SOPHIE
Sophie Xeon (; 17 September 1986 – 30 January 2021), known mononymously as SOPHIE, was a Scottish music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Sophie's work is known for its brash take on pop music and is distinguished by experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesized textures, and incorporation of influences from underground dance styles. It would help pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.
Sophie, who initially remained anonymous and later came out as transgender, rose to prominence with the breakthrough singles "Bipp" (2013) and "Lemonade" (2014), which were compiled on the singles collection Product (2015). Sophie's only studio album Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides followed in 2018, earning a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Sophie worked closely with artists from the PC Music label, including A. G. Cook and GFOTY, and also produced for acts such as Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Kim Petras, Madonna, Let's Eat Grandma, and Namie Amuro.
Sophie died in January 2021 after an accidental fall in Athens, Greece. The Fader eulogized Sophie as a "pioneering Scottish artist whose vibrant electronic productions expanded modern pop music's scope", while Pitchfork credited Sophie's influential work with "mold[ing] electronic music into bracingly original avant-garde pop". In June 2024, it was announced that Sophie's self-titled second studio album Sophie, reportedly "nearly finished" at the time of the artist's death, would be released posthumously on 27 September.
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