SOPHIE - It's Okay to Cry

 

Sad news DJ, avant pop artist , musician, and producer SOPHIE has died following a sudden accident this morning (January 30). 

The news was confirmed by a representative for the artist, who wrote in a statement to Mixmag: 

“It is with profound sadness that I have to inform you that musician and producer SOPHIE passed away this morning around 4am in Athens, where the artist had been living, following a sudden accident.” 

 “At this time respect and privacy for the family is our priority. We would also ask for respect for her fanbase, and to treat the private nature of this news with sensitivity.”

The statement continued: “SOPHIE was a pioneer of a new sound, one of the most influential artists in the last decade. Not only for ingenious production and creativity but also for the message and visibility that was achieved. An icon of liberation.”

Labels Transgressive and Future Classic added: “True to her spirituality she had climbed up to watch and her peers have been paying tribute on social media, remembering her not just as a talented and innovative artist, but a pioneer for queer and transgender representation in the music industry:the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell. She will always be here with us.” SOPHIE was 34.

Following the news of her unexpected death, SOPHIE’s fans and her peers have been paying tribute on social media, remembering her as a trans icon and  a pioneer for queer and transgender representation in the music industry.

A trailblazing, visionary Sophie Xeon was born and raised in Glasgow,known for her innovative “hyperkinetic” take on pop music, SOPHIE won legions of fans for her surreal production style and sound. After spending the initial part of her career as a DJ and producer, SOPHIE came to prominence after the release of her 2013 single ‘Bipp’ and her 2014 single ‘Lemonade’.

Her debut album Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides was released in 2018 to critical acclaim, ultimately earning a Grammy's nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album. 

Outside of her own solo work, SOPHIE also won praise for her production work with several high profile artists, including Madonna, Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Let’s Eat Grandma, Kim Petras, Flume, Namie Amuro and Itzy.

 Known to be intensely private, Sophie’s identity was shrouded in mystery for the first few years of their career. In 2017, Sophie used her voice and image for the first time on the single “It’s Okay to Cry” and came out as a trans woman in the months following. (Sophie’s representative had previously requested not using pronouns for the musician.)

Speaking to Paper magazine in 2018 about being a trans woman, SOPHIE said that her coming out “means there’s no longer an expectation based on the body you were born into, or how your life should play out and how it should end. Traditional family models and structures of control disappear.”

She continued by explaining how control is key when discussing transness, saying “‘Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren’t fighting against each other and struggling to survive. On this earth, it’s that you can get closer to how you feel your true essence is without the societal pressures of having to fulfil certain traditional roles based on gender.”

A fearless powerful artist, a beautiful spirit who rebelled against the normative society disrupting the cultural zetgeist, her artistry was revolutionary, she introduced new ways music can be represented, tested the boundaries within which electronic music exists, who with honesty and emotional intensity exploded ideas about underground and melding worlds of house, techno, trance, pop and the avant-garde into something brazenly new and undeniable, while helping thousands of people to find who they are. Her influence on pop today as a producer or singer can't be understated. A true pioneer, her legacy will shine on. Rest in Power. Tell people you love them when you can. It's ok to cry