Gordi is a 21 year-old singer-songwriter who makes folk pop that adopts an old-fashioned simplicity, expressed with modern vigour and emotional conviction. Raised in the rural New South Wales town of Canowindra, schooled in Sydney and spent a year working and writing in Tanzania, Gordi’s sound draws in equal measures from pop, folk, blues and country traditions. With over a year of gigging up and down the east coast under her belt, including supports for Dustin Tebbutt, Amy Rose, Steve Smyth and Saskwatch, Gordi is ecstatic to release her first EP, led by the buoyant radio-friendly single ‘Away’. With a helping hand from the Australia Council’s touring program, Gordi is about to head off on her second tour in support of her EP, taking in over 30 metro and regional dates in Qld, NSW and Victoria, before heading back into the studio to work on her second EP.
1.How would you describe your music in just 3 words?
Folk-indie-pop
2.Tell us a little about yourself, and how you came about as an artist?
I’m 21 years old and grew up on a farm outside Canowindra in country NSW. I have always loved playing music and started writing my own when I was about 13. My very talented band came together in 2012 and they’ve been playing gigs with me ever since. It’s a lot of fun to hear songs I’ve written come alive on stage.
3.What musical influences shape your sound?
Growing up I loved Billy Joel, Carol King and James Taylor – the lyrics in a song are very important to me. But I think the next EP will be influenced more by the likes of London Grammar, Asgeir, Bon Iver and James Vincent McMorrow and the combination of their acoustic and synthesized sound.
4.What is your proudest moment so far as a young artist?
My EP launch last October when I played to a sold out crowd at the Vanguard in Newtown. I had told friends they’d have no trouble getting in because I couldn’t imagine 150 people would turn up- but they did so some of my friends were turned away at the door!
5.What was the process of releasing for your first EP back last year?
We spent some time in the studio tracking the songs and seeing what worked in the mix and what didn’t with our producer, Greg Stace. And I’m lucky enough to have a couple of creative aunties that helped me out with the photos and graphics of the EP and press releases. We released the single ‘Away’ and built some buzz around it before having a really successful EP launch and summer East coast tour.
6. What advice do you have to other young musicians trying to break into the music industry?
Get a good manager! I think that’s definitely the key to getting the ball rolling, at least it was for me. And I think knowing what you want your sound to be and not being afraid to let it evolve is really important.
7.If you could collaborate with any Sydney based artist or band, who would it be?
Boy and Bear.
8. What can we expect to see from you for the rest of the year?
I’ve got a new single coming out in August which I’ll be recording in Melbourne with Ben McCarthy and by the end of the year there’ll be an EP to follow.
https://soundcloud.com/gordi-music
http://triplejunearthed.com.au/gordi