Remembering the Trans Music Icon, SOPHIE

February 5, 2023
CASTEL

Sophie Xeon, the pioneer, icon, and trailblazer!

Stylized as SOPHIE, the Grammy-nominated artist craved a lane of her music with her avant-garde music, a blend of pop, hip-hop, trance, and electronic music, making a name for herself working with Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Madonna, Khalif and more. Born in Glasglow and having immersed herself in music and tapes after hearing electronic music, SOPHIE was in the pop future, gagging the girls.

Starting their career in Eupore, mostly anonymous by way of Daft Punk, never showing her likeness, she rose in popularity by making remixes and performing at clubs. SOPHIE broke molds, paved the way for the girls, and did it anonymously, her voice and body skillfully obscured.

February 18, 2013, SOPHIE released her debut, "Nothing More To Say," a three-track EP that included two versions of the track labeled Dub / Vox and "Eeehhh." Afterward, SOPHIE previewed and released tracks that would end up on several top lists and garner acclaim and recognition. "Bipp," which included vocals from former Motherland bandmate Marcella Dvsi, would place 17 on Pitchfork's year-end list that year and would end up in the top 50 songs of 2010-2014.

In 2014, SOPHIE continued to roll out songs with the Numbers label that would eventually appear on her debut album, PRODUCT. The project included the four songs previously released, "Bipp"/"Elle" and "Lemonade"/"Hard," as well as four unreleased tracks. After PRODUCT, Sophie would go on to make infectious pop with one of the industry's most rebellious artists Charli XCX; see her 2021 send-off from her label "CRASH"; on several projects! She was the primary producer on the VROOM VROOM ep and several songs on Charli's dual series of Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, which still have us girlies in a chokehold today.

In 2017 before the release of their second project and debut album, SOPHIE debuted their voice and self in the music video for It's Okay To Cry that same year, she performed live. The Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides project further blew up her star and career. She became one of the first openly Transgender artists to be nominated in the Best Dance / Electronic album and one of the first three transgender artists to ever be nominated for a Grammy.

After SOPHIE would go on to ride the high of the album, releasing a remix a year later while lighting the music industry up by producing and featuring on several songs and remixes before her shocking and devastating accident in 2021. She slipped and fell to her death, trying to take a picture of the moon. The whole queer music community would feel the love and sadness that followed. Her music championed the acceptance and blurring of self-identity, pushed pop boundaries, and so simply fun!

Her impact is undeniable; her music is still played, sampled, and mentioned in the industry. Yeah, I'm a stan, and you should be too!