Interesting and Fun Facts about Sophie Xeon, a Scottish Musician, Producer, and DJ

Google music video Doodle on 17 September 2024 celebrates the birthday of Scottish musician, producer, and DJ Sophie Xeon (known in the music world as SOPHIE), who is recognized for her acclaimed experimental pop and electronic music. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Sophie Xeon.

Here is a look at the life and work of Sophie.

Quick Look

Also known as: Sophie Xeon
Birth date: 17 September 1986
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Died on: 30 January 2021 (aged 34)
Death place: Athens, Greece
Famous as: Music producer, DJ, songwriter

45 Interesting Facts about Sophie Xeon

1. Sophie Xeon referred to mononymously as SOPHIE, was a Scottish music producer, songwriter, and DJ.
2. Her work is known for its brash take on pop music and is recognized by experimental sound design, “sugary” synthesized textures, and incorporation of influences from underground dance styles. It would assist to pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre..
3. With her breakthrough singles “BIPP” (2013) and “Lemonade” (2014), which were included in the singles collection Product (2015), Sophie rose to prominence.
4. She came out publicly as transgender in 2017 and released the studio album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides the next year, earning a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
5. She worked intimately with artists from the PC Music label, including A. G. Cook and GFOTY, and furthermore produced for acts like Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Kim Petras, Madonna, Let’s Eat Grandma, and Namie Amuro.
6. Sophie was born on September 17, 1986, and she spent her childhood in Glasgow, Scotland.
7. She became interested in making new music after receiving a keyboard as a birthday gift. At the age of approximately nine or ten, Sophie expressed the wish to exit school to become an electronic music producer, yet was not permitted to.
8. As a child, Sophie was acquainted with electronic and rave music by her dad through cassette tapes and soon the self-taught artist was producing music with toy keyboards.
9. She moved to Berlin in the early 2000s and formed the dance-pop group Motherland, which performed in Germany and the United Kingdom. Known for being media-shy, Sophie avoided the spotlight, liking to stay unknown.
10. She kept on making music all through adolescence. Sophie figured out how to DJ as well as produce music.
11. Sophie’s music career started in a band named Motherland, alongside bandmates Sabine Gottfried, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, and Marcella Dvsi.
12. She played live shows in Berlin and the UK during 2008-2009. She then worked on a series of performance works with Lutz-Kinoy.
13. The Motherland Radio version of the Light Asylum single “A Certain Person” was created by Sophie in October 2010 and released on Light Asylum’s SoundCloud page the following month.
14. In 2011, this remix was remembered for Light Asylum’s In Tension EP as a bonus track for the CD release. Mexican Summer, an independent record label, released 300 copies of this track on 12-inch, 45 rpm clear vinyl for Club Deejays in 2012.
15. The Dutch team Freudenthal/Verhagen produced the 2011 short film Dear Mr./Mrs., which Sophie scored. In 2013, Detroit DJ Jeffrey Sfire met Sophie in Berlin, and the two established the duo Sfire, releasing a 12-inch vinyl disc titled Sfire on the CockTail D’Amore label. She expressed on one song “Sfire 3”, which was later remixed by John Talabot in 2016.
16. Sophie became related to artists affiliated with the PC Music name after experiencing Dux Kidz, a project between A. G. Cook and Danny L Harle.
17. Sophie’s debut single “Nothing More to Say” was released in February 2013 through the London-based Glaswegian label Huntleys + Palmers.
18. Sophie worked with Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in mid-2014. She also worked on the project QT with A. G. Cook and the US-based artist Hayden Dunham in 2014, co-producing the single “Hey QT” with Cook. Sophie’s request prompts “Hey QT” to repeat the drink’s name for product placement.
19. In August 2014, Sophie released her next single, “Lemonade”/”Hard.” On the first song, fellow musician Nabihah Iqbal and model Tess Yopp sang vocals, and on the second song, PC Music artist GFOTY sang vocals.
20. Charli XCX announced a collaboration with Sophie in March 2015. It was subsequently uncovered that the pair had dealt with multiple songs for XCX’s upcoming studio album.
21. “Product,” Sophie’s debut album, was made available for preorder in September 2015. The eight tracks recorded were the four Numbers singles from 2013 and 2014, as well as four new tracks: ” MSMSMSM”, “Vyzee”, “L.O.V.E.”, and “Just Like We Never Said Goodbye”. On September 29, “MSMSMSM” was released, and on October 15, “Just Like We Never Said Goodbye” followed.
