Gigi Malua peering deep into the mind
Out now is “Malua”, a new 5-track EP belatedly celebrating Gigi Malua’s name change – or rather: extension – from Gigi to Gigi Malua. The change was necessary, she felt, in order not to be confused any longer with the countless Gigis that apparently populate trash television.
Signed to Universal Music, 25-year-old Gigi Malua began her musical life as a rapper. By the time of last autumn’s debut album “Hinterem Mond” (“behind the moon” in Swiss German), however, she had developed into a versatile singer/songwriter capable of expressing a wide range of emotions. Remaining firmly in place from her rapping days is the ability to tell a story as well as a vocal style that easily switches back and forth between vocal melodies and spoken word passages. Most importantly, though, her voice is expressive enough to speak to us even if we don’t understand her Swiss German lyrics.
Plunged into a burnout towards the end of last year, Gigi Malua took two months off in an idyllic flat with sea view in Thailand, recharging her batteries and working on the songs that now make up “Malua”. “I’m totally glad I’ve written these five songs”, she says. “It is a massive relief. They touch on many things I wasn’t able to put in words previously.”
