Soko (singer)
Soko | |
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Instrument(s) |
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Labels | Because Music |
Website | www |
Stéphanie Alexandra Mina Sokolinski (born 26 October 1985), known professionally as Soko (stylized as SoKo), is a French singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. Soko released her debut single "I'll Kill Her" in 2007. It achieved airplay success in several European countries as well as Australia, peaking at number three on the Danish music charts, and was included on her debut EP Not Sokute (2007). Her debut studio album I Thought I Was an Alien was released in 2012 and contains the single "We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow", which achieved ninth place on the Billboard Hot 100. Ensuing years saw the releases of her second and third studio albums My Dreams Dictate My Reality (2015) and Feel Feelings (2020).
As an actress, Soko began appearing in a number of French productions in the early 2000s and earned a
Early life
Stéphanie Alexandra Mina Sokolinski was born on 26 October 1985 in
Musical career
In 2007, Soko achieved a hit single in
Sokolinski has self-released one EP Not Sokute, and collaborated with The Go! Team and Cornershop, the latter on a song called "Something Makes You Feel Like". She has her own record label called Babycat Records and is signed to Because Music in France.
In 2010, her song "I'll Kill Her", was sampled by
In 2011, she wrote a song and featured in the animated short film Mourir Auprès De Toi, which was co-written and directed by Spike Jonze.
Her debut album, I Thought I Was an Alien, was released in February 2012.
In 2014, Soko's song "We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow" was featured in Tatia Pilieva's short video First Kiss. She was also one of the video's twenty subjects. After First Kiss went viral on YouTube, the song debuted at number 9 in the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on Billboard's Streaming Songs chart.[14][15]
In March 2014, Soko appeared in the music video for the song "Jealous" by Canadian electro-funk band Chromeo.[16]
In 2015 We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow was also used in an episode of the American TV series - Forever.
Her second studio album, My Dreams Dictate My Reality was released in March 2015, with its first single "Who Wears the Pants??" released on 7 January. The Sonic Seducer wrote that the album was darker than the previous releases and called it a "female version of early The Cure discs".[17]
Soko collaborated with The Brian Jonestown Massacre on a song called "Philadelphie Story" for their album Musique de Film Imaginé, released in April 2015.
In 2017, Soko collaborated with Residente on a song called "Desencuentro" for his debut solo album.[18]
In July 2020, Soko released her third studio album, Feel Feelings.[19]
Artistry
Musical style
Soko sings primarily in English, which she attributes to the fact that she mostly listens to music in English.[5] Her two favourite bands are the Cure and the Smiths, and the Cure's debut album Three Imaginary Boys is her favourite album.[9][20] She expressed her dream of collaborating with the two bands' frontmen, Robert Smith and Morrissey, whom she called "my gods";[9][21] she also referred to Smith as her "living hero".[22] Other inspirations include Conor Oberst,[7] Joy Division, New Order,[9] and Patti Smith.[22]
Soko has explored several music genres throughout her career. In 2015, she described her own work as "dreamy, punky, new wavey, raw, vital, emotional, very personal lyrics, sad but happy".
Approach to acting
Soko finds roles that require physical challenges to be the ones she enjoys the most. For the film
Live performances
Sokolinski has had sold-out concerts in Scandinavia, Britain, and Australia.
As a live performer, the singer acts unpredictably and never uses a set list; her backing band consists mostly of different friend-musicians at each show. She sometimes plays up to 3 hours by herself, in intimate and quiet venues.
Musical hiatus
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (August 2023) |
On 19 January 2009 Sokolinski stated on her Myspace page that she was quitting music and is 'dead', writing that she was scared of the music industry and wanted to return to acting. Despite having recorded a double album in Seattle, she is not willing to release it. In August of the same year, she declared that she was 'reborn' and writing songs such as "I'm So Ready to Be a Good Man" where she writes:
"in my battle with the demons I just had to die coz they're way too evil and I couldn't fight"
She later referred to the pressure of the music industry, before declaring that she was "having a new heart and being ready to be a new man".
In August 2011, Soko announced the release of her first album I Thought I Was an Alien on 6 February 2012, on her website www.s-o-k-o.com and a 17 August 2012 show at the Bootleg Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Facebook. She released her first single on YouTube 1 August 2011 entitled "No More Home, No More Love". Two other singles were released "I Thought I Was An Alien" and "First Love Never Die".
