SOPHIE, Boundary-Pushing Experimental Pop Artist, Dies at 34
The artist’s influence in the music industry and for so many LGBTQ folks is clear from the palpable grief radiating through the internet, as many learned and processed the accidental death of Sophie Xeon in Athens the morning of January 30.
Xeon, publicly known as SOPHIE, first blew up after the release of the single “BIPP” in 2013, a shiny, bold fusion of electronic, warped vocals, and brash pop production that would jumpstart the artist’s career and define emerging pop genres from the years to follow, and mainstream music as a whole.
SOPHIE’s label, Transgressive, revealed the news of the artist’s death in a statement on Twitter:
“Tragically our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident. True to her spirituality, she had climbed up to watch the full moon and slipped and fell.”
Following the debut single’s release with and a number of others, packaged together in a collection called PRODUCT, SOPHIE collaborated with a multitude of artists and dazzled the world with sounds no one had quite heard before.
‘I could be anything I want, anyhow, any place, anywhere, anyone, any form, any shape, anyway, anything, anything I want,’
SOPHIE – “Immaterial”
SOPHIE came out as trans with the release of the single, “It’s Okay to Cry,” which was the leading song on the Grammy-nominated OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES. The artist’s music and career allowed more visibility for trans artists and helped countless people in LGBTQ community to live, create, and thrive authentically embracing themselves, as SOPHIE did.
Following the news Saturday morning, industry professionals and fans alike shared their grief and condolences, recognizing that SOPHIE’s radical and unique fusion of sound has forever changed the future of music.
a very sad day. RIP immaterial girl ❤️
— ashnikko (@ashnikko) January 30, 2021
sophie xeon… thank you for living your life as authentically, as beautifully and with as much as talent you had. you truly changed the world & made people feel stronger in being themselves through your art. you have brought joy & excitement to so many lives. we thank you sophie
— aaron philip (@aaronphilipxo) January 30, 2021
In mid-January, SOPHIE revealed a remix of “BIPP” by pioneering electronic duo Autechre, and the previously unreleased b-side “UNISIL” was unearthed just earlier this week.
While many continue to come to terms with the abrupt loss, SOPHIE’s influence on pop music and the lives of so many people ensures that the artist’s bright, authentic vision will endure.
“[The future of music] is gonna be exciting,” SOPHIE says in an interview with PAPER Magazine. “The people that have the loudest voices that need to be heard are gonna be the ones we’re gonna be listening to, and not the voices of people manipulating them from whatever sources of power they have.”
#RestInPower SOPHIE! You were one of the most innovative, dynamic, and warm persons I had the pleasure of working with at 2019 @southbankcentre pic.twitter.com/uzsv0EAWxx
— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) January 30, 2021
the gender euphoria i felt listening to sophie was indescribable her music made me feel as corny as this sounds alive, it invoked so much unfiltered joy i was the universe & everything i wanted was attainable she helped me not to be afraid to transition & i’ll always cherish that
— ༺ ༻ – (@gothjafar) January 30, 2021
While many collectively grieve, knowing in other circumstances clubs would have the artist’s music blaring all weekend in a collective celebration of life, there is a prevailing sentiment of gratitude for SOPHIE and her impact.
“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 fulfill certain traditional roles based on gender,” SOPHIE says in the same interview. “It means you’re not a mother or a father—you’re an individual who’s looking at the world and feeling the world. And it’s somehow more human and universal, I feel.”
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
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