Scottish producer Sophie, who was critically acclaimed for her contributions to the electronic music world, has died at the age of 34, following a tragic fall in Athens, Greece early Saturday morning. A representative confirmed the news to Pitchfork and a statement from Sophie’s label, Transgressive and Future Classic, also confirmed it. “True to her spirituality she had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell. She will always be here with us,” they said. “The family thank everyone for their love and support and request privacy at this devastating time.”
— Transgressive (@transgressiveHQ) January 30, 2021
Born Sophie Xeon, they stepped into the European music scene back in the early 2010s thanks to a number of house-adjacent records, including 2013’s “Nothing More To Say.” Their first project arrived with 2015’s Product compilation and three years later, Sophie’s official debut album, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, was released. It was also during the press run for the album that Sophie, whose identity was unknown at the time, came out as transgender. (They preferred to use gender non-binary pronouns.)
Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides earned a nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2019 Grammys and the following year, it would land appearances on several decade-end lists. After hearing about Sophie’s death, Sam Smith, Rina Sawayama, Christin And The Queens, and more took to Twitter to share their reactions and honor them.
You can read some of the tweets from Sophie’s peers here.
(via Pitchfork)