Acting career
In February 2010, Soko was nominated for a
Personal life
Soko became a
Sexuality and relationships
Soko says that she has always been comfortable with her sexual orientation and "did not really have to
Soko briefly dated American musician Ariel Pink and they remained friends for several years afterwards. They collaborated on Pink's album Pom Pom (2014) and Soko's album My Dreams Dictate My Reality (2015). However, in April 2015, she described her professional and personal relationship with him as "really hard".[24] She later dated American actress Kristen Stewart for two months before breaking up in May 2016.[32]
Soko said that she "always knew she would be a single mom" and would have a "non-conventional family".[28][31] On 30 October 2018, she gave birth to a son whose godfather is Australian musician Nick Cave. She experienced denial of pregnancy for the first six months.[33] She is raising her son with her partner Stella Leoni, whom she began dating in 2019.[28][34] Having moved to Los Angeles in 2008,[35] Soko moved back to Paris with her family in August 2022.[36]
Discography
Albums
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FR [37] |
BEL (Vl) [38] |
BEL (Wa) [39] |
SWI [40] |
SWI Rom. [41] |
|||
I Thought I Was an Alien |
|
53 | 76 | 35 | 74 | 39 | 15 |
My Dreams Dictate My Reality |
|
75 | — | 68 | — | — | — |
Feel Feelings |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
EPs
Title | Details |
---|---|
Not Sokute |
|
Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FRA [37] |
AUT [43] |
BEL (FL) [38] |
BEL (WA) [39] |
DEN
[44] |
SWI [40] |
UK
[45] |
US [42] |
US Rock [42] | ||||
"I'll Kill Her" | 2007 | — | — | 3 | 54 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | Not Sokute |
"I Thought I Was an Alien" | 2011 | 173 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I Thought I Was an Alien |
"First Love Never Die" | 2012 | 130 | — | — | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow" | 61 | 51 | — | 39 | 66 | — | 60 | 145 | 9 | 3 | ||
"Love Letter" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
"Who Wears the Pants??" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | My Dreams Dictate My Reality |
"Ocean of Tears" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Sweet Sound of Ignorance" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
"Diabolo Menthe" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Génération(s) Eperdue(s) |
"Being Sad Is Not a Crime" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Feel Feelings |
"Are You a Magician?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Blasphémie" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Oh, To Be a Rainbow!" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Looking For Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Guest performances
Title | Year | Album | Other artist(s) |
---|---|---|---|
"Gunhild" | 2010 | Who Killed Harry Houdini? | I'm from Barcelona |
"Why" | 2016 | Washed Away | Rooney |
"Desencuentro"[46] | 2017 | Residente | Residente |
"Keep You Close" | 2018 | Pink Cloud | Launder |
"Diabolo Menthe" | Génération(s) Eperdue(s) | — | |
"Obsession" | Non-album single | Sam Spiegel
| |
"Become" | 2022 | Happening | Launder |
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | L'escalier | Béa | Short |
P.J. | Anouchka | TV series (1 Episode) | |
Action Justice | Léa Franqui | TV series (1 Episode) | |
2004 | Au secours, j'ai 30 ans ! | Chloé | |
Ben et Thomas | The girl | Short | |
Clara cet été là | Zoé | TV movie | |
2005 | Palais royal!
|
The hairdresser | |
On s'appelle | Various | TV series (4 Episodes) | |
2005-08 | Commissaire Valence | Camille Valence | TV series (3 Episodes) |
2006 | Girlfriends | Manon | |
Madame Irma | The high school girl | ||
Les irréductibles | Lucie | ||
Oh ! Ma femme | Clémentine | Short | |
Poésie del amor | Margot | Short | |
Louis Page | Lydia | TV series (1 Episode) | |
2007 | Dans les cordes | Sandra | |
Ma place au soleil | Sabine | ||
Ma vie n'est pas une comédie romantique | Lisa | ||
Les diablesses | Denise | TV movie | |
2008 | Adrien | Sandra | TV movie |
2009 | In the Beginning | Monika | Nominated - César Award for Most Promising Actress
|
2011 | Mourir auprès de toi | Mina | Short |
2012 | Augustine | Augustine | Lumières Award for Most Promising Actress
Nominated - Prix Romy Schneider |
Bye Bye Blondie | Young Gloria | ||
Fat Bottomed Girls Rule the World | Joséphine | Short | |
2013 | Friends from France | Carole | |
Her | Voice of Isabella | ||
2014 | First Kiss | Marianna Palka's Kisser | Short |
Artbound | TV series (1 Episode) | ||
2015 | Always Worthy | Alvin | |
Hi How Are You Daniel Johnston | Dream Laurie | Short | |
I Still Chose to Stay | Woman | Short | |
2016 | The Dancer | Loie Fuller | Nominated - César Award for Best Actress Nominated - Lumières Award for Best Actress |
The Stopover | Marine | ||
2020 | A Good Man | Aude | |
2021 | Little Fish | Samantha | |
The Blazing World | Margot | ||
Mayday | Gert |
References
- ^ a b c d e Schütz, Violaine (7 March 2022). "Rencontre avec Soko, actrice et chanteuse à l'aura punk" [Meeting with Soko, actress and singer with a punk aura]. Numéro (in French). France. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Notice de personne "Sokolinski, Stéphanie (1985-....)" (in French). 6 January 2003. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
{{cite book}}
:|website=
ignored (help) - ^ Beauvallet, JD (13 March 2012). "Les démons de Soko" [Soko's demons]. Les Inrockuptibles (in French).
