# Gordi (musician)

Sophie Payten (born 28 December 1992), known professionally as Gordi, is an Australian folktronica singer/songwriter. Her music has been featured in various television series and films: her 2015 single "Can We Work It Out" featured in the seventh series of The Vampire Diaries, her 2017 single "Heaven I Know" featured in the tenth series of The Walking Dead, and her 2017 song "Something Like This" featured in the 2020 teen romantic comedy To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.

## Career

Payten began receiving both national and international attention after playing independently across Sydney whilst at university and releasing tracks online through government-funded national Australian radio station Triple J's Unearthed radio. Gordi was nominated for the 2015 Unearthed Artist of the Year J Award from Triple J, the 2015 Next Big Thing SMAC (Sydney Music, Arts & Culture) Award from FBi Radio, and was dubbed one of the 40 best new bands of 2016 by Stereogum. Payten signed record deals with Jagjaguwar in the United States in February 2016 and Liberation Music in Australia in April 2016. Gordi then released her debut EP Clever Disguise in May 2016. The EP was written entirely by Payten, collaborating with producers and mixers Ben McCarthy, Alex Somers and Francois Tetaz.
Gordi has toured with Bon Iver, Of Monsters and Men, The Tallest Man on Earth, Highasakite, and Ásgeir. Payten also sang backing vocals for Bon Iver on their appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September 2016.
Gordi's debut LP Reservoir, released on 25 August 2017, was co-produced by Payten in part with Alex Somers in his studio in Iceland, Tim Anderson in Los Angeles and Ali Chant in New York City. On the album track "I'm Done", S. Carey is a featured vocalist. Payten is credited with singing backing vocals on S. Carey’s 2018 album Hundred Acres. She is also featured on "Postcard" from Troye Sivan’s 2018 album Bloom.
Throughout 2019, Payten worked at Prince of Wales Hospital as a junior doctor, after completing her medical studies at The University of New South Wales in 2018. She quit the position in January 2020 to work on her second studio album, Our Two Skins, but went back on call in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In January 2020, Payten released her first single in almost three years called "The Cost", with profits going to the 2020 Australian Bushfire Relief. She also released a single "Indifferent" with Willaris. K, which appeared on his EP Lustre. Our Two Skins was released on 26 June 2020. The album, co-produced by Payten with Chris Messina and Zach Hanson, was recorded in a cottage on Payten's family farm in Canowindra. Payten's first single from the record, "Sandwiches", was released in February, followed by "Aeroplane Bathroom" in March, "Volcanic", in May, and "Unready" and "Extraordinary Life", both released in June. Music videos were released alongside all five singles.
In May 2022, Payten released the single "Way I Go" from her EP Inhuman, which was released on 19 August 2022. It was Payten's first non-remix, live, or acoustic EP since the release of Clever Disguise in 2016.
In March 2023, Gordi released "Broke Scene", which was co-produced by Ethan Gruska.

## Other roles and activities

In August 2023, Gordi was appointed as one of eight members of the newly-formed Music Australia Council, a division of Creative Australia (formerly Australia Council for the Arts).

## Personal life

Payten has been in a relationship with singer-songwriter Alex Lahey since 2017. In 2021 the two released a single, "Dino's", with a music video directed by Nick Mckk.
Payten's 2020 single "Sandwiches" was dedicated to her grandmother after she died.

## Discography
### Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions shown :
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | AUS |
| Reservoir | Released: 25 August 2017 Label: Jagjaguwar Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 20 |
| Our Two Skins | Released: 26 June 2020 Label: Jagjaguwar Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 18 |
| Like Plasticine | Released: 30 May 2025 Label: Mushroom Music Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | |

### Extended plays

List of EPs, with release date and label shown :
| Title | Details |
| Clever Disguise | Released: 13 May 2016 Label: Jagjaguwar, Liberation Formats: CD, LP, digital download |
| Beneath the Reservoir | Released: 31 January 2019 Label: Jagjaguwar, Liberation Formats: Digital download, streaming |
| Refracted: Live at Phoenix Central Park | Released: 20 May 2021 Label: Jagjaguwar, Liberation Formats: Digital download, streaming |
| Inhuman | Released: 19 August 2022 Label: Jagjaguwar, Liberation Formats: Digital download, streaming |
| Lunch At Dune | Released: 15 November 2024 Label: Mushroom Music Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Remix EPs

