Gia Woods (born May 22, 1996) is a Los Angeles–based pop musician.[1]

Gia Woods
Woods performing at Bardot Hollywood in 2019
Background information
Birth nameNatali Nassiri
Born (1996-05-22) May 22, 1996 (age 28)
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresElectropop
Years active2015–present
Labels
Websitewww.giawoods.com

Early life

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Woods grew up in a traditional Persian household in Los Angeles.[2] Her father owned a popular Persian restaurant, and her mother was a stay-at-home mom who also handled the business side of the restaurant.[3][4] Woods became interested in music in part because she "was pretty shy and didn't have a lot of people to open up to." Her older sister encouraged her to join choir in high school, which led to her pursuit of music as a career.[5]

Career

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Woods was scouted by her first manager in her senior year of high school from a choir performance. As a result, she pursued music full time immediately after graduating, rather than going into dentistry as she had planned.[3][4]

Woods debuted in 2015 with the song "Only A Girl," which describes her first same-sex relationship. Woods came out as a lesbian to her family through the song.[1] The accompanying music video has over 10 million hits on YouTube.[6]

Woods released her debut EP Cut Season on October 9, 2020.[3] The EP was influenced by the lack of support Woods received from friends after her experience leaving a four-year relationship and her father's passing.[4][7]

In 2021, Woods released the first part of her two-volume EP, Heartbreak County, which reflects on life in Los Angeles.[8][9] It was preceded by the singles "Enough of You",[8] "Oh My God" and "Next Girlfriend".[10] She announced the second part with the release of its lead single, "Hello", in May 2022.[11] The full EP was released in October 2022; while the first part covers more of the surface-level glamor of Los Angeles life, the second part explores its "deeper, more raw side."[12] Woods described the writing process for Heartbreak County as a form of escapism following a breakup. The breakup, in which her ex-girlfriend left her to date Woods's other ex-girlfriend, was the subject of the final song from the EP.[13]

During 2023 she dropped the singles "Gia Would", "Elevation", "Heartbreak Radio" and "Somebody Else's Baby" which will ultimately lead to her fourth EP Your Engine, released on November 1, 2023.[14][15]

Involvement in the LGBT Community

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Woods has performed at several LGBT events, such as Nashville's OutLoud Music Festival in 2019, North Jersey Pride Festival in 2019, the Thrive with Pride concert in 2021, and Jersey Pride in 2022.[16][17][18][19] She has also been featured in Calvin Klein's LGBTQ Pride campaign, and has been a Savage X Fenty ambassador.[5][20][21][22]

Influences

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Woods is inspired by Radiohead, Green Day and Madonna.[4]

Discography

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Extended plays

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Title EP details
Cut Season
Heartbreak County, Vol 1.
  • Release: October 8, 2021
  • Label: Snafu
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Heartbreak County, Vol. 2
  • Release: October 27, 2022
  • Label: Elle Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Your Engine
  • Release: November 1, 2023
  • Label: Elle Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

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Title Year Album
"Only a Girl"[6] 2015 Non-album singles
"Heart Won't Forget"
(with Matoma)
2016
"What I Like"[1] 2017
"Jump the Fence"[6] 2019
"New Girlfriend"[6]
"Keep on Coming"[6]
"One Big Party"[6]
"Feel It"
"Hungry" 2020 Cut Season
"Ego"
"Naive"
"Into It"
"Chaos"
"All I Know"
"Enough of You" 2021 Heartbreak County, Vol. 1
"Oh My God"
"Next Girlfriend"
"Hello" 2022 Heartbreak County, Vol. 2
"Hello"
"Lesbionic"
"Spend It"
(with BAYLI)
"Cover Girl"
"PCH (Pretty Cold Heart)"
"Gia Would" 2023 Your Engine
"Elevation"
"Heartbreak Radio"
"Somebody Else's Baby"

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tatiana Cirisano (August 1, 2017). "Meet Gia, The 21-Year-Old Pop Goddess Who Came Out Through A Music Video". Billboard.
  2. ^ Laura Sanchez (March 13, 2020). "Gia Woods Reflects on Past Relationships On Her New EP". V.
  3. ^ a b c Stephen Daw (October 9, 2020). "20 Questions with Gia Woods: How Expelling Toxic Patterns & People Led to Her Debut EP". Billboard.
  4. ^ a b c d Henry Lifshits (March 16, 2020). "interview - gia woods". Schön! Magazine.
  5. ^ a b Pauline De Leon (October 9, 2020). "Gia Woods Shows Her Vulnerable Side on New EP, 'CUT SEASON'". Hypebae.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Nick Williams (September 13, 2019). "Gia Woods Shares Her Favorite 'Sexy Empowering' Songs for Summer of Pride Mix". Billboard.
  7. ^ Eric Fuller (November 30, 2020). "Gia Woods' Cut Season - Talking Community, Music And Britney Spears". Forbes.
  8. ^ a b Charlotte Russell (June 18, 2021). "Gia Woods toys with the push-pull appeal of LA on new pop-bop "Enough Of You"". The Line of Best Fit.
  9. ^ Justin Moran (May 26, 2022). "Gia Woods Announces 'Heartbreak County, Vol. 2'". Paper Magazine.
  10. ^ Stephen Daw (September 24, 2021). "First Out: New Music From Elton John, Daya, Wrabel & More". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Gia Woods Announces 'Heartbreak County, Vol. 2'". PAPER. May 26, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  12. ^ Major, Michael. "Gia Woods Delivers 'Heartbreak County Vol. 2' EP". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  13. ^ Mier, Tomás (February 14, 2023). "Gia Woods Wants to Take You to 'Heartbreak County'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Barragán Vert, Helena. "Gia Woods". Metal.
  15. ^ Wratten, Marcus (November 2, 2024). "Pop star Gia Woods on break-ups, 'sapphic revenge' tracks and fighting for queer Iranians". PinkNews.
  16. ^ Neill Frazer (August 24, 2019). "Kim Petras, Gia Woods & Greyson Chance to Headline OUTLOUD Music Festival". OutLoud Culture.
  17. ^ "Ninth Annual North Jersey Pride Festival in Maplewood June 9". NJ Next.
  18. ^ "Thrive With Pride Concert". LA Pride.
  19. ^ Sarah Dolgin (June 3, 2022). "Jersey Pride is back for its 30th celebration. Here's what to expect". NJ.
  20. ^ "Pride looks different in 2020, but these 50+ brands are still supporting the LGBTQ community with Pride collections". Insider. June 5, 2020.
  21. ^ Eliza Huber (June 18, 2020). "Gen Z's Queer Icons Talk About Pride". Refinery29.
  22. ^ Jacqui Palumbo (June 26, 2020). "Black trans model Jari Jones fronts Calvin Klein's Pride campaign". CNN.