Gordi, aka Sophie Payten (born on December 28, 1992) is an Australian singer-songwriter known for her stunning voice and sophisticated folktronica stylings. Raised in the rural town of Canowindra, Payten relocated to Sydney in order to attend the University of New South Wales, making her first recordings in her college dorm room. She made her official debut in 2014 with the singles “Nothing’s as It Seems,” “Taken Blame,” and “Can We Work It Out,” which were released via Triple J’s Unearthed radio show. This caught the attention of American indie label Jagjaguwar, who released her debut EP, Clever Disguise (2016). The EP quickly became an indie sensation and secured Payten a touring spot with longtime musical heroes Bon Iver, Of Monsters and Men, and The Tallest Man on Earth. She followed up with Reservoir (2017), her full-length debut, which featured production by Alex Somers, Tim Anderson, and Ali Chant, and reached Number 20 on Australia’s ARIA Charts. That same year, Payten embarked on an European tour with Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir, which was followed by an appearance on Troye Sivan’s 2018 album, Bloom. After finishing her medical studies, she took up on a job at Prince of Wales Hospital in 2019 and started working on her sophomore effort. Recorded in Payten’s family farm, Our Two Skins (2020) climbed to Number 18 on the ARIA Charts and was premiered via a live streaming show at the Sydney Opera House. Seven of its tracks were later remixed by artists such as Laurence English, Ryan Hemsworth, Helao Negro, Loraine James, Georgia Maq and Alex Somers. After the release of the live album Refracted: Live at Phoenix Central Park, Payten released the EP Inhuman, then paired with Soak for Lunch at Dune (2024). A string of singles appeared before the release of her third studio full-length, Like Plasticine, in 2025.
