Did You Know a Latina Is Behind the Viral Hit ‘Sailor Song’?
Photo by Nae Lane.
One of the biggest songs in the world right now is by a Latina singer-songwriter. Rising artist Gigi Perez is making waves with the viral hit “Sailor Song,” where she opens up about being in love with another woman.
Perez is a Cuban-American singer hailing from West Palm Beach, FL. Her music career has been filled with ups and downs. It’s also a testament to the power of persistence and following her instincts. Perez first started out as an indie artist and then went viral on TikTok with her songs “Sometimes (Backwood)” and “Celene,” an ode to her older sister, who passed in 2020. She soon signed with Interscope Records and opened for artists like Coldplay and Noah Cyrus. After being dropped by the label last year, she returned to TikTok to release “Sailor Song” in July. Perez, who is openly lesbian, sings about falling for a woman who looks like Oscar winner Anne Hathaway. Over on TikTok, the queer love song has been used in over 604,000 videos.
“The first people to grab onto ‘Sailor Song’ was like the younger LGBT community who are struggling with their identity [and] struggling with the person they love,” Perez said in an interview with TikTok. “I’ll be scrolling on my For You page and I’ll see someone on live covering ‘Sailor Song’ in real-time. It’s great to see that people are excited about the music because I’m excited about them.”
“Sailor Song” currently sits at No. 9 on Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart — the highest at the moment by a Latine artist. With that viral hit, Perez has also peaked at No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. After the song’s success, she signed with Island Records in Sept. 2024.
Later this month, Perez will embark on her Headline Tour in the U.S. She will visit New York, NY (April 23); Atlanta, GA (April 26); Washington D.C. (April 29); Philadelphia, PA (May 1); and San Francisco, CA (May 5). The tour will wrap in Los Angeles, CA, on May 7.
Check out “Sailor Song” below.