cornbreadsays
Happy birthday SOPHIE!
Footage still via YouTube (SOPHIE)
Today, September 17, marks what would've been the prolific pop producer's 38th birthday.
SOPHIE is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the underground electronic and hyperpop movement of the 2010s, which has now become mainstream. She passed away on January 30, 2021 after an accidental fall from the balcony of an apartment while looking at the moon while staying in Athens.
In honor of her birthday, let's take a quick walk down memory lane.
"Vroom Vroom" - Charli XCX, prod. by SOPHIE
One of SOPHIE's most popular collaborations is with Charli XCX on her 2015 track "Vroom Vroom." The 2015 song signaled a shift in XCX's sound and the production style became a signature for both artists. It's a chaotic song, metallic and silly, and just fun – so much so that any live show crowd at an XCX show still loses their minds when it comes on nearly a decade later.
"BIPP" - SOPHIE
"BIPP" was the lead song off her first body of work, PRODUCT. It received critical acclaim from Pitchfork and Resident Advisor at the time and is regarded as one of the best hyperpop songs of all time.
"Bitch I'm Madonna" - Madonna, Nicki Minaj, prod. by SOPHIE
This song is SOPHIE's biggest and perhaps most confusing co-sign. Madonna (yes, thee Madonna) made the song her lead single of her 2010s comeback era and SOPHIE's sound is written all over it. The song was derided at the time but now we can't help but commend Madonna's taste and ear. Talk about being ahead of her time!
"When I Rule the World" - LIZ, prod. by SOPHIE
In the mid-2010s, this meta of electronic and hyperpop helmed by SOPHIE's productions was treated by the mainstream culture as a joke, but it was a joke a certain sector of internet queers (and a few others with taste) were in on. All of these silly little songs built an underground culture and a rabid fandom, and LIZ's "When I Rule the World" was just one of our anthems.
"Immaterial" - SOPHIE
I had the privilege of seeing SOPHIE perform at Coachella in 2019. Little did any of us know it would be one of her last performances. She stood perfectly still during her set while playing these loud, chaotic songs, changing poses only every ten or so minutes. When this song came on, the queers in the audience lost their minds while the heterosexuals bystanders looked on confused. It's an anthem for anyone whose essence extends past their physical bodies. The beat feels like it's jumping out of your skin. You can be anything you want, "anyhow, any place, anywhere, anyone, any form, any shape, anyway." A true masterpiece, and a certified anthem for the LGBTQ+ community, especially within the trans community.
"Yeah Right" - Vince Staples, prod. by SOPHIE
SOPHIE's production style was even used in hip-hop, most noticeably with Vince Staples, but it led her to working with other names like Travis Scott, Big Freedia, and Kidd Kenn.
1, 2, 3 Dayz Up - Kim Petras, prod. by SOPHIE
SOPHIE was an early collaborator in pop star Kim Petras' career, and the two crafted this absolute banger together.
"Faceshopping" - SOPHIE
SOPHIE's 2018 album OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES is stacked full of soliloquies about constructing who you are and validating your construction as the beautiful creation it is. "Faceshopping" features some of her prettiest vocals and oddest choruses colliding in one song, an ethereal experience about self-realization and authenticity.
"24HRS" - ITZY
SOPHIE's sound easily transferred to K-pop, and girl group ITZY's "24HRS" perfectly captured her essence and spread her production style to more corners of the world.
"NOTHING MORE TO SAY / EEEHHH" - SOPHIE
SOPHIE's first-ever single, "Nothing More to Say," was released in 2013. Even then, you can hear the sounds that would become her legacy.
"It's Okay To Cry" - SOPHIE
In death, SOPHIE's 2018 music video for "It's Okay To Cry" has an entirely new meaning. She floats through clouds and rainbows while letting the viewer know that yes, it's okay to cry. Don't hide those innermost parts, she instructs. "There's a world inside you/I wanna know what it feels like/I wanna go there with you/'Cause we've all got a dark place/Maybe if, if we shine some light there/It won't be so hard/I want to know those parts of you." The track builds to a euphoric climax, a release of all your pent up frustration, then, a kiss.
It feels like a song for her younger self, for anyone whose had to suppress who they are, and will almost certainly be the image of her that will live on.
Charli XCX interpolates the song on brat in the track "So I," seemingly singing to SOPHIE. "When I'm on stage, sometimes I lie/Say that I love singin' these songs you left behind/(And I know you always said) 'It's okay to cry'/So, I know I can cry, I can cry, so I cry."
