In the early hours of Saturday, January 30th, SOPHIE, the Glasgow-born artist whose music changed both electronic and pop music over the last decade, died following an accidental fall in Athens. Even for those who didn't know SOPHIE personally, it is an incomprehensible loss, not only of a radically original artist, but of a cultural icon whom fans would unhesitatingly describe as life-changing.

The impact SOPHIE had, especially on fans and artists in the LGBTQIA+ community, was never clearer than it was this week, as the tributes came pouring out. Unsurprisingly, many went well beyond music, delving into personal reflections on sexuality, belonging and being trans, a term that SOPHIE never fully embraced. "There are misconceptions about what that is and what that means," the artist told Jezebel in 2018. "I don't really know. Nobody really knows. But I try to talk about it through my music."

SOPHIE's records are unique and exhilarating in every respect, from their alien grooves to their perfect pop sensibility to their ultra-futuristic sound design. In a rare treat for electronic music fans, the lyrics, in turns sexy, cheeky and vulnerable, are genuine poetry. But for SOPHIE's audience, this extraordinary body of music is only part of the story. Over the last week, we asked and fans and artists to describe what SOPHIE meant to them. Their replies lay bare the beautiful and profound impact SOPHIE had around the world.

Lainey Wakeman

Fan

As a fellow trans woman, finding my true self in the midst of the UK's fierce "anti-trans" war, finding comfort in SOPHIE's art meant a huge amount to me.

I had been a fan since I first heard "LEMONADE" (which is what led me to discovering PC Music as a whole!), but we came out around the same time, so it felt like an artist I already admired so much now had an even deeper connection to me.

I could never explain in words how much SOPHIE truly meant to me, and how much her art inspired and moved me. She was on a whole other level, and continued to make jaw-dropping, fresh content. Even as the years rolled by and the music she pioneered became a genre of itself—she still stood out as a diamond among many, many lumps of charcoal.

I've never been this deeply upset about a "celebrity" death, but I guess this one moves me as much as a family or friends' death because in a way, we all felt connected to SOPHIE when listening to her work. Each lyric, each chord, each clang, we all had a deeper, more personal relation to. It was almost like she lived and breathed through her music, and now she's gone it hurts so much because it feels like a part of that connection has been severed and will never fully heal. A SOPHIE-sized gap in our hearts that will never leave, and which we will be reminded of every time we see the full moon.

River Moon

Artist

SOPHIE, to me, as a trans person in electronic music, means everything. There were trans women in the field before her, but I didn't grow up with their music. I didn't see their careers rise right from the jump and they weren't very visible to me as a bitch born in '98. The first song I heard was "LEMONADE" on the McDonald's commercial and I was gagged because it was so new. I listened to Product and I was hooked. She became part of the legion of trans girls (along with Arca, Ms. Boogie, Quay Dash and Angel-Ho) that I saw killing it in the industry while also being really visible and unapologetic about her identity and womanhood. That really inspired me to go even harder and think outside the box as an artist in an industry that doesn't value us at all. Seeing her work with all these cool artists while still being really in touch with the underground is really inspiring. Her reach was incredible. Aside from that, she sounded like no one else. A true original. SOPHIE's music gave me the gender euphoria ("Immaterial" was for the girls) and to my queer friends that was our gospel music. We've had so many spiritual experiences listening to her music. There was so much joy in the worlds she created with noise and sound. SOPHIE was a magician and losing her left a huge void in pop music and the underground, but especially for girls like me.

Reanna Cruz

Fan

Impulsive? Maybe... But what better way to honor SOPHIE than to get the bipp slide on me forever. "I can make you feel better if you let me."

I'm sure my take or memories are not nuanced, or even particularly interesting, but as a queer trans person, I found life in her music. I found a future I couldn't even fathom in her textures. Some of my favorite memories with my favorite people can directly be traced back to her, and words cannot express how thankful I am to be able to live in the same timeline as her, to experience her in the same room, to have her shape my lived adult experience as a 21 year old in the way she has. Bipp 4ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My best friend got SOPHIE's name on herself, too. Two trans people that owe our lives to her and would not be the same without the life and community that she brought us.

