St. Vincent on paying tribute to late producer SOPHIE on new song ‘Sweetest Fruit’: ‘As artists, you feel a camaraderie’
The singer has also reflected on her queer identity in her latest interview, saying: "I know how to code-switch"
St. Vincent has discussed paying tribute to producer and singer SOPHIE on her latest album, revealing she feels a “camaraderie” with the late star.
‘It’s OK To Cry’ singer SOPHIE, who was trans, died on 30 January 2021 after an accidental fall in Athens.
Speaking to Rolling Stone UK, St. Vincent said she never met the critically-acclaimed musician, but was so “moved” by her work that the soon-to-be-released song ‘Sweetest Fruit’ on her new LP All Born Screaming was in part inspired by her.
“I didn’t set out to write this tribute in the same way I never set out to write anything you know?,” she explained. “It just sort of comes. But that song was the extended product of a jam session and I loved that we could make a song around that.
“I read about the circumstances of her death and it was so tragic, but this idea that she was an artist who was always reaching for new things and taking risks, right? And this idea that she was just trying to get a better look at the moon. That moved me because there are a lot of us in human history, people looking for something on the outer reaches.”
“I’ve been interested with playing with persona on past albums” – St. Vincent
St. Vincent furthermore continued: “It’s a noble act to go out on a limb to try and find something really beautiful. It’s such a fraught territory and I didn’t necessarily want to mention it was for her, because it could get twisted and turned into something ugly. As artists, you can feel a camaraderie with artists if you like their work, even if you don’t know them.”
In the same interview, the star reflected on her queer identity, saying: “I know how to code-switch.”
“I’ve been interested with playing with persona on past albums and that makes all the sense in the world to me because I’m queer,” the 41-year-old explained. “I know how to code switch, I’ve been playing with identity since I was a child. Of course this was gonna come out in my work. And it was a way for me at the time to get to the truth.”
All Born Screaming is released tomorrow (Friday 26 April 2024).