Viral hits can be a blessing and a curse. Out of nowhere, millions of people know who you are, or at least think they do. Sometimes, that’s all they’ll ever care to know.

In the case of Gigi Perez, not looking beyond “Sailor Song” would be a huge misstep because there’s a lot beyond the viral hit.

Perez was pursuing music at Berklee Colle ge of Music when her older sister, Celene, passed away. Signed to a major label and suddenly dropped, she moved back in with her parents. It’s there where she taught herself production and began work on her debut album, At The Beach, In Every Life.

It’s a record that isn’t afraid to openly embrace grief or ask questions of faith as a queer woman. It’s also a record that’s joyful, with a smash hit serving as a declaration of love that anyone can wrap their arms around.

Today, Perez joins us to talk about how she got to this moment, from illegal bootlegs of Legally Blonde to her first look at the music industry apparatus. Plus, what it’s like to be the voice you needed as a teenager for a whole new generation of teenagers.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Stephen Kallao.. The web story was created by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and Will Loftus is our line producer.

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