Artist of the Month: SOFI TUKKER

Throughout their near-decade-long career, party-starting dance music duo SOFI TUKKER have become known for their playful music and vibrant live shows where fun is always put first. Whether it’s 2016 viral hit “Drinkee” (which soundtracking an Apple ad campaign), 2018’s “Batshit” and “Best Friend," 2019’s unashamedly silly yet incredibly infectious “Purple Hat” or recently-released single “Throw Some Ass,” the producer-vocalist pair’s don’t-take-yourself-too-seriously approach shines through.

However, things could have turned out very differently had the New York-formed group - who will soon head out on tours with J Balvin and Kygo - stuck with the artistic direction of their debut show. “Our first gig we ever did, we thought we were going to be a dark and mysterious band,” producer and vocalist Tucker explains, referencing Rüfüs Du Sol as a comparison. “We did it and we just didn't like it – we didn't have any fun up there,” he reflects.

Things dramatically changed – and very quickly. “For our second show, we said ‘fuck it, we're gonna smile, have fun, put light on us and connect with people personally. And if that's not cool to some people, that's fine’,” Tukker recalls. “It’s just part of who we are. We're excitable people – we want to show it and it’s nice to share that.”

Being true to themselves certainly worked: two albums (one GRAMMY-nominated), hundreds of gigs and many DJ sets later, SOFI TUKKER is a household name in the dance music world – although exactly where they sit is up for debate. “We’ve always been in an interesting in-between place,” Tucker suggests, adding that they’ve long “had a foot in DJ culture, but liked making kind of pop songs”. It has resulted in the duo being able to not only hold a residency in Las Vegas (where they dial in from to speak to Beatportal) and play in Ibiza, but perform at festivals around the world and become a key fixture on dance music festival lineups. 

Weaving other languages, and guitar, into their music further differentiates them. “It's this interesting pathway,” Tucker considers of their approach to genre; “we think about it as ‘it’s SOFI TUKKER music.’ It doesn’t quite fit anywhere, but it also can fit in a lot of places.”

As a producer who “loves being a student of the game,” Tucker finds this beneficial. “It’s nice for us because we don't really have to pay attention to what's hot or what's trending. With our music, we don't feel the constraints of ‘okay, this is what tech-house is doing right now, so we need to make it sound like this’,” he explains. “It's kind of freeing.”

This sentiment extends to everything about their third album, BREAD, whose title is an acronym for ‘be really energetic and dance.’ “It’s that simple,” Sophie enthuses. “I hope it gives people the energy that they need to do whatever they need to do that day, and feel themselves while doing it.” Tucker adds that they were drawn to the word because of its simplicity. “It's an everyday thing, you probably say it every day. It gives you energy. It brings people together... it explains a lot of things that we want our music to do in such a simple everyday word.”

However, Sophie adds that deeper meanings can easily be found: “bread is also a symbol – for wealth, abundance, sensuality, devouring life or appetite; it’s also a sexual word in a lot of different languages. When you go into it, it's pretty infinite…”

The album cover - which features Sophie wearing a stunning dress made out of bread and a troupe of Brazilian dancers in mid-flight poses - also conveys this. Capturing this while also “keeping the humor and not taking ourselves too seriously (because that's a big part of our DNA as well)” wasn’t the easiest balance to achieve, he adds. Nonetheless, the fashion-loving duo - who designed a range of bread-themed merch and have recently had fans bringing baguettes to shows - “really wanted to elevate the artwork and music videos this time, because we thought the music was a little more mature and beautiful,” Tucker says.

“We love it so much,” he says of their first independent release; “we think we’ve got better and that we're putting out our best work. All we can do is make shit that we're really proud of and excited about, and see how the world takes it on.”

The biggest difference with this record is that their last album, WET TENNIS, was made during the pandemic. “It was more for being at home and dancing around in your kitchen,” Sophie recalls. Comparatively, BREAD was created when the pair had got back on the road and were DJing a lot. “It’s even more upbeat and dancey because of that,” Sophie says. Two great examples are the Mainstage appeal of “Throw Some Ass” and recent single “Spiral”; the latter is arguably the raviest SOFI TUKKER release to date. “That was a super fun track,” Tucker says of its late '90s/early 2000s Eurodance beat: “that was one of my favorite genres when I was a kid”. 

Alongside the album’s dancefloor focus, the pair leaned further into their discography-spanning love of Brazilian culture while making the BREAD. “It’s just always been so inspiring,” says Sophie, who previously lived in the country and speaks Portuguese. “It’s been my musical DNA for so long because it's what I listen to,” she adds. Tucker says, “It’s been part of it” ever since the first two SOFI TUKKER songs, “Drinkee” and “Matadora,” which were completely in Portuguese. “I think people used to think we were from Brazil,” he laughs.

While previously it was a case of mixing Sophie's Brazilian influences with Tucker's house and techno interests, things were different this time. “To have such a big chunk of time actually living there while making the music was definitely a difference,” Sophie reflects of she and Tucker returning to the country last year to work on the new record for three months. 

Not only did it allow them to collaborate with Brazilian musicians, Tucker also delved further into his love of Brazilian funk music. “Two years ago, we ended up at 6 am at a Baile funk party, and I was so blown away,” he recalls… “I didn't fully get it until then, but I was like, ‘wow!’ It changed my musical thinking about so many things, and I was always trying to implement it,” he says, highlighting the song “Goddess in Disguise.”

The comparatively raw and stripped-back “Hey Homie”, meanwhile, taps into both of their interests. “I had made a lot of bossa nova music,” Sophie says, “and Tucker always wanted to make a drum ‘n’ bass track, so we actually did both of those things with that one.” The unique fusion worked, and found them an unlikely fan: John Mayer, who shouted out the track on his radio show; “he’s such a legend”, Tucker gushes.

Somehow, the album also manages to make references to 1960s jazz – it’s safe to say that nothing was off limits. “We just make stuff that we want to hear and gets us really excited,” Tucker says of their creative outlook. “And hopefully other people will think so too.”

Though their goals were undoubtedly different compared to when they started out, SOFI TUKKER always believed they would still be doing this. “It feels like we're still just starting,” Tucker says. "To us, it feels like we’re just getting going, really figuring out who we are as artists. I think our best days are ahead of us for sure. So hell yeah, we should still be doing this.”

One thing hasn’t changed, however: “to make sure that we're loving every day,” Sophie adds: “loving making music and loving doing shows. “We have the best job in the world, and it’s about remembering that every day.” While, expectedly, they often get tired, having these things in mind always pulls them through. As Tucker concludes, “It is such a lucky, awesome thing that we get to do.”

SOFI TUKKER's third studio album, BREAD, drops on August 23rd. Check it out on Beatport.