Soko (singer)
Soko | |
|---|---|
 Soko at the2016 Cannes Film Festival | |
| Born | Stéphanie Alexandra Mina Sokolinski[1] 26 October 1985[2] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | Because Music |
| Website | www |
Stéphanie Alexandra Mina Sokolinski(born 26 October 1985), known professionally asSoko(stylized asSoKo), is a French singer and actress. She 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 EPNot Sokute(2007). Her debut studio albumI Thought I Was an Alienwas released in 2012 and contains the single "We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow",which achieved ninth place on theBillboardHot 100.Ensuing years saw the releases of her second and third studio albumsMy Dreams Dictate My Reality(2015) andFeel Feelings(2020).
As an actress, Soko began appearing in a number of French productions in the early 2000s and earned aCésar Award for Most Promising Actressnomination for her role in the filmIn the Beginning(2009). She won the Courage in Acting Award at theWomen Film Critics Circle Awardsand the Best Actress award at theMar del Plata Film Festivalfor her role as Augustine in the filmAugustine(2012). She later appeared in the short filmFirst Kiss(2014), which featured "We Might Be Dead by Tomorrow" and contributed to the song's chart success. Her role asLoie FullerinThe Dancer(2016) earned her Best Actress nominations at theCésarandLumièresAwards.
Early life
[edit]Stéphanie Alexandra Mina Sokolinski was born on 26 October 1985 inBordeaux,France to a Russian-Polish father and a French-Italian mother.[3]She hasJewishancestry and said that "half of my family died inconcentration camps"duringthe Holocaust.[4]She was raisedCatholic"because they all denied their religion and what not", but she has stated that she feels "Jewish trauma".[4]She has five siblings.[5][6]Her father died of ananeurysmwhen she was five years old. The incident had a profound impact on her, influencing her to become avegetarianand later avegan.[1][7]This was followed by the deaths of all her grandparents and her godfather within the span of four years. She says that, as a result, she became "obsessed with death"[6]and developed abandonment issues[7]that were exacerbated by the fact that her single mother "wasn't emotionally available".[8]She has used the nickname Soko for as long as she can remember.[5]She began taking piano lessons at the age of five but described herself as a "very bad student" and stopped when she was 11.[9]She left Bordeaux for Paris at the age of 16 to become an actress and began writing songs while taking acting classes[10]at Cours Eva Saint-Paul;[1]she says she "picked up songwriting" when she was 20 and taught herself how to play guitar, bass, and drums shortly afterwards.[9]
Musical career
[edit]
In 2007, Soko achieved a hit single inDenmarkwith a personal anecdotal song, "I'll Kill Her", after the radio programThe Black Boy Scoutsbegan to promote it.[11]The song reached number one on the chart of the Danish version of theiTunes Storeand was the number one song in rotation on radio.[5][11]The song also became a hit in Australia, being played on high rotation onTriple Jradio;[12]it later placed number nine in theTriple J Hottest 1002007 music poll. The song was also popular inBelgiumbeing played byStudio Brussel,Radio 1 and Pure FM, and inThe Netherlands,being picked up by3FMradio station. In October 2007 her music was featured inStella McCartney's fashion show in Paris.[13]She toured in the UK in late 2007 supportingM.I.A.on theKALA Tour.Since early 2008 she has also been played in Germany by1LIVE,first only at night in 1Live Plan B but later, due to high demand, throughout the whole day.
Sokolinski has self-released oneEPNot Sokute,and collaborated withThe Go! TeamandCornershop,the latter on a song called "Something Makes You Feel Like". She has her own record label called Babycat Records and is signed toBecause Musicin France.
In 2010, her song "I'll Kill Her", was sampled byCee Lo Greenon his Stray Bullets mixtape under the track of the same name.
In 2011, she wrote a song and featured in the animated short filmMourir Auprès De Toi,which was co-written and directed bySpike 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 videoFirst Kiss.She was also one of the video's twenty subjects. AfterFirst Kisswent viral onYouTube,the song debuted at number 9 in theBillboardHot 100 and number 1 onBillboard's Streaming Songs chart.[14][15]
In March 2014, Soko appeared in the music video for the song "Jealous" by Canadian electro-funk bandChromeo.[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 Realitywas released in March 2015, with its first single "Who Wears the Pants??" released on 7 January. TheSonic Seducerwrote that the album was darker than the previous releases and called it a "female version of earlyThe Curediscs ".[17]
Soko collaborated withThe Brian Jonestown Massacreon a song called "Philadelphie Story" for their albumMusique de Film Imaginé,released in April 2015.
In 2017, Soko collