Gigi Perez Sails Into The Top 25 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100
Her viral hit 'Sailor Song' has been climbing the chart for 11 weeks, and looks poised to crack the top 20. Also this week, internet personality KSI and country singer Zach Top notch debuts.
Gigi Perez
It looks like smooth sailing for Gigi Perez.
The American alt-folk singer has cracked the top 25 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 with her viral single "Sailor Song" at No. 21 this week (October 19). The lesbian love song practically burns with intensity, and caught fire on TikTok before the full version was even available.
Released on July 26, "Sailor Song" debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 on the August 10-dated chart at No. 98, three weeks before it debuted on the American Hot 100. The song has climbed higher in Canada, too, than in the U.S., where it currently sits at No. 33. Could it keep rising into the top 20 or top 10 in coming weeks?
Perez's spacious folk sound and catchy chorus — especially the song's central lyrics, "kiss me on the mouth / and love me like a sailor" — have resonated with listeners in a year when both anthemic folk and sapphic songs are doing well on the charts.
"Sailor Song" was released independently and has since netted Perez a deal with Island Records. She recently spoke to Billboard about her writing and recording process and the way that explicitly queer music can inspire younger generations.
In the week that Shaboozey has broken the record for longest-running No. 1 in Canada, hitting 20 weeks at the top with "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," there are also some notable new entries on the Canadian Hot 100.
Internet personality and professional boxer KSI has debuted at No. 49 with "The Thick of It" featuring Trippie Redd. The track brings together several trendy genres, blending a hip-hop beat with a folky acoustic-guitar riff.
A pair of country singers have also made chart entries this week. Zach Top has landed on the Canadian Hot 100 with "I Never Lie" at No. 79, while over on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart, Nate Smith has debuted his album California Gold at No. 45. That album features a duet with Avril Lavigne, but it's his song with Alesso, "I Like It," that has re-entered the Canadian Hot 100 this week at No. 90.
Canadian artists are also holding onto their spots on the Canadian Hot 100 this week. The Weeknd's "Timeless" has dropped six spots to No. 10 and Tate McRae's "It's Ok I'm Ok" has fallen one spot to No. 25. Josh Ross also drops one spot to No. 61 with "Single Again" and Shawn Mendes moves up four spots to No. 63 with "Why Why Why." Devon Cole climbs 84-80 with "I Got You" and Jamie Fine rises one spot to No. 84 with "You're Like."
Check out the weekly Canadian Hot 100 and Canadian Albums charts here.
