Scottish artist Sophie Xeon, better known as SOPHIE, died suddenly in the night from Friday to Saturday. She was 34 years old. Her record label says she died in her home in Athens after a ‘sudden accident’. SOPHIE was known for her own music and productions for artists Charli XCX, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Flume.
On the website of the record label, Transgressive Records reports the cause of her death. “True to her spirituality, she climbed up to see the full moon and slipped and fell.” “SOPHIE pioneered a new sound, one of the most influential artists of the past decade,” said a statement from its management. “She was an icon of liberation.”
SOPHIE broke through in the electronics world in 2014 with music that was difficult to classify into a genre. “It is electronic music, has influences from hip-hop, and is poppy. It is all of it and none at the same time,” says music journalist Job de Wit. He has followed SOPHIE since her breakthrough. “You couldn’t put your finger on it with her music. That’s why she was unique and elusive.”
Privacy
She had that elusive not only with her music, but also as a person. At her breakthrough, it was not known who was behind the name SOPHIE. De Wit: “When she played at Lowlands in 2014 we really saw what she looked like. It was only announced in 2017 that she was a transgender artist. That was not known until then.”
“At first I thought it was fine to let the music speak for itself, but the problem is that people then fill in the gaps for you,” SOPHIE told DJ MAG. “In a way I was happy with that.
In the clip of It’s Okay To Cry, SOPHIE first appeared in a video:
SOPHIE never became a real live artist. Over the years she became better known as a producer, and in that way influential. Her name is behind progressive productions by numerous (pop) artists such as MØ, Charli XCX, Madonna, Vince Staples and Lady Gaga.
Yet she also stood out with her solo work. In 2018 her much-discussed debut album ‘Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides’ was released, with which she was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2018.
Immaterial of that acclaimed album:
On social media there is a lot of disbelief about her passion. “SOPHIE was an insane producer, a visionary, a reference. I can’t believe she’s gone. We have to honor her and remember her. Cherish the pioneers,” writes Héloïse Létissier, lead singer of Christine and the Queens. Twitter.
“SOPHIE was a true source of inspiration, the world has lost an icon of freedom. We are devastated”, writes the label Numbers.
