Three years ago, pop music lost a legend. Now, the world is refusing to forget SOPHIE.
Sophie Xeon (SOPHIE) was a groundbreaking force in the pop space in the 2010s. Lauded for her unconventional use of sound design and maximalist aesthetics to create dazzling, aggressive, whiplash-inducing pop music, she is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the hyperpop subgenre.
SOPHIE’s solo work grappled with the everyday tensions of life in the modern age, weighing the joys of individuality and aesthetic beauty against the dark sides of extreme consumerism and materialism. She brought this outlook to her work as a producer for several big-name artists such as Madonna, Vince Staples, and Charli XCX. Many transgender musicians cite SOPHIE as an influence, primarily for her use of vocal pitch manipulation to play with gender expression through audio.
In January of 2021, an accidental fall cost SOPHIE her life. She was 34 years old.
This year, SOPHIE’s loved ones are determined to keep her spirit alive. In the past month, both A.G. Cook and Charli XCX have paid musical tribute to their friend and collaborator on their respective latest albums. The biggest tribute of all was announced last week, however, when SOPHIE’s brother Benny Long revealed that he would be releasing an album of SOPHIE’s unreleased works in September.
When we, Sophie’s family, took our first steps towards bringing this project to fruition we contacted the dear friends with whom she envisioned the album. We wrote, ‘We have been finding comfort in the music Sophie left us, it is a gift that we truly cherish as we try to find a way forward, with Sophie forever at the centre of our worlds.’
Sophie didn’t often speak publicly of her private life, preferring to put everything she wanted to articulate in her music. It feels only right to share with the world the music she hoped to release, in the belief that we can all connect with her in this, the form she loved most.
[…] Sophie gave all of herself to her music. It’s here that she can always be found.
The first single from the posthumous record, ‘Reason Why’ (feat. Kim Petras & BC Kingdom), was released on Friday. It is a catchy, yet relatively mellow, pop-R&B track. Kim Petras and BC Kingdom, two of SOPHIE’s past collaborators, are gentle and reserved on the vocals, and the beat doesn’t truly drop until around the two-and-a-half-minute mark. Given SOPHIE’s reputation for bursting eardrums and breaking tastes, one can’t help but wonder if this single is intentionally holding back, building suspense for what is to come on the record.
Whatever happens, fans of SOPHIE will undoubtedly be thrilled to hear new material from the iconic artist whose career was tragically cut short. SOPHIE’s work thus far has shaped the present and future of pop and electronic music, and this upcoming release is sure to carry her legacy even further.
The self-titled second album by SOPHIE will be released via Transgressive and Future Classic on 27 September 2024.
Pre-order the album here | Watch SOPHIE on YouTube