Sophie, the avant-garde artist who produced singers like Madonna and Charli XCX and released the acclaimed album of 2018 Oil of each pearl inside, died at 34 years old.
The Scottish musician’s label, Transgressive, confirmed Sophie’s death. “Tragically, our beautiful Sophie passed away this morning after a terrible accident,” wrote the label. “True to her spirituality, she climbed to see the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell. She will always be here with us. The family thanks everyone for their love and support and asks for privacy in this devastating time. “
The musician’s management added the Guardian that Sophie died after a “sudden accident” on Saturday morning in Athens, Georgia. Sophie was “a pioneer in a new sound, one of the most influential artists of the past decade. Not only for ingenious production and creativity, but also for the message and visibility that has been achieved. An icon of liberation, ”said Sophie’s management. “Right now, family respect and privacy are our priority. We would also ask for respect for your fan base and treat the private nature of this news with sensitivity. “
Chris de Christine and the Queens tweeted, “Sophie was a stellar producer, a visionary, a reference. She rebelled against narrow and normative society for being an absolute triumph, both as an artist and as a woman. I can’t believe that she’s gone. We need to honor and respect his memory and legacy. Value the pioneers. “
Born and raised in Glasgow, Sophie started releasing music and performing as a DJ a decade ago, eventually becoming affiliated with the innovative pop music collective PC Music. In 2013, Sophie started releasing songs and gained significant notoriety a year later with the single “Lemonade” / “Hard”.
Sophie quickly became a favorite producer of pop stars looking to experiment with the genre, like Madonna, who hired the visionary producer for her 2015 single, “Bitch I’m Madonna”. Sophie’s most frequent partnership was with Charli XCX, first working with the star on the EP Vroom Vroom. Sophie and XCX collaborated numerous times, including some songs in the singer’s 2018 mixtapes Angel Number 1 and Pop 2.
Sophie has also worked with Vince Staples, Le1f, Mø, Cashmere Cat and Shygirl over the years, remixing songs by Fletcher, Brooke Candy and Yelle along the way.
Known for being extremely private, Sophie’s identity was shrouded in mystery during the early years of her career. In 2017, Sophie used her voice and image for the first time on the single “It’s Okay to Cry” and became a trans woman in the following months. (Sophie’s representative had previously requested not to use pronouns for the musician.)
“Transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so that the two don’t fight each other and struggle to survive … That means you are not a mother or father – you are an individual who is looking at the world and feeling the world, ”said Sophie Paper magazine.
“It’s Okay to Cry” was the first single from Sophie’s only album Oil of each pearl inside. The bubbly and avant-garde LP received significant acclaim, as well as a nomination for Best Dance / Electronic Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
Sam Smith tweeted after Sophie’s death, “Moving news. The world has lost an angel. A true visionary and icon of our generation. Its light will continue to inspire many generations. Thinking about Sophie’s family and friends at this difficult time. “
Peaches I wrote, “I’m heartbroken. Thanks Sophie Rest In Power! You will always be remembered as a true game changer, a powerful presence and an incredibly original producer! Your music and production brought me a lot of joy! “