SOPHIE

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

SOPHIE, in full Sophie Xeon, was a British music producer, songwriter and DJ. She was born in Northampton and later grew up in London. Her father took her to raves from an early age and bought rave cassettes that they played in the car, on which she became hooked on electronic music. As a child she wanted to leave school to become a producer. She started in the band Motherland, played live in Berlin and the United Kingdom in 2008 and 2009 and then worked on remixes and short films. Her first single, Nothing More to Say, was released in 2013, followed by Bipp and Elle.

Music and breakthrough

The singles from the early years, including Lemonade and Hard, were collected on Product in 2015. She worked with artists from the label PC Music, such as A. G. Cook and GFOTY, and produced for Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Kim Petras and Madonna. At first she kept her identity hidden; in 2017 she came out openly as transgender. In 2018 the album Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides was released, which received a Grammy nomination for best dance/electronic album. She died in January 2021 after a fall in Athens. Her second album, Sophie, was completed by her brother Benny Long and was released in 2024.

Influence

Her style combined experimental sound design, sugar-sweet synthesizer sounds and underground dance music. She is regarded as one of the pioneers of hyperpop and the bubblegum bass of the 2010s. Critics described her as someone who bridged the gap between mainstream and avant-garde as few others did.

Listening

• 
  Immaterial · SOPHIE, 2018
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 2018OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN‐INSIDES
• 2024SOPHIE

Mentioned in other articles

• Hyperpop GenreCook and with the producer SOPHIE, from 2013.

See also

• OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN‐INSIDES
• SOPHIE