22. In February 2016, Charli XCX released her Vroom Vroom EP, created essentially by Sophie. It was subsequently uncovered that the EP would act as a teaser for XCX’s upcoming album, which Sophie would create.
23. Sophie launched on a tour with Charli XCX in the promotion of new music after the extended play’s release. Sophie, alongside A. G. Cook and Hannah Diamond likewise associated with the EP, received appearances in the official video for the lead single, “Vroom Vroom”. The video debuted on Apple Music and different platforms soon after.
24. Late in 2016, Sophie cameoed in the official music video for Charli XCX’s song “After the Afterparty” as an additional producer.
25. Sophie likewise got production credits for two songs on XCX’s 2017 mixtape Number 1 Angel, and one more for one song on XCX’s second mixtape of 2017, Pop 2, released soon thereafter.
26. Sophie teamed up with producer Cashmere Cat on a few tracks from his album 9, including “Love Incredible” alongside Camila Cabello and “9 (After Coachella)” with MØ.
27. In October 2017, Sophie released “It’s Okay to Cry”, her first new material in very nearly two years. The music video for the song was the initial time Sophie’s voice and image were used in a release. She consequently opened up to the press about being transgender.
28. Later in the month, Sophie likewise appeared in a live performance, debuting newly recorded songs from Sophie’s second album with vocal performances by Cecile Believe.
29. On December 7, 2017, the self-directed music video for the single “Ponyboy” was released. “Faceshopping,” the album’s third single, was released on February 16, 2018, along with a music video on April 4.
30. In July 2018, Sophie revealed work on four new projects, including a newly released debut album, which were all going to be released that year.
31. She had likewise been working with Kim Petras, Charli XCX, and Bibi Bourelly on new material within the year, as well as rap collaborations notwithstanding the affirmed Lady Gaga collaboration.
32. Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 61st Grammy Awards. As one of the first openly transgender artists to be nominated in this category and three openly transgender women to be nominated for a Grammy, Sophie made history.
33. She confirmed that she was working on a remix album of Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides during a red-carpet interview at the ceremony. In July 2019, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides Non-Stop Remix Album was declared as part of an exclusive 3-CD set that incorporated the original Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides album as well as a clutch bag highlighting its artwork. On July 29, the remix album was released followed by two videos on YouTube.
34. Jimmy Edgar worked with Sophie on the song “Metal,” which was released in September 2020. In January 2021, the single “Unisil” was released two days before Sophie’s death. She had made the song alongside Product and initially released it as a digital bonus track.
35. Sophie died on 30 January 2021 after an accidental fall in Athens, Greece.
36. On 4 June 2021, Sophie’s brother Benny Long declared plans to release some of her unreleased work.
37. On 16 June 2021, the International Astronomical Union declared that the minor planet 1980 RE1 was given the permanent name Sophiexeon.
38. Charli XCX dedicated her album Crash to Sophie in March 2022. Caroline Polachek’s song “I Believe”, which manages thoughts around immortality and legacy, is inspired by and dedicated to Sophie.
39. An ode to Sophie opens the song “Sweetest Fruit” from St. Vincent’s album “All Born Screaming” in 2024. Charli XCX’s Brat (2024) likewise incorporates “So I” that is “a knotty exploration of her grief about SOPHIE”.
40. A.G. Cook’s song “Without” expresses managing the loss of somebody you love and adds Sophie’s “Bipp” within the outro.
41. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Sophie’s previous collaborator Kim Petras became the first transgender artist to win the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance; during her acceptance speech, she credited Sophie for preparing for her.
42. On 21 June 2024, a video was uploaded to Sophie’s YouTube channel named “@MSMSMSM_FOREVER”, containing an hour and three seconds of quiet and listing dates and times around the 24th and 25th of June in five different time regions.
43. Following three days, it was pronounced that a posthumous self-titled album, produced by Sophie and Sophie’s brother, would be released on 27 September through Transgressive and Future Classic. “Reason Why” featuring BC Kingdom and Kim Petras was officially released as a single.
44. On September 17th, 2024, Google featured a music video Doodle on its homepage to celebrate Sophie Xeon’s birthday.
45. Sophie will continuously be presented a new take on pop music. In September of 2024, the album SOPHIE, produced by Sophie and Sophie’s brother, is scheduled to be released.