- ^ a b Ntuen, Koko (2020). "SoKo dives into the rebirth of the ego and mental healing in new album". LadyGunn. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Maslin Nir, Sarah (5 July 2007). "Soko: sweet tunes with dangerous lyrics". The Times. UK. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Tredez, Florence (24 February 2012). "Soko : la nouvelle Björk ?" [Soko: the new Björk?]. Elle (in French). France. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Soko and Lime: The Acid-Sweet Indie Singer Talks Singing, Acting, and Kissing Asia Argento". AfterEllen. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ The Cut. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Soko". Issue. 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e O'Brien, Jon. "Soko". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ a b Meesenburg, Thomas (2 May 2007). "Soko kommer til Danmark" (in Danish). Soundvenue. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
- ^ Mathewson, Catriona (5 September 2007). "Down Under MySpace hit for French singer". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
- ^ Trebay, Guy (5 October 2007). "Why It All Looks So Easy, and Why It Isn't". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
- ^ Video Archived 15 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Youtube
- ^ Viral first kiss video Archived 12 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Billboard
- ^ Jealous Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Huhmagazine
- ^ Pilgrim, Thomas (2015). "SoKo: My Dreams Dictate My Reality". Sonic Seducer (in German). No. 3. pp. 101–2.
- ^ Residente feat. Soko, Desencuentro, retrieved 4 April 2017
- ^ "Soko: Feel Feelings - Album Review". Vinyl Chapters. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ "High 5: Soko". Rookie. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Max, Angélique. "Interview with French musician, SoKo". Manhattan Fashion Directory. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b Parslow, Laureen (1 April 2015). "Soko : "Je suis autodestructrice"" [Soko: "I am self-destructive"]. Madame Figaro (in French).
- ^ O'Brien, Jon. "Soko - I Thought I Was an Alien Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Berman, Stuart (22 April 2015). "Adrenaline Addict: Inside Soko's Manic Pop Dreamworld". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Roberts, Randall (28 February 2015). "Soko mines '80s new wave on 'My Dreams Dictate My Reality'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ Kölsch, Florian (10 July 2020). "Review: Soko - Feel Feelings". Musikexpress (in German). Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Grammy. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b c Kenig, Ariel (19 June 2020). "Soko: "Je n'ai pas vraiment eu à faire de coming-out"" [Soko: "I didn't really have to come out"]. Mixte Magazine (in French). Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Santucci, Françoise-Marie; Despentes, Virginie (19 March 2012). "Bye Bye Blondie, bonjour Despentes". Libération (in French). Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Petrarca, Emilia (28 March 2016). "Soko on Modern Love and What Goes Down in the DM". W. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b Spiller, Lara (26 June 2020). "Who I Am, Really: SoKo". The Nue Co.
- ^ French, Megan (5 May 2016). "Kristen Stewart Splits With Girlfriend Soko". Us Weekly. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- Vice. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Han, Holo (14 February 2020). "Soko : Première couverture de magazine avec son fils Indigo Blue" [Soko: First magazine cover with her son Indigo Blue]. Purepeople (in French).
- ^ McKenzie, Lesley (15 August 2014). "Decked Out: Soko's "Not Normal" Everyday Style". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Soko (26 October 2022). "37 today and living my best life and my inner child is definitely at play..." Instagram. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022.
We moved to Paris 2 months ago
- ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Discographie Soko".
- ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "ultratop.be - Discografie Soko". Ultratop.
- ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "ultratop.be - Discographie Soko". Ultratop.
- ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "hitparade.ch - Discographie Soko".
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.ch - Discographie Soko".
- ^ a b c d "Soko Chart History". Billboard.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "austriancharts.at - Discographie Soko".
- ^ "Hitlisten.NU". Hitlisten.NU.
- ^ "CHART: CLUK Update 22.03.2014 (wk11)". zobbel.de.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (20 January 2017). "Residente Chases His Muse, at the Genetic Level". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
External links
- Official website
- Soko at IMDb
- Stéphanie Sokolinski: Filmographie on allocine.fr