Charli XCX, one of SOPHIE’s closest and most prominent collaborators, wrote a tribute to the late producer, who died recently at 34. “It’s really hard for me to sum up the special connection I felt with such an amazing person who completely changed my life,†Charli wrote in a note posted to social media. “There are so many memories, so many small details, so many different views and incredible feelings and stories. It’s impossible to summarize the journey I went on with Sophie. Even the most insignificant thing felt enormous. I can’t explain how I feel and I can’t encapsulate what a unique person she was in one small social media post.â€
SOPHIE produced Charli XCX’s 2016 Vroom Vroom EP, a pivotal release that laid the groundwork for hyperpop music and marked Charli’s shift toward a more avant-garde pop style. The two continued to work together on Charli’s songs “Roll With Me†and “Lipgloss,†off Number 1 Angel, and “Out of My Head,†off Pop 2. “I will honor Sophie in my own time personally, in my grief, through my memories, through my work, through writing things only I will read,†Charli continued. “But for now, all I can say is that I will miss her terribly; her smile, her laugh, her dancing in the studio, her gentle inquisitive voice, her cutting personality, her ability to command a room without even trying, her incredible vision and mind. She taught me so much about myself without even realizing. I wish I had told her more how special she was, not just her music, but her as a person. I love you and I will never forget you Sophie.â€
Charli joins a wide variety of artists who have commemorated SOPHIE’s work and influence since the producer’s death on January 30. Tributes have poured in from Arca, Vince Staples, Rihanna, Nile Rodgers, Peaches, Shamir, Rina Sawayama, and Christine and the Queens, among others.