Steve Sloan

Fan

I discovered SOPHIE in 2013 with her single release of "BIPP," and was obsessed ever since (along with the rest of the PC Music gang, of course). Being from the middle of Pennsylvania, there wasn't really a scene for that kind of music. But over the years, I introduced SOPHIE to anyone who will listen.

As a drag performer, I used my platform to essentially promote SOPHIE to my audiences, performing to her songs so much that I became known for it. I loved to watch peoples' faces light up when I got on stage and "VYZEE" would start playing. Her vision of the world coincided so strongly with mine, and so much of my creative life was inspired by her art.

When she passed, it felt like a part of my spirit left. Even though I didn't know her personally, just from channeling her spirit through her music and aesthetic in my own art, it felt like there was a part of SOPHIE very close to me, and my heart is truly broken over the loss. She left us with so many incredible pieces of work though, and I'll cherish those forever as the soundtrack to the last few years that I've lived.

Noah Jourdan

Fan

Fall of 2019 I was introduced to SOPHIE, an all-encompassing and ethereal pop star that added texture and plot to pop music. I was one of many trans women completely starstruck by her vulnerable, larger-than-life, sugary artistry that both glamorized and hyper-exaggerated the construct of femininity. She made femininity feel not only bubbly and euphoric, but guttural and raw with everything she did.

I am devastated by her passing. She was a lighthouse to trans femme creatives lost in the fog of gender dysphoria and hardship. She did what none of us have done before, and in doing so opened the door for many of us to do it again. Rest in power, SOPHIE. We won't let you down.

Xavier Singh

Fan

SOPHIE meant so much to me and more. Her music took you on a euphoric joyride every time you listened to it. I looked up to her 'cause she was such a pioneer in the music industry, having pushed so many boundaries and broken so many moulds as a trans woman. Listening to her music made us feel safe and understood, like our thoughts had been translated into sounds by her. I'll love her forever and I'll be forever grateful for her legacy.

Ariel Zetina

Artist

Martyn Shirra

Fan

SOPHIE's sudden and tragic death is a tragedy that greatly affects the LGBTQI+ community, those with impairments/disabilities and the nonconformists of society. But as much as it hurts all of us, her legacy will continue to inspire those who cherished her works and future generations will look back on her as an example of one of the best artists of the 2010s.

SOPHIE not only enabled people who are transgender to come out and become proud within their skin, but she also enabled people like myself who are outsiders to be part of something magical and feel represented in a way that's difficult to put into words. She communicated with the upcoming generation in a way that no one had back in 2013, which enabled me to make friends with people I'd have never known otherwise and that sense of community was and forever will be so beautiful within her fanbase.

SOPHIE gave the power to people who lacked it to take control of their life, their look, their expression and most importantly their identity. She redefined standards in her small yet explosive life. You can already see the effect of her works on up and coming artists—Ashnikko, Sakima, No Rome, TĀLĀ—and it's only a matter of time before her posthumous works come out and continue defining the narrative.

Her death will blossom a thousand flowers and many more triumphs for the transgender community, that's my hope here. I'm just glad she gave me, as a fellow Glaswegian, the ability to see her live once and realise my identity mattered.

It's okay to cry just now, but she'll always be with us fans—just like we never said goodbye.

Alessandro Merlo

Artist

"Do you know SOPHIE? Omg you should totally check her out. She produced for Madonna and McDonald's even used one of her songs in a commercial." I can't recall how many times I've uttered these words. Every time I met someone new and we started talking about music I would immediately recommend them her entire discography. She was the hidden gem, the secret, that one artist who encapsulated everything I liked about art and sound. But she was so much more than that, to me and to the community that she spawned with her fearless vision and approach to music making. I have so many priceless memories tied to this person: the first time I listened to her mind bending early singles, the secret rave near Shoreditch High Street where I went to with my first love, the joy I felt when she finally reintroduced herself to the world, her party in Glasgow where we danced drenched in sweat until the morning after. Listing all this is such a reductive way to celebrate someone who set the tone for queer art for the 2010s and beyond, but all I can do is latch onto the past, a tense that doesn't suit SOPHIE in any way. And now she is no more but always will be. Immaterial forever.

