Hot 100 First-Timers: Gigi Perez Debuts With Queer Love Ballad ‘Sailor Song’

Gigi Perez is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist, thanks to her breakthrough viral hit, “Sailor Song.”

The track, which Perez self-released on July 26, debuts at No. 98 on the Aug. 31-dated chart from its streaming sum: 5.6 million official U.S. clicks (up 20%) Aug. 16-22, according to Luminate. It also rises 10-9 on Hot Alternative Songs, 12-9 on Hot Rock Songs and 16-13 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.

Perez first began teasing the song on TikTok in April, helping generate hype leading up to its official release. The initial clip shared on her TikTok has since soundtracked over 40,000 clips on the platform, while the official audio has been used in over 75,000. Fans liken her sound to such alt-folk favorites as Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Hozier.

While many have raved about the song’s lyrics detailing queer love and longing, Perez has received backlash from some religious TikTokers due to its lyric, “I don’t believe in God / But I believe that you’re my savior.” In response to users asking her to remove the line, she shared a TikTok last week, writing via caption, “I never had to consider whether or not I was going to change my song cause it was never up for discussion … My songwriting is not a democracy and that applies to every artists [sic] work.”

The New Jersey-born, Florida-raised singer-songwriter first achieved a taste of stardom in 2021 with her song “Sometimes (Backwood),” which has since racked up 57.9 million official U.S. streams. She released her debut eight-track EP, How To Catch a Falling Knife, in 2023 (via Mogul Vision/Interscope Records) and two more songs this year: “Normalcy,” in March, and “Please Be Rude,” in May.