Giovannie Pierre-Louis, better known as Gio, is a true representation of an individual whose life’s obstacles set her up to do nothing but win extremely big. Her life story unfolds like a well-scripted movie: Placed on a winding road full of betrayal, grief and self-hatred that, despite being dependent on “a system that’s designed to fail,” she detours to a path illuminated by hope and the creation of a fairytale ending.
Gio is a 25-year-old young woman of Haitian-Italian descent. She is a Brooklyn native born to an Italian mother and Haitian father. Gio had a very dysfunctional home as a young child, with a drug kingpin for a father – who was exiled when she was 2 – and a mother who could not embrace her bi-racial children.
The streets grabbed Gio’s attention and the life she began to live was reckless, following a road map for destruction. She became a true menace to her mother and was sent to live in Haiti. This was a pinnacle of Gio’s life. In Haiti she learned how to appreciate the smaller things in life and learned discipline. When she returned to New York, she found herself very lonely at the ripe young age of 15. She had to take care of her younger sister, Cassandra, which forced her to grow up quickly.
In 2003 Gio’s world came crashing down. Her younger sister, who was the only person in Gio’s world, was killed in a fire at the age of 15. She struggled for years afterward with guilt and grief. She began battling with her weight while dealing with all the stress and trauma. Gio grew to over 450 pounds. She no longer cared about herself and went into deep depression.
In 2010, Gio discovered a new passion for life. After the destructive earthquakes in her home country Haiti, she inherited the music studio that her family had been running for years. She found a new love for music. A way for her be self-expressive and escape from her troubled reality. Gio began to use her talents and ingenuity, and as she let her creativity flow she began to write and produce her own music. She started this project using the unique system in Haiti to create her music, giving her a different appealing sound.
She’s using her passion to help her hurting country and push her new project: Gio wants her music to be heard around the world to promote Haiti and to also continue her sister Cassandra’s creative musical legacy. Gio’s music’s universal edge bridges many gaps. It ranges from Neo-Soul, to Jazz, to R&B and Hip-Hop – but there’s no limit to the sounds Gio is bringing forth as she draws inspiration from her life’s lessons and blessings.
Her intentions are clear: to keep Haiti on people’s minds through her musical expressions and to make Gio a household name in the process.
Fresh of the press! Upcoming Urban Pop Artist: It's Giovannie!
For interviews or questions please email: Giovanniemusic@gmail.com