List of remix EPs, with release date and label shown :
| Title | Details |
| Can We Work It Out (Reworks) | Released: 7 November 2018 Label: Jagjaguwar, Liberation Formats: Digital download, streaming |
| Extraordinary Life | Released: 8 October 2020 Label: Jagjaguwar, Liberation Formats: Digital download, streaming |
| Our Two Skins (Remixed) | Released: 27 January 2021 Label: Jagjaguwar, Liberation Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### Singles
#### As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, with year released and album shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Nothing's as It Seems" | 2014 | Clever Disguise |
| "Taken Blame" | 2015 | Clever Disguise |
| "Can We Work It Out" (original or RAC remix) | 2015 | Clever Disguise |
| "Avant Gardener" | 2016 | Non-album single |
| "So Here We Are" | 2016 | Clever Disguise |
| "00000 Million" | 2016 | Non-album single |
| "Heaven I Know" | 2017 | Reservoir |
| "On My Side" | 2017 | Reservoir |
| "Bitter End" | 2017 | Reservoir |
| "The Cost (Australian Bushfire Relief)" | 2020 | Non-album single |
| "Indifferent" (with Willaris. K) | 2020 | Lustre |
| "Sandwiches" | 2020 | Our Two Skins |
| "Aeroplane Bathroom" | 2020 | Our Two Skins |
| "Volcanic" | 2020 | Our Two Skins |
| "Unready" | 2020 | Our Two Skins |
| "Extraordinary Life" | 2020 | Our Two Skins |
| "Wrecking Ball" (triple j Like A Version) | 2020 | Non-album single |
| "Dino's" (with Alex Lahey) | 2021 | Non-album single |
| "Grass is Blue" | 2021 | Inhuman |
| "Wait" (with Troye Sivan) | 2022 | Three Months |
| "Way I Go" | 2022 | Inhuman |
| "Inhuman" | 2022 | Inhuman |
| "Stranger" | 2022 | Inhuman |
| "Visitor" | 2022 | Inhuman |
| "Begin Again" (Gordi remix) (with Didirri) | 2022 | Non-album single |
| "One Crowded Hour / Unready (Live at Sydney Opera House)" | 2022 | Non-album single |
| "Broke Scene" | 2023 | Like Plasticine |
| "Covered in Chrome" | 2023 | Mushroom: Fifty Years of Making Noise (Reimagined) |
| "Apple" | 2024 | Lunch At Dune |
| "Lunch At Dune" (with Soak) | 2024 | Lunch At Dune & Like Plasticine |
| "Alien Cowboy" | 2025 | Like Plasticine |
| "Peripheral Lover" | 2025 | Like Plasticine |

#### As featured artist

List of singles as featured artist, with year released and album shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "The Hummingbird" (Josh Pyke featuring Gordi) | 2021 | To Find Happiness |
| "Steadfast" (John Raymond & S. Carey featuring Gordi) | 2023 | Shadowlands |
| "Sir" (Slowshift featuring Gordi) | 2023 | World Going One Way |

#### Guest appearances

Guest appearances, with year released and album shown :
| Title | Year | Album |
| "Postcard" (Troye Sivan featuring Gordi) | 2018 | Bloom |
| "Hang On" (Le Youth featuring Gordi) | 2022 | Reminders |
| "No One Else" (Nils Hoffmann featuring Gordi) | 2022 | A Radiant Sign |
| "New Meaning" (John Raymond & S. Carey featuring Gordi) | 2023 | Shadowlands |

## Awards and nominations
### AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2021 | "Extraordinary Life" | Independent Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Our Two Skins | Best Independent Pop Album or EP | Won | |

### ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Gordi has received two nominations.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2020 | Our Two Skins | Best Adult Contemporary Album | Nominated |
| 2023 | Sophie Payton (Gordi) & Jason Fernandez for RIDE - Music from the Film | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Nominated |

### Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2020 | Our Two Skins | Australian Music Prize | Nominated | |

### Australian Women in Music Awards

The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the Australian Music Industry who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2018 | Sophie Payten (Gordi) | Songwriter Award | Won | |
| 2018 | Sophie Payten (Gordi) | Artistic Excellence Award | Nominated | |

### J Award

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
| 2015 | Herself | Unearthed Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| 2017 | Reservoir | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2020 | Our Two Skins | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2020 | Herself | Double J Australian Artist of the Year | Nominated |

### Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2021 | "Dino's" (with Alex Lahey) | Best Victorian Song | Nominated | |

### Rolling Stone Australia Awards

The Rolling Stone Australia Awards are awarded annually in January or February by the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine for outstanding contributions to popular culture in the previous year.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | Herself | Rolling Stone Readers' Choice Award | Won | |