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At the fourth stop of the fall leg of her first headliner tour, Cuban-American singer-songwriter Giana “Gigi” Perez paid her former college town a visit at the House of Blues on Oct. 15. With a range of deep shades of blues, purples, and whites bathing the room, Gigi Perez performed a heartwrenching mix of songs, including many from her debut studio album, “At the Beach, In Every Life.”

The show was opened by an energetic yet heartfelt performance from Zimbabwean-American singer Hannah Jadagu; she entwined comments in between songs, with one of her last eliciting the most cheers from the crowd.

“If you are ready to hear Gigi, let me hear you fucking scream!”

An ode to her Cuban heritage, “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” by Celia Cruz was blasted over the speakers before Perez took to the stage to perform her first song of the night, “Please Be Rude.” Despite her discography primarily consisting of slow-paced and emotional ballads, Perez’s heartwrenching performance never brought down the energy of the crowd. With each song, the audience grew with excitement as attendees sang along and expectantly held on with anticipation at the end of each song.

Standing in front of a simple backdrop decorated with the iconic characters featured in many examples of her cover art, Perez’s performance was a fullhearted and open exploration of the complexity of grief in its many forms. From “When She Smiles” to “Sugar Water,” she stayed grounded at the center of the stage, only occasionally moving around to connect with fans in the mezzanine and sides of the floor. While deceptively simple at first glance, Perez embodied each of her songs with her steady vocals and closed eyes, grounding her fans during the deeply intimate performance.

Perez’s music is a reflection of her own relationships with love, grief, and faith. For example, one of her most honest lyrics — and also the most controversial — is dynamically featured in her most popular song “Sailor Song”: “I don’t believe in God, but I believe that you’re my savior.” While difficult subjects to wrestle with, Perez’s centering of her appreciation and love for her experiences — especially those in her former college town — transformed tragedy into connection.

Perez continued to walk fans down memory lane with a special performance of “Glue,” starting with the earnest claim “that’s not the lyrics” and continuing with giggles, followed by a cover of “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey. These unfiltered moments were the best part of the night. Perez did not simply perform these songs for her fans, she embraced the emotion of each of them wholeheartedly to continue fostering a community within the confines of the hall.

The peak of the show came with Perez’s performance of her album’s titular track.

“You’re everything to me, Boston,” Perez said in-between verses. Her powerful belts and harsh breaths were filled with so much passion that, for a moment, everyone in the room forgot that the very lyrics they were screaming were some of the most heartbreaking lines in Perez’s discography. Perez’s ability to elicit the most gut wrenching emotions from the depths of her fans’ hearts was reflected in her final performances.

From bringing her sister Isabella onstage to sing a duet of “Sugar Water” to a thrilling performance of “Sailor Song” sprinkled with odes to Boston, Perez’s love for her work created an incredibly moving experience for her fans.

Perez ended the night with an anecdote from her time in Boston and some pieces of advice. This message embodied not only her music, but how she made people feel from the very start of the show all the way until she gave her last wave to the audience, standing in a sailor cap and taking it all in.

“I am you. I get it,” Perez said.

—Staff writer Emma D. D. Pham-Tran can be found at emma.phamtran@thecrimson.com.