R.I.P. electronic producer SOPHIE

Influential British electronic producer SOPHIE has died. Pitchfork reports that a representative for the artist confirmed that SOPHIE died in an accidental fall in Athens, Greece this morning, where the artist had been living. The labels Transgressive and Future Classic wrote in a statement, “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.”

Born in 1986 in Glasgow, SOPHIE began DJing and releasing music in the European club circuit in the 2010s, and began working with PC Music affiliates like A.G. Cook. Early singles like “BIPPP” and “Lemonade” began to earn critical acclaim for their unconventional take on pop, blending abrasion with accessibility. The 2015 compilation Product compiled SOPHIE’s early singles, which was then followed by 2018’s Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides. SOPHIE also worked with artists such as Madonna, Vince Staples, Charli XCX and Kim Petras.

Early on, SOPHIE remained ostensibly anonymous and avoided being photographed, but in 2018 came out as trans. As Pitchfork points out, the artist preferred to use neither gendered nor nonbinary pronouns.

A representative for SOPHIE writes in a statement, “At this time respect and privacy for the family is our priority. We would also ask for respect for SOPHIE’s fanbase, and to treat the private nature of this news with sensitivity.”