One of the most hotly tipped indie dance acts of 2016, SOFI TUKKER has already had 5 million SoundCloud streams and over 16 million Spotify streams with hot tracks like “Drinkee”, “Matadora”, “Deha Vu Affair” and “Hey Lion”, lighting up blogs over the past months and igniting the pop charts internationally. After releasing their debut EP “Soft Animals” earlier this summer to amazing reviews, the duo has continued to win over crowds with their electrifying live shows while on tour supporting St. Lucia. Their current EP single and video, “Awoo” just dropped and is a vividly colored decadent tropical Renaissance that’s a cross between Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and Cruel Intentions. Based on the initial response SOFI TUKKER feels that it should sit nicely up there with their video for International hit, “Drinkee”, which has more than 3 million plays to date.
I recently had to chance to chat with Sophie and Tuck of Sofi Tukker about their music, inspirations and how they came about.
Sason Bishope Parry: How is life treating you with your newfound success?
Sofi Tukker: We work hard and we love life!
SBP: Tell us about Sofi Tukker and how you came up with the name?
ST: If Sophie and Tucker were one unique identity…
SBP: Where are each of you originally from?
ST: Tuck’s from Boston; Sophie was born in Germany, lived in Atlanta GA, Victoria BC, Duino Italy, The Hague Netherlands and Rio de Janeiro Brazil. She has an American passport.
SBP: How did you get into music?
Tuck: I used to be a serious basketball player but got sick and during the 8 month period I was in bed, I taught myself how to DJ and produce.
Sophie: Before I met Tuck, I was writing Bossa Nova inspired music and training in West African dance.
SBP: Do you produce, write and play your own music?
ST: Whenever we can! But it’s mostly fooling around for fun and they tend not to turn into complete songs unless we are working on them together.
SBP: In a world of computers, it’s nice to hear live instruments, did you play live on the tracks?
ST: Yep! We don’t play everything live, but guitar, vocals, bass, and samples that we play on our book-tree are live!
SBP: Who are some of your music influences and who inspires you?
Tucker: This answer changes all the time. Jack White and house music.
Sophie: Right now, I’m really into Mayra Andrade.
SBP: Do you consider yourself an EDM act?
ST: No, but we love to dance…
SBP: “Drinkee” has become a viral sensation, did you expect that?
ST: Not at all! We thought maybe it could appeal to a small niche group of people. We had no idea or expectation!
SBP: What is your favorite song from your album, “Soft Animals”?
ST: Depends on the mood.
SBP: You sing in Portuguese, who’s idea was that?
Sophie: I learned Portuguese so that I could sing it. It’s such a beautifully melodic language.
SBP: You had the opportunity to tour with M83, how was that and did you talk about a possible collaboration?
ST: They are such inspiring musicians and great people!
SBP: You recently played Treasure Island Festival and it got rained out, how was the experience?
ST: So fun. Also, there’s nothing quite like dancing in the rain!
SBP: Do you have any shows coming up?
ST: We’re about to go on our Euro tour tomorrow.
SBP: What can people expect from your live shows?
ST: Sweat and smiles.
SBP: What’s next for Sofi Tukker?
ST: Flying to Madrid. More music. More fun. More looooove.
For more info on Sofi Tukker go to: www.SofiTukker.com