SOPHIE
Sophie Xeon ( ZEE-on; 17 September 1986 – 30 January 2021), known mononymously as Sophie (stylised in all caps), was a British music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her distinctive musical style incorporated experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesised textures, and underground dance elements. She helped pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.
Sophie rose to prominence with a string of breakthrough singles led by "Bipp" (2013); these were compiled on the singles collection Product (2015). She concealed her identity early in her solo career, but came out publicly as transgender in 2017. The following year, Sophie released the studio album Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides, earning a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. She 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, Hyd, Itzy, Gaika, and Namie Amuro.
Sophie died in January 2021 after a fall in Athens, Greece. AllMusic eulogised her as a "fearless trailblazer in electronic music" who "bridged the mainstream and the avant-garde like few other artists", while Rolling Stone credited her work with "revolutioniz[ing] the sound of underground dance and pop music". A self-titled second studio album, reportedly "nearly finished" at the time of her death and completed by her brother Benny Long, was released posthumously in 2024.
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