Gigi Perez Dissects Queer Pain and Yearning on “Chemistry”
Gigi Perez is fresh off a white-hot 2024. After a year of consistent output following the 2023 EP How to Catch a Falling Knife, which culminated in her single “Sailor Song” - a sensual and emotional declaration of queer love - exploding on TikTok last summer, the Florida songwriter has found herself on a steady rise. Ahead of a 2025 arena tour that will see her opening for mega-star Hozier on 13 dates this summer, Perez is keeping the momentum going with her latest offering, “Chemistry.”
“Oh, chemistry is rare/Fucked me on the stairs” the song opens, immediately reminding devout listeners why Gigi Perez strikes a chord: her bluntness when talking about relationships and love, plainly stating the messy and rated-R moments. It only sweetens the pot (for some) that the relationships in question are queer - sapphic to be exact, as Gigi’s identity as a lesbian is well documented. Her sudden rise coincided nicely with the “lesbians in pop” moment that 2024 became, a seemingly unprecedented wave of pop music featuring explicitly sapphic themes and lyrics (see: “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan or “Pretty Girls” by Renee Rapp, two major lesbian-identifying artists who played to massive crowds at Coachella in April).
“Chemistry,” however, explores the more angsty aspects of queerdom, including concealment and the tension that builds when a relationship is kept in the shadows. Beginning with the acknowledgement of what Perez calls “the beast livin’ inside me…creepin’ up” she soon promises her lover she’ll “never tell a soul about our secret life” before seeming to spiral emotionally. Perez’s vocals ebb and flow, from tender and soft to loud and gravelly, from seductive and sultry to almost angry and certainly pleading. The final crescendo of the fourth verse is some of Perez’s most exciting work, paying off in a satisfying explosion of guitars and crashing cymbals before giving way to an outro akin to a tender kiss goodbye.
As with most of her work thus far, versions of “Chemistry” have been floating around on the internet since 2022, but the final product may be one of the strongest in her catalog thus far. In terms of showcasing Gigi Perez as an artist, this single may be even more appropriately defining than “Sailor Song.” After signing with Island Records in September 2024, fans have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of Perez’s debut album. For now, we are fortunate enough to have a song as invigorating and cathartic as this to hold us over.
“Chemistry” is streaming now. Catch Gigi Perez this summer on the Unreal Unearth Tour.