Nico Ford

Fan

Travelling for the first time ever alone to New Orleans and seeing SOPHIE the day Charli XCX dropped "Number 1 Angel." I had crashed this party and convinced everyone there they needed to be at SOPHIE's set. She played in a giant orb on a pier overlooking the water. I ran into her the next day just walking around the Mardi Gras fairgrounds. She was with Hari Nef who I had idolised since the Teen Witch Tumblr days. I dropped to my knees and confessed how much they both meant to me. They let me retake the picture because I didn't like the first one. Running into them again months later outside a club in NYC at 4 AM. I was blacked out but I remember fist-bumping SOPHIE and not being able to listen to her music for a month because I was so embarrassed. She is the coolest person I ever knew to exist.

When she played the MoMA PS1 show, the first 20 minutes she just played weird noises she had synthesized. Not many people got it but looking back I know exactly what she was doing. This was the weekend we met a lot of our friends that we would see show after show. Months of becoming completely enveloped in the fanbase. Shitposting online with everyone who we would come together with at every single SOPHIE show. It was like a religious experience. Our church.

The day she revealed herself with the "It's Okay To Cry" video we were blown away and surprised but also not surprised. We had seen a glimpse of that SOPHIE at the MoMA show. It made sense and it clicked. We speculated on the future of where she would take this whole new sound. The live debut show at Elsewhere was the peak. We were all so feverish in this new era. The music and the new looks and the choreography. Everyone in that room knew each other even if they didn't. We all knew the words to every song and none of them would be released for months—some even years. She brought me to places I never thought I'd go to. NYC became a second home because of her. New Orleans, Atlanta, Montreal, Miami, Barcelona. I flew on a whim to Atlanta to see maybe the best show I've ever witnessed. I met some of the best people I've ever known. Have you ever been to a packed club full of queer people sniffing poppers and moshing to "Vroom Vroom"? The feeling is something you will never forget. She had everyone up on stage and I cried feeling so overwhelmed and she gave me the biggest hug.

Guo Chen

Fan

SOPHIE showed me the endless possibilities of music and changed the way I make music, and mostly important, she made me a braver person.

I've always been a fan of avant-garde music and loved artists who can put out a unique sound. But SOPHIE's philosophy in music is just totally different. The first time when I heard the Vroom Vroom EP, I was totally in shock. It has the power that can just throw your mind directly into a BDSM gay club built with PVC and rubber. SOPHIE's production just has that special and elastic texture that can create a scene in your head effortlessly. And if you go through all of her works, you would know that, it's definitely not just some random sound design layering up just to be edgy.

SOPHIE has that "core" in her mind and she knows how to express it with her unique sound design. When you listen to her works, the production just screams "SOPHIE," even when it's just a simple kick and bass.

Besides this, her lyrics are just full of love and warmth as well. When you hear her singing "and I don't even know your reasons, it's okay," you'd know that this person truly has love in her heart, so she can express it in such simple but powerful lines.

I've seen so many artists and producers trying to achieve the SOPHIE sound, including myself. But what we've made is rather just a shell that has similar sound design without the "core" and soul.

But through this process, what I've learnt from SOPHIE is that, as an artist, the most important thing is to explore yourself and to just sound like yourself but nobody else. Make your own synth sounds, make your own structures, talk about the things that you really care about. Those have now become my philosophy in music production as well.

Besides music, SOPHIE's existence as a trans woman in the music industry is just inspiring. She really encouraged a lot of people to be themselves fearlessly. I wasn't really sure if I should choose art and music as my career before I knew her. Because all of the people around me just kept telling me to live a stable life. But ever since I knew her, I slowly became more and more confident and brave about the life I want. I want music and arts. Life is too short and vulnerable, it'd be such a pity if I didn't chase my dreams. I wanna be me, proudly, just like SOPHIE.

