Gia Woods Rides Chloe Cherry in 'Your Engine'

You mentioned that “Your Engine” is about owning your identity and being audacious. Why was it important for you to represent that in the track?

Yes, exactly, it’s about owning your identity, but “Your Engine” means “what drives you.” It’s your essence, it's your being. It’s what fuels you. Sex, love, passion, obsession, all the ingredients in life that motivate you. I wanted the song to make you think of whatever that is for you. In one line I say, “I’ll go anywhere on your engine.” It’s letting go of control and fear. It’s living in your inner confidence and going after the things that only you know will bring you true happiness and a genuine authentic life. It’s your engine.

How did you make sure that theme was present in the visuals?

I always had a clear idea of the world that I wanted to build before I even started working on the music, so it was really easy to put it together when it came to the visuals. When I was working on the concepts and writing the songs, I had these very clear images in my head. I knew I wanted everything to feel very clean — strong contrast and simply timeless. Just bold, sexy and fearless. The vision had been in my mind from the earliest days recording in the studio, so bringing it to life with a video was so satisfying.

How did the Chloe Cherry feature come about? What drew you to working with her in the video?

I met Chloe out at a party and we clicked and became friends very quickly. She’s so cute and sweet and so hot. She was the first person who came to mind when I thought about who I’d want to be on top of in this video. Obviously, I had to ask if she would be my love interest for the project. I think she’s everything, and I’m pretty sure everyone agrees.

What was it like to direct the video and why did you want to take on the reins for the video's direction?

The message of “Your Engine” was so clear and personal to me. I knew exactly what I wanted, so I immediately started making the moodboard and the world for this video. I wanted it to represent freedom, especially within my culture. Being a Persian woman, there’s been so much freedom that’s been stripped away from us. I really wanted to highlight the girls and I in a powerful dance, the acceleration and power we exude from inside us. We’re in the driver's seat and everyone else is watching us. That’s women everywhere, period. There’s also a shot where masks are being taken off — I wanted that to show that you can be anyone you want to be and no forced regime can take that away from you.

You shared the Your Engine EP last year. How has the response been so far?

It’s been so amazing. I can really tell that a lot of people are not only just streaming, but they’re really living with me in the world that I created with the music. That’s my favorite thing to do as an artist — to invite people into a world that I’m currently living and breathing in, having people resonate in it however it makes sense and fits into their own personal lives. I love empowering others and hopefully making them feel hot, sexy, powerful and confident with themselves. Everybody deserves to feel that way.

You’ve described the inner engine as everyone’s deepest desire. What’s your deepest desire for your work and art at the moment?

I just genuinely love doing what I do so much. It’s the only thing that makes me happy and that is why “Your Engine” is such a powerful statement. It’s the only thing in life that you’ll ever really need. If you follow “Your Engine,” you’ll end up going towards the things that truly make you happy. I know I need to remind myself to follow my own advice sometimes, but I really believe that if you always follow your passions, you’ll never lose sight of why you’re here.

Photography: Brian Ziff