SOPHIE’s undisputed legacy as one of Scotland’s greatest dance music talents lives on years after her tragic death in 2021, and on what would have been her 38th birthday today (September 17), the ripple effect of her pioneering work is still felt. Whether that’s the countless tributes flooding in today on social media or the SOPHIE-honouring Google Doodle appearing on the homepage of the world’s largest search engine, the late DJ and producer leaves a legacy untouched.
At the end of September, a posthumous album from SOPHIE is due for release. It marks the second studio album (there was also the 2015 ‘Product’ compilation) and final record from the producer, and appearing on the eponymous release is a star-studded selection of collaborators from Kim Petras to Evita Manji, and more to be announced over the coming weeks. In its wake, SOPHIE’s family told the press that the project was brought to fruition by contacting “the dear friends with whom she envisioned the album”, and now stands as a means to tell her life story, “from mysterious unknown, through wild clublands, to euphoric immateriality.”
But SOPHIE wasn’t just known for her own productions. Over the years, she worked closely with producers and big-name stars as a co-producer on their hit tracks, from the likes of Charli xcx to Madonna, giving many that recognisable SOPHIE shimmer. After her death, Rihanna posted photos of the pair working together in the studio, and while SOPHIE was never credited as a producer on any of Rihanna’s tracks, fans speculated that the photo was taken while working together on a remix of the pop star’s 2017 track ‘Nothing Is Promised’ with Mike WiLL Made-It, which was released unofficially with a guest verse from Young Thug. SOPHIE was also one of the first collaborators to work on early sessions of Lady Gaga’s 2020 album ‘Chromatica’, but while the tracks she worked on were never finished, producer BloodPop said in a 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly that they may still appear as part of the ‘Chromatica’ universe.
In honour of what would have been SOPHIE’s 38th birthday, we’re looking back at some of the best tracks produced and co-produced by the Scottish pioneer over the years, and a few unexpected ones you might not have known. Check them out below.