I'm truly grateful that I got to know her at this young age, and have received so much positive influence from her. It's such a pity that I've never met her, but that doesn't make her impact any less. She will forever live in my heart. Thank you SOPHIE, for everything. I hope you're now a beautiful angel up in the sky. I love you, and I'll miss you.

Tom Kristensen

Fan

After the news broke on Saturday morning the only thing I could do was sit down, blast SOPHIE's music and paint this tribute. I first heard SOPHIE's music maybe a week after I came out to my mom. To describe the feeling I got as anything other than pure bliss would be a disservice. Since that day, it feels like I've grown up with her music. Listening to her felt like I could finally understand what belonging could mean. Her music opened me up to a queer family that has always felt like a home even if it only exists for me online or in the club or at a concert. Her passing leaves a deep and open wound in my heart, but it also has given me the opportunity to see how beautiful it is that an artist like SOPHIE, so amazingly authentic and transgressive and powerful, could make thousands of other queer kids around the world feel special. Thank you SOPHIE for your love, your talent, and for making me feel safe when nothing else could. I guess the only thing left to do is rob all the banks and burn rubber. I love you SOPHIE.

Michael Lee Bridges

Fan

SOPHIE for me represents true freedom through creative expression, looking at an art form you love so much in the eye and saying, "I can transform this. I can change what this can be." SOPHIE's work makes me believe in the limitless possibilities and innumerable configurations in art and in life.

Christian Arroyo

Fan

SOPHIE is a symbol of power. She had a lot of influence within the LGBTQIA+ community with her messages of self-expression. I hope that these messages will never be forgotten and I want them to continue to be shared. She was, and will continue to be, a huge inspiration for many people around the world.

Anthony Cuellar

Fan

The news of SOPHIE's passing reached me the morning after a long and very cold walk along the beach to soak in the first full moon of 2021. It was a clear sky that night, so the moon was especially bright and glorious.

Over the years I have been blessed enough to have seen SOPHIE DJ and perform a few times in their tragically short but impactful career.

In 2014 when SOPHIE no longer used stand-ins for performances, I met them after their set at MoMA PS1. It was a quick conversation but SOPHIE was so kind and gentle. It felt unreal and comforting at the same time. Years later we learned so much more about SOPHIE, and when Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides came out the world was seriously changed.

Their performance at Elsewhere in 2018 is one of the best shows I've ever seen and I reminisce about it a lot. SOPHIE stepped out front and center as a pop star, performer and visionary artist. It changed my life in ways I haven't fully processed.

Before our eyes, we witnessed SOPHIE evolve and self-actualize with so much grace and confidence. SOPHIE's impact on the queer community is so vast and deep. We'll never forget.

Nina Las Vegas

Artist

SOPHIE changed music forever.

That impact was felt immensely in Australia, breaking down the boundaries for a growing community of diverse and inspired music lovers.

Her influence on culture was quick and shows itself in many ways. Not only can I hear their productions' influence leak into a new generation of Australian producers, I see a whole world of new club kids emerge at night (and online, ha!)—SOPHIE was inspiring an audience and community to feel OK to cry, dance, be loud, queer, whatever they wanted.

SOPHIE saw you, said it was OK, and wanted you to know.

I was lucky enough to share some encouraging moments in different cities over many years, openly talking about each other's goals and ideas, they were not shy of pushing you to try harder through soft-spoken feedback and care.

I mean, imagine being SO good and SO confident and SO pioneering that Sophie LITERALLY gave away all their sounds via Splice and still no one came close.

SOPHIE gave us all the tools, their magic, music and an insight into what the future would look and sound like. Music was decades behind her.

We were all so in awe of SOPHIE; as creators, as musicians, as labels, as her audience—they made anything possible, never needing to be defined. For so many, SOPHIE's impact is too great to be described—their legacy will live on forever.

Oh, and she was quite fond of playing tennis, often wanting to play when we were in the same city (cig on court, obv).

Our deepest sympathies go out to her loved ones, community and fans.

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

Listen to some of SOPHIE's best tracks.