Gordi Gordi

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Sydney folktronica songstress Gordi caused a stir in the latter part of 2014, and returns to further fuel anticipation around the release of her upcoming EP. In late 2014, Gordi (Sophie Payten) attracted attention with her track “Nothing’s As It Seems”, a luminous pop track which drew comparisons ranging from Angel Olson, Asgeir, Joni Mitchell and Tallest Man On Earth. The 22 year-old artist was quickly added to rotation on triple j and community radio around Australia and named triple j’s Unearthed Feature Artist earlier this year. With an ethereal, worldly vocal punctuated by wonderful arrangement, her follow up singles “Taken Blame” and “Can We Work It Out” serve as further offerings of what should be a busy 2015-16 for Gordi, which included break-out showcase sets at BIGSOUND in Brisbane and CMJ in New York as well as being named the recipient of the APRA Josh Pyke Partnership award, receiving a nomination for a triple j J Award and 2 nominations for FBi Radio SMAC Awards. Stereogum wrapped up 2015 by naming “Can We Work It Out” in its best tracks of the year.

Premiered online by Neon Gold, Gordi’s latest single “Can We Work It Out” had over 150,000 plays on Spotify in its first two weeks, reached number 3 on the Hype Machine charts and was added to rotation on triple j shortly after Zan Rowe gave the track its world radio premiere. “Nothing’s As It Seems” peaked at no. 5 on the Spotify Viral Chart, no. 6 on the iTunes singer-songwriter chart, top 40 Shazam charts (with over 20,000 Shazams to date), no. 17 on the Hype Machine Charts and was the 8th most added track to radio around Australia two weeks after release – all independently.

After a stint writing and working in Tanzania, Gordi (pronounced with a hard ‘G’) relocated from her hometown Canowindra to Sydney to pursue her musical career. Gordi transformed the shells of demos recorded in her university dorm room in Sydney’s Newtown into dynamic and full-bodied indie-folk songs with the help of Melbourne producer Benjamin McCarthy.

Gordi’s musical instincts began on the ivory at an early age by virtue of her piano teacher mother. Like so many of her musical heroes, she was later drawn to the earthiness of the steel string – a useful piece of armoury to have growing up on a farming property in central western New South Wales. But the craft in her songwriting is found partly in the emotional spectrum that her tracks span – from wistful aching to spirited celebration, her lyrical journeys take us places in our memories and imaginations that belie her 22 years. The candour in Gordi’s songs is matched by a vocal tone that is at once fractured and brimming with richness. Combining vintage vocal layering and earthy guitar textures with delicate modern electronic production, Gordi’s sonic palette is one she can call her own.

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