Girl in Red with Gigi Perez

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a pair of singer-songwriters who came up in the social media age, and who, as you’ll hear, have leaned on each other for support as their careers have taken off. It’s Girl in Red and Gigi Perez. Girl in Red is the name under which Norwegian singer Marie Ullven started making intimate, sometimes sad bedroom recordings back in 2016 or so. Some of those songs, like 2018’s “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” really connected with people, and she became something of an icon, especially to young gay women. Her sound has grown over the years and Ulven has embraced bigger opportunities, including opening shows for Taylor Swift—it doesn’t get a lot bigger than that. Her last album, the hilariously titled I’m Doing it Again, Baby! was released last year, and as you’ll hear in this conversation, Ulven is stepping into acting as well: She’ll star in a film called Low Expectations, which she filmed earlier this year. Check out Girl in Red’s “Hemingway” right here. Gigi Perez is another fantastic songwriter and performer whose “Sailor Song” was everywhere last summer, and for good reason: It’s simple and gorgeous and undeniably catchy. Perez first started writing songs a few years ago in the wake of her sister’s passing, and she’s both created some incredible music and played big shows—including opening for Coldplay—in the past few years. Perez’s debut album At the Beach, in Every Life came out earlier this year, and it’s a thoughtful, sometimes uplifting, sometimes heartbreaking set of really personal songs. Check out “Sailor Song” right here. In this conversation, these two resilient ladies get into some real talk, touching on Girl in Red’s recent stint in rehab and her upcoming movie role, the inevitable comedown after a big tour, songwriting camps, and Perez’s favorite movie of all time. Enjoy. Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Girl in Red and Gigi Perez for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time! Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠talkhouse.com⁠⁠⁠ to read essays, reviews, and more. Follow @talkhouse on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Twitter (X)⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠.