Triple J’s Like A Version is akin to an Australian take on BBC Radio One Live Lounge, in that they also task artists with putting their own spin on somebody else’s song. The latest participant in the series of Gordi, who stepped up to the plate to take on Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.”
“Wrecking Ball” is a huge anthem and a tough track to take on, but Gordi delivered a strong showing. She kept the verses intimate and didn’t belt it out on the chorus as much as Cyrus does on her original. That, along with the more synth- and guitar-driven instrumentation, gave her rendition a more alternative feel.
In an interview accompanying the performance, Gordi drew parallels between her life and that of Cyrus’ famous Hannah Montana role, saying, “My friends use to point me out and call me ‘Hannah Montana’ because I was kind of leading this double life of being a musician and then also going through medical school. It’s a nod to Hannah Montana, covering Miley Cyrus.”
Meanwhile, Gordi has had a different pandemic experience than most musicians. She was working as a doctor as recently as this past January, and was prepared to re-enlist her medical services to help deal with the coronavirus. When she returned to Australia in March after touring, he signed up to help in a COVID clinic, but fortunately, her services didn’t end up being needed. She told Uproxx in a recent interview, “There was a two week period where I was like, ‘OK, I’m getting ready to go into this and go back to work.’ But then the numbers just went off a cliff in Australia and all my friends that are working in hospitals were like, ‘We have nothing to do, because not even the regular patients are coming in, let alone any COVID patients.’ I actually still haven’t set foot back in a hospital.”
Watch Gordi cover “Wrecking Ball” above.