From Scarborough To The World, Listen to GIA’s Debut EP

At only 21 years old, Scarborough-raised artist GIA is a dynamic and multi-faceted force. The singer/songwriter/producer marks her official introduction with the release of her debut EP, HOKUSAI. Previously recognized as a producer and for her work with Blackbear and OVO affiliate 2Kz, HOKUSAI effectively establishes GIA as an artist on the verge of her own music breakout.

Inspired by late-night driving and named after famous Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, HOKUSAI creates an intimate and provocative aura set against drum-heavy beats and blues-inspired melodic backdrops. While simultaneously introducing hypnotic melodies and her magnetic persona to the world, GIA explores love, intimacy, and loss on the debut 8-track EP.

Tracks like “Bad Girl” and “Decoded” display her signature smooth bravado and cryptic lyrics as she sings, “I turn my $2 bill to a dream in the hills.” However, if listeners dive into “Prominent” or “Lust,” they’ll discover an intelligent and vastly self-aware young woman who is forging a successful music career on her own terms. Emotion seeps out of her words as she sings, “I need to be careful who I’m choosing to vent to, He wanna’ believe in the shadows I’ve walked through.”

While GIA shines as the sole artist on the EP, she’s joined by a handful of respected hip-hop and R&B producers including Topflr (Partynextdoor), Ahkilo (Drake), Nxghts (Marr Grey), Florianvibes, and 6ixmillion.

Purposefully ambiguous, both GIA and her debut EP remain full of interpretations unique to each listener. But her honest and confident interpretation of alternative R&B is sure to win her new audiences, and ultimately their adoration too.

Stream HOKUSAI below, and follow GIA on Instagram. Photography by Antoine Duchamp.