Charli XCX pays tribute to late friend & collaborator SOPHIE on new album BRAT

Charli XCX's new album, BRAT, is one of the best records of 2024, a year full of great albums. One of the reasons is the beautiful song "So I," a tribute to her late friend and collaborator, the producer SOPHIE.

In the song, XCX sings: "Always on my mind (Every day, every night) / Your star burns so bright (Why did I push you away?) / I was scared sometimes / You had a power like a lightning strike" about the late producer, who tragically died at the age of 34 on January 30, 2021 after an accidental fall in Athens, Greece.

"When I'm on stage, sometimes I lie," she continues, "Say that I like singing these songs you left behind / And I know you always said, 'It's okay to cry' / So I know I can cry."

SOPHIE produced many of XCX's songs, including some of her most well-known ones, like "Vroom Vroom," "After the Afterparty," "Paradise," "Trophy," "Roll with Me," "Lipgloss," "Out of My Head," "No Angel," and "Girls Night Out."

One of SOPHIE's most famous songs — the ballad "It's Okay to Cry" — was accompanied by a music video where she publicly came out as trans. Now, XCX is taking that message to heart in her new song.

XCX also pays tribute to the way that SOPHIE mentored her, singing, "You pushed me hard, made me focus / Your words brutal, loving truthful" and "Your sounds, your words live on, endless / When I make songs I remember / Things you'd suggest, 'Make it faster' / Would you like this one?"

The BRAT pop star also sings about wishing she had gotten to spend even more time with SOPHIE: "You're a hero and a human / Track was done, I'd make excuses / You'd say, 'come on, stay for dinner' / I'd say, 'no, I'm fine' (Now I really wish I'd stayed)."

In the second verse, XCX sings about missing a phone call from SOPHIE about a month before she died, in what could have been her last chance to speak with her. "Guilty feelings keep me fractured," she sings, "Got a phone call after Christmas / Didn't know how I should act."

Any fan of either artist will be brought to tears by this beautiful tribute.

In 2022, XCX had also dedicated her album Crash to the late producer and icon. "This album is dedicated to Sophie," she wrote in the album's liner notes. Now, on 2024's BRAT, she's made the tribute more out in the open.