This song is powerful, using the beach as a backdrop for navigating a relationship while experiencing grief and unresolved emotions.
Beginning in June, Perez is opening for Hozier’s Unreal Unearth Tour 2025, bringing her raw lyricism to a larger audience. Perez is a promising emerging artist and it’s exciting to see what she produces next.
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