Australian indie-pop singer, songwriter and producer Gordi on her new music
Carole King, James Taylor, Billy Joel and Cold Chisel being musical influences growing up. Imagining a queer utopia as if it were a Salvador Dalí painting when creating music. Gin in the afternoon. Releasing a new album and more.
Fuzzer: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some of our questions! First of all, how did you get into singing and making music?
Gordi: I think I got into singing when I got into speaking - it’s just always been a part of my life. I grew up playing the piano (my mum was a piano teacher) and around the age of 13 I had enough feelings to start writing songs.
Fuzzer: Where are you from, and where are you based now?
Gordi: I grew up on a farm outside a town called Canowindra - it’s 4 hours west of Sydney and about 1800 people live there. Now I live between Melbourne and Los Angeles.
Fuzzer: Who were your main musical and creative influences growing up?
Gordi: Carole King, James Taylor, Billy Joel and Cold Chisel were the main records blaring through our family home. I always gravitated towards brilliant songwriters - where you could really hear the melody, the lyrics and the story being told. Then ‘The Sound of White’ by Missy Higgins kind of changed my life and started me writing my own songs.
Fuzzer: Congrats on the release of your single "Alien Cowboy"! Are you able to tell us a bit about the inspiration behind this track and how it came to be?
Gordi: I was listening to ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ at the time and was obsessed with the use of piano on that record. ‘Alien Cowboy’ started with the low distorted piano part. I was struggling to write lyrics that morning but when I came back in the afternoon it came together in the space of an hour. I was imagining a queer utopia as if it were a Salvador Dalí painting. This physical space we long for that might just be inside us.
Fuzzer: What was one of your main highlights working on 'Alien Cowboy'?
Gordi: I worked with the very talented Matias Mora on this track, and Matias really pushed me creatively in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I was so excited by the result as ‘Alien Cowboy’ felt unlike anything I’d ever made.
Fuzzer: One thing we do for each of our interviews is we customise a cocktail recipe in relation to a song/project of the artist we're interviewing! So if your last EP "Lunch At Dune" was a cocktail/mocktail, what type of drink would it be? What liquor or flavours do you think it would have?
Gordi: As the title suggests, I feel like it would have to be a drink you’d have at a long lunch. Gin is my favourite liquor and often has an afternoon vibe. Maybe a lemon, a herb, a little spritz in there somewhere. Alternatively just a large glass of red.
Fuzzer: What music are you listening to at the moment and are there any new artists/songs you would recommend we listen to?
Gordi: The new Mallrat record just dropped, which I love. I’m also obsessed with Doechii, like everybody who watched the Grammys. I’m also digging Saya Gray, Rachel Chinouriri, and the new stuff coming out from Youth Lagoon.
Fuzzer: What's one of the best pieces of advice or lessons you've learnt across your career so far?
Gordi: Don’t give up and don’t go crazy.
Fuzzer: Last question! What have you got planned for 2025?
Gordi: LOTS. Namely releasing a new album.
