Gina Cigna was born in Angers, department of Maine-et-Loire, to parents of Italian origin.

She trained as a pianist at the Paris Conservatory studying with Alfred Cortot and graduated with a gold medal.

She made her debut as Geneviève Sens in 1927 at the Teatro alla Scala, in Milan, as Freia in Das Rheingold, and sang minor roles in Boris Godunov and Ariane et Barbe-Bleue under Arturo Toscanini, without much success.

She was to sing regularly at La Scala until 1945, quickly establishing herself as one of the leading Italian dramatic soprano alongside Maria Caniglia in operas such as Il Trovatore, Un ballo in maschera, La forza del destino, Aida, Andrea Chénier, and Tosca.

Cigna's career came to a halt in 1948 when she was involved in a serious car accident and suffered a heart attack.