What was Sophie’s Net Worth?
Sophie was a Scottish music producer, songwriter, and DJ who had a net worth of $2 million. Known by the mononym Sophie, they were originally anonymous before adopting the name. Sophie’s work was known for its brash take on pop music and distinguished by experimental sound design, synthesized textures, and underground dance styles. The style would help pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.
Early Life
Sophie was born on September 17, 1986 in Glasgow, Scotland and given the name Sophie Xeon. Sophie’s father played cassettes of electronic music in the car and took Sophie to raves as a young child. Sophie became interested in creating their own music after receiving a keyboard as a birthday gift. At the age of around nine, Sophie expressed the desire to drop out of school to become an electronic music producer, though their parents did not allow this.
Career
Sophie’s music career began in a band named Motherland which they formed with three other bandmates. Sophie played live shows in Berlin and the UK during 2008 and 2009. In 2010, they remixed the Light Asylum single “A Certain Person.” In 2011, the remix was included on Light Asylum’s “In Tension” EP. The following year, the track was given a 300-copy release for club deejays. They also scored the short film “Dear Mr/Mrs” by the Dutch team Freudenthal/Verhagen.
In February 2013, Sophie’s debut single “Nothing More to Say” was released via the London-based Glaswegian label Huntleys + Palmers. The single featured vocals from the UK singer, Jaide Green. Sophie then released the single “Bipp/Elle” which was included in the “Pitchfork” list of best tracks from 2010 to 2014. In mid-2014, Sophie collaborated with Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. The same year, Sophie collaborated with A.G. Cook and US-based artist Hayden Dunham. Sophie’s next single, “Lemonade/Hard,” was released in August 2014 with contributions from musician Nabihah Iqbal. The single was included in the top ten year-end singles lists by “The Washington Post,” “Resident Advisor,” “Complex,” and “Pitchfork.”
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)
In March 2015, Charli XCX announced a collaboration with Sophie. It was later revealed that the pair had worked on multiple songs for XCX’s upcoming studio album. In September of that year, Sophie’s debut album “Product” was made available for preorder. The album was released later that year. Sophie continued working frequently with Charli XCX. In February 2016, XCX released her “Vroom Vroom” EP which was produced primarily by Sophie.
In October 2017, Sophie released “It’s Okay to Cry,” the first new material from the artist in almost two years. The music video for the song was the first time Sophie’s voice and image were used in a release. They subsequently opened up to the press about being a trans woman. In 2018, they released their next album, “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides” on their own label, MSMSMSM. At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Sophie made history as both one of the first openly transgender artists to be nominated in this category and one of the three first openly transgender women to be nominated for a Grammy. They also won the Innovator Award at the 2018 AIM Independent Music Awards. In 2019, Sophie released a remixed version of their second album, “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides Non-Stop Remix Album.”
Personal Life and Death
Sophie was described as a reclusive figure throughout their career. Part of the mystery was due to a limitation on the artist’s media exposure, as Sophie’s identity was concealed through voice masking and by covering parts of Sophie’s body. Early in their career, Sophie’s real-life identity was the subject of press speculation. It wasn’t until Sophie came out as a trans woman that their identity was revealed. When the music video for “It’s Okay to Cry” was released in October 2017, it was the first time that Sophie’s voice and image were used in a solo release for their music. Sophie appeared in the video nude and later said releasing the video was their preferred way of self-expression.
On January 30, 2021, at the age of 34, Sophie died at Attikon University Hospital in Athens. They had been taken to the hospital after accidentally falling three stories from the roof of a building while attempting to take a picture of the full moon. Following their death, artists including Rihanna, Sam Smith, Vince Staples, and Charli XCX expressed their condolences. In March 2022, Charli XCX dedicated her album “Crash” to Sophie. At the 2023 Grammy Awards, Sophie’s former collaborator, Kim Petras, became the first transgender person to win an award in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category. In her acceptance speech, she credited Sophie for paving the way for her.
