Since the release of “Only a Girl,” in 2016—the debut single that launched the 23-year-old Persian artist into stardom—Gia Woods has garnered a loyal fanbase in the LGBTQ+ community. With over 10 million views on YouTube and 100,000 subscribers, Woods transformed a ‘coming out anthem’ into a promising career. Now older and bolder, the LA-based artist has curated an eight-track EP—an unapologetic culmination of self-discovery.  

Born into a traditional Persian household in Los Angeles, Woods grew up hiding both her gender identity and artistry from her parents. But today the artist is no longer holding back and she’s cutting out all the negativity from her life. In her new EP, “Cut Season,” she sums up all of the reasons she needed to dispose of the toxic people and cycles in her life. During the past couple of years the artist dealt with the loss of her father and a bad breakup, that gave her a different perspective on unhealthy friendships and bad habits she needed to break. 

Channeling a “Tragic Kingdom”-era Gwen Stefani, Woods addresses the pervasive fakeness that exists amongst the superficial people in LA. She admits being surrounded by people who starve for attention. This inspired the name of the first single, “Hungry” on the EP. The music video for “Hungry” shows Woods working at a strip club, masked as a cheerleader. Woods created and co-directed the videos for the EP with Jenna Marsh (Kanye, Beyonce, Dua Lipa).

Following the theme, Woods reflects on her past relationship in her latest single. “Ego.” “It felt like a never-ending cycle of ego trips and with that comes a lot of power struggles and pettiness.” The music video for “Ego” premieres this Friday, March 13. Watch below.