Three years ago, GiGi Grombacher's boyfriend left her, as she explains on TikTok, and the rising Los Angeles musician "lost control of her life." To cope with the pain, she began writing songs for every anniversary of their breakup. Year one? The opener of her new Virgin Tears EP, "girl," followed by its title track on year two and, finally, "Better Days" for the third.
From brutally honest lyrics about the sting of realizing "something is about to change," to soaring melodies that give notes to heartbreak where words fail, GiGi delivers one of the year's strongest pop projects about love lost.
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Like all great soundtracks for life's biggest fallouts, Virgin Tears builds from power-ballads into blazing highlights, like "The Marilyn" or "Do It for Love," which sees GiGi reclaiming all the things that led to her relationship's downfall. "Cause I'm crazy crazy crazy crazy, but l do it for love," she wails freely on the chorus, admitting she gave him her worst.
Despite this being her solo debut, GiGi arrives grounded with a serious musical background. Her father is Myron Grombacher, drummer for '80s rock legend Pat Benatar (who also happens to be GiGi's Godmother), and she's been busy co-writing for other major artists like Kesha, Bree Runway and Ava Max (You've likely heard "So Am I").
Then, there's the voice to carry GiGi's stories, flipping effortlessly from soft and sensitive to a piercing upper register as shown by her newly uploaded performance of "girl." For a growing audience that craves vulnerability and transparency in the wake of Olivia Rodrigo's 2021 success, GiGi has a real shot at becoming big — and she certainly deserves it.
So PAPER asked GiGi Grombacher to break down her entire six-song EP, track by track, from Pitbull writing camps in the Dominican Republic to birthday sessions with Hudson Mohawke that helped inspire Virgin Tears, out now.
"girl"
This song is about losing someone you thought would never leave you. I wrote it about the same boyfriend who inspired "Do It for Love." I went into the session focused on writing a happy song (I didn’t feel like wallowing in my sadness), but this song just poured out. Abandonment issues suck [laughs].
"The Marilyn"
My ode to being the accidental other woman. "The Marilyn" was about a precarious situation I found myself in while at a Pitbull writing camp in the Dominican Republic. Fellas, if you have a girlfriend, don’t sleep with other women. It’s not cool.
"Do It for Love"
"DIFL" is my thank you letter to a former boyfriend, who really should be canonized because he put up with a lot of my BS. I struggle with feeling unloveable, crazy, psychotic and dramatic almost every day, but my heart is always in the right place. "DIFL" is me apologizing for putting him through the ringer, but trying to explain that my actions were never meant to hurt anyone. I have a funny way of showing love sometimes.
"Better Day"
This one hurts. A few days before my 26th birthday, I went over to Hudson Mohawke's [the producer and co-writer] and he started playing this piano track that felt so melancholy, but also hopeful. It really illustrates the journey I went through writing this song. I started the writing process feeling very anxious. I was consumed that I had missed my moment or that no one would care about my music because I’m not a 17-year-old. This is all silly thinking I know, but I was really going through it, combing through every mistake and imperfection I have. I realized while writing this song that feelings are fleeting and tomorrow is a new day. I am focused on my mental health every day and I always try to stay grateful.
"Runnin With Me"
"Runnin With Me" is for everyone. It’s my "pump up the jamz" song and I love it dearly. Inspired by icon party queen Charli XCX, I wanted to write a song that made people want to dress in their most fabulous slutty clothes, grab their friends and a bottle of wine, and dance around the house.
"Virgin Tears"
"Virgin Tears" is the tale of first heartbreak. We can try all we want to be hard and tough, and not let feelings destroy us. But there will always be something or someone we care so deeply for that we cannot fake it. I used to think my emotions were a weakness and didn’t let anyone get close enough to hurt me. I now realize that love is the most beautiful gift you can give someone.
Photos courtesy of GiGi Grombacher/ Callum Walker Hutchinson