SOPHIE’s brother, Ben Long, has announced plans to posthumously release the artist’s unheard music.
Speaking to Billboard, Long said “there are literally hundreds of tracks” of SOPHIE’s that the artist’s estate could potentially release.
According to Long, what material gets released is an ongoing discussion between SOPHIE’s family and the artist’s labels, Transgressive Records and Future Classic. But the final decision rests with the family.
“The idea SOPHIE and I discussed many times was to do one abstract experimental album and then a pop record – this was going to be the pop one – and to keep going on that cycle for years,” he said.
“I don’t want to be like, ‘We’re going to put everything out,’ because sometimes SOPHIE didn’t want it to or it wasn’t finished,” he added. “But it was quite clear with a lot of songs, just from the fact that we had been working on them and mixing the album, that I know the direction a lot of things were supposed to be going.”
Long also mentioned that there’s potential to work with SOPHIE’s frequent collaborators on the unreleased material.
“It’s always good to have an extra pair of ears,” he said. “There are a lot of people out there who SOPHIE really trusted and who knew SOPHIE’s vision. I feel like it’s not just on me,” he said.
He added that it’s too soon to give any release dates. “There are many, many discussions to be had,” he said. “The most important thing for us is doing right by SOPHIE – putting stuff out that SOPHIE was happy with and would want to be out.”
Last month, SOPHIE’s friends and collaborators in the US launched an art auction and print sale in memory of the pioneering musician.
God Is Trans includes artworks from the likes of Nick Harwood (director of the stunning video for “It’s Okay To Cry”), Renata Raksha, Emily Schubert, and Nichole Fitch, as well as a white silk Eckhaus Latta dress modelled by SOPHIE for AW18. 100 per cent of the proceeds will go toward the Trans Justice Funding Project.
