The Heartbeat of Electronic Sound

I wholeheartedly believe that electronic music or EDM (electronic dance music) has gotten an unfair reputation for being soulless and noisy due to the lack of human touch and musicality attributed to the use of traditional instruments. I think many mistakenly believe that without the connection between the musician and their instrument, EDM will ultimately land flat in its ability to evoke our emotions through the power of music and sound. They say that it has too many noises; it is too loud and too repetitive to be considered real music. They wrongfully doubt the credibility of the electronic artist to create work that moves people. 

This is the story of the electronic musician and trailblazer known as SOPHIE and her friendship with one of my personal favorite artists, Charli XCX, who if you are a dedicated reader you might remember from my blog about the incitement of the culture shifting “brat summer”. 

The story of SOPHIE and her continued impact on Charli’s music is a beautiful, yet tragic one. It will make you feel a range of emotions within the musical discography of both artists, thus proving that electronic sound is just as capable of inspiring and touching listeners as other genres of music. 

So, who is SOPHIE and what makes her music so individual, so uniquely her and so empowering for other artists that aspire to be close to her irreplicable aura as a groundbreaking musician and alluring fashion muse? 

SOPHIE is a pop artist from Scotland known for her contributions to the hyperpop sound in the electronic music scene, and her legacy as one of the first representations of trans artists in the pop music industry. SOPHIE’s music, once underground and semi-

anonymous, gained traction in the underground dance music scene within the London club circuit. 

By 2017 her presence was seen, heard, and felt through her music video for her single “It’s Okay to Cry”. She went on to release an album entitled Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides which won her a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2018 and ushered in a wave of widespread critical acclaim for her revolutionary work that redefined pop music and specifically hyperpop in the 2010s. 

Charli, like many artists, looked up to SOPHIE for creative inspiration, production expertise and of course her magnetic, free spirit. “Vroom Vroom”, one of Charli’s most loved iconic songs was produced by SOPHIE and gave way to their unforgettable musical collaboration and close personal relationship. You can see and even feel the impact and influence of SOPHIE in Charli’s albums Number 1 Angel and Pop 2, partially produced by SOPHIE to achieve the electronic pop sound of the records. 

Charli and SOPHIE’s friendship extended over the course of her musical career and beyond the music. The music they made together shifted the trajectory of Charli’s career and sound in a major way. She shifted away from fighting to find her place and fit into mainstream pop, and closer to the electronic dance music she always loved and grew up on as a young girl performing at raves at as young as 14 in the London club scene. 

However, this friendship was brought to a tragic and abrupt ending with the death of SOPHIE in 2021. Living in Greece, she was on a balcony immersing herself in the light of the full moon in her true spiritual fashion when she slipped and fell to her tragic death from the third story balcony. The agonizing news of the sudden tragedy was unbearable for those closest to her, such as Charli and fellow producer, collaborator, and friend, A.G. Cook. In the wake of her passing, Charli continues to reference SOPHIE in her interviews as a huge inspiration and driving force of her music and artistry that she will never forget. 

In the latest and most critically acclaimed album from Charli, brat, the song, “So I” is a tribute to SOPHIE. In this tribute, she expresses the love she still has for SOPHIE and the deep sadness and regret she feels now that she is gone. In the song she references, 

SOPHIE’s “It’s Okay to Cry” when she sings, “And I know you always said its okay to cry, so I cry” to find solace in her grief. I highly recommend listening to the song to feel the powerful and raw emotions Charli brings to the record as she reminisces about the impact their relationship had on her music career as well as the deep absence formed by her passing. 

Charli shocked the world when she dropped an entire album of brat remixes entitled brat and it’s completely different but also still brat. In this album, the “So I” remix was created with production by A.G. Cook, another friend of SOPHIE’s, therefore giving them a safe space to share and recall their best memories of SOPHIE, inspiring them to think about the good times amidst tragedy. A few lyrics of importance are “Me and Noonie cried to your songs, No songs ever made us feel that much, Can’t explain ’cause it’s just too much” and “Now I wanna think about all the good times Like the first time I heard your music My ex-boyfriend played your SoundCloud That moment really changed my life.” 

Before Charli and SOPHIE became collaborators, she had already touched Charli in such a deep way without even meeting each other. That is how powerful the feelings of joy, sadness, curiosity and fun that SOPHIE infused into her music affected her community of supporters from all over the world. 

If after hearing the story of SOPHIE and Charli, you still have doubts about the impact electronic music can have on our lives, making us feel things we never thought possible through electronic music, I have one last offering to you. 

The intro to the song showcases A.G.’s sonic genius with rhythmic beating paired with a clear and high whistle tone and evokes an emotional reaction in me every time I hear it. To me this is the heartbeat of SOPHIE coming through the song, keeping her legacy alive and making this tribute somehow more emotional, honest, and real than the original. 

Technology music producers have at their fingertips grants them the tools necessary to break boundaries, defy traditional rules and move people with their art. They do not rely on the symphony of playing instruments to make a connection with their audience, electronic 

artists like SOPHIE, Charli and A.G. infuse their artistic expression and feelings into the sound we know as EDM without sacrificing intimacy and honesty in their music. 

Besides, what other genre of music can make us dance our hearts out on the dance floor and cry in the club at the same time? 

1. Charli xcx – So I Samples | Genius

2. Charli xcx & A. G. Cook – So I featuring a.g. cook Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

3. Sophie, the Groundbreaking Avant-Pop Producer, Has Died at 34 | Vogue