Hyperpop pioneer SOPHIE has been honored with a Google Doodle on what would have been her 38th birthday (September 17).
The Google Doodle is accompanied by a short clip soundtracked by “Immaterial” from Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, her sole studio album released in 2019, and is inspired by her most iconic look and an Elektron Monomachine which was used for her inimitable vocal style. Watch the clip below.
SOPHIE – real name Sophie Xeon – died in January 2021 following an accidental fall from a three-storey building in Athens, Greece. She was 34.
In the caption for the video, Google wrote: “This video Doodle celebrates the birthday of Scottish musician, producer, and DJ Sophie Xeon, who is remembered for her acclaimed experimental pop and electronic music.” Previous recipients of a Doodle on the search engine include Luther Vandross, Tito Puente and more.
Next week (September 27), a posthumous album SOPHIE is due to be released on Transgressive and Future Classic. Work was almost completed on the record prior to her death, and has been finished by close collaborators including Benny Long, who has mastering, mixing and producing credits to his name on previous SOPHIE releases.
There have been four singles released from the record so far, most recently “Exhilarate” featuring Bibi Bourelly and “Reason Why” starring Kim Petras BC Kingdom.
Upon her death, tributes were paid from all over the music world, including Rihanna, Vince Staples, Sam Smith and more. Earlier this year, Charli xcx’s Brat features the song “So I”, written in response to the grief felt by Charli following her death. The pair worked closely on some of Charli’s earlier material including Vroom Vroom EP and 2017 mixtapes Pop 1 and Pop 2.
Elsewhere, SOPHIE had production credits with Madonna, Shygirl and MØ during her career.