Rising Star GiGi Cesarè: “Let’s start a movement to recognize the kids in school who start out as bullies and find a way to reach them & show them there’s a different path”
I would love it if we could recognize the kids in school who start out as bullies and find a way to reach them to show them there’s a different path, and provide options for them to release their anger or help with coping with a tough life situation.
We had the pleasure to interview GiGi Cesarè. GiGi is an emerging Trap Pop recording artist, award-winning actress and influencer. She is working with top music producers in the industry on her latest tracks, including two upcoming singles with The Martianz (Cardi B, Chris Brown). GiGi dropped her latest single “Obsessed” on June 28, 2019 along with its music video directed by David Wept, who previously worked with top industry stars including Denzel Curry, G-Eazy and 6LACK. In addition, GiGi is an award-winning actress with starring roles in movies and TV shows including Street (2015) and Amish Haunting (2014).
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I have kind of an interesting story; I grew up with just my mom until I was 3 years-old because my biological father passed away when I was a baby. When I was three my mom married my dad and he was the person responsible for recognizing my passion for the arts. He was my biggest champion to get me training and on a path of entertainment of any sort. I grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania in a somewhat rural, farming area. There were deer in our yard often and we had a tractor to mow the lawn. My life is so different now.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
When my mom married my dad, he recognized a spark for performing so he encouraged my mom to contact some agencies. There was an open call for Wilhelmina Modeling Agency and I attended. They had me walk the runway and pose and I was hooked right away. Before that, my dad couldn’t find a sport or hobby that held my interest. I tried soccer, it was a disaster, dancing — I was the only kid at the recital going the wrong way and there were other failures along the way. Wilhelmina offered me a one-year contract, and modeling led to commercials that led to films and TV and the rest is history.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I don’t know if this is the MOST interesting but it’s certainly the one people like to hear most. I was up for the role of Eleven in Stranger Things and when I had to sign a paper that said I had to shave my head if cast, I cried. I didn’t want to shave my head. Later I saw Millie Bobbie Brown’s self-tape and there was no question that she IS Eleven, but it’s one of those funny things.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
There were many mistakes along the way! I think one of the funniest was when I was sent in for a role that was all in Spanish. I know some Spanish, I can sing in Spanish and I can speak it when memorized, but I am not fluent or conversational. When I went in for this role and I was, at least I thought, killing it in with my purely memorized Spanish. However, the woman playing my mom began to go off book and improvise and the guy playing my dad just looked at me, realizing I had no idea what they were saying. He ended up feeding me words to say and it ended up being a total disaster.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I just recorded three tracks with Kevin Rudolph in Miami. They are so good! My single Cinderella is getting ready for release in October and we will be filming the music video for that soon. I am beyond excited for that! I am in talks to attend Fashion Week in Paris with one of my favorite couture labels and my single Obsessed is on fire right now trending over a million views on YouTube and almost half a million streams on Spotify, as well charted in Indonesia and MC Music Choice teen beats.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
When I was 11, I was nominated for an Imagen Award (Latin Golden Globes as they are called) for Best Actress in the very same category as Salma Hayek and Eva Longoria. It was mind-blowing! Now my biological father is from Uruguay and my mom is of Italian descent. On the red carpet and a reporter said to me that I didn’t belong there because my name sounds more Italian than Latin. I think we need to open-minded about Latinos who must have Latin sounding names and Italians Italian names and so forth. We are all a mix of many ethnicities, cultures and religions and the entertainment industry should be reflecting this. Conversations and awareness are key!
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Don’t let people dictate your vision, change your persona and who and what you are as an artist. Early on in my acting career, I was always cast as the Latina, the goofy kid, or the funny kid. I wanted to do drama and gritty serious indie film work yet I found myself auditioning for kid shows constantly. It wasn’t me and I didn’t get cast because my heart wasn’t in them.
2. Don’t get caught up in online nonsense: treat your social media for what it is, a fun way to connect with people or a business tool, but don’t fall prey to the things people say to you, about you and don’t listen to the noise.
3. People will begin pulling at you and want different things, different clout or pieces of you — don’t give into this!
4. Forge as many true and long-term relationships before you break through. If you don’t have those relationships in place it can be very tricky to forge honest relationships as your public profile grows. The truest friendships I have are the kids I knew before I became a public figure. There are a few I made on the rise, but you will also need to know the difference between those friendships and ones born out of clout chasing.
5. Learn how to say NO: You can still be kind and nice and all those things but setting limits is a huge thing for teens in general, but especially girls. Gut instincts and listening to your intuition are highly underrated when something feels wrong that’s because it probably is, and you should practice and get comfortable saying no.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Have, build and maintain hobbies and interests outside of the industry such as horseback riding, boating, and things to do in fresh air and nature that can center you. Try to have a workout fitness plan — it’s so important to take time away from the stressors, but also be building your stamina so you can handle all the things that are thrown at you on a daily basis.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Ideally I would like to stop Yulin festival where they kill dogs and eat them in China every year. Additionally I would love if we could recognize the kids in school who start out as bullies and find a way to reach them to show them there’s a different path and options for them to release their anger or help with coping with a tough life situation.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My answer is multi-level! First, I’m grateful for my dad who discovered my talent. I’m also grateful for my mom who put in the sweat equity traveling, being my momager and spending time away from my sister to help me get to where I am today. As well, I’m grateful for Gary Salzman who met me, related to me and what I wanted to achieve as an artist and said “this girl is a star, we are going to make it happen together with a lot of hard work and dedication to the goal.”
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It’s kind of my own quote. People I used to go to school with will say to me “You’ve changed; fake has changed you” well I haven’t changed, what’s changed is how people react to me or assume I’ll be… I am the same person only a bit more guarded and slower to open up but the real change is how I’m perceived.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Halsey, absolutely hands-down. I love her, she is relatable, she is a strong woman who represents a multi-cultural background and she inspires me. If there’s a second choice it’s the AI robot @lilmiquela because she was the first female trap artist to capture my attention. Both are total role models and badasses.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
I’d love to connect on Instagram @gigicesare and Twitter is @gigivcesare, Facebook @gigivcesare and Youtube is GiGi Cesare Thank you for having me.