SOPHIE VOYAGES ON

In her short life, the ever-inventive producer expanded how artists and creatives thought of pop music. With a new, posthumous album, her influence continues

BY STEPHEN DAW

WHEN remembering his late sister SOPHIE, music producer and engineer Benny Long constantly comes back to one idea. “I think her brain was just ahead of the technology,” he tells Billboard, a tender smile crossing his face. It’s a recurring theme in conversations about SOPHIE, the visionary pop producer who died Jan. 30, 2021, at age 34, after falling from a balcony in Athens, Greece. During her life, SOPHIE persistently forged her own path, crafting industrial electronic soundscapes on early breakthroughs like 2015’s “BIPP” and “HARD” that laid the foundation for today’s growing hyperpop scene. After her death, artists, fans and industry professionals of all stripes celebrated her impact on both pop and avant-garde music. “[Some of] the most influential pop stars in the world are using SOPHIE as a muse today,”…

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Billboard (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 5, 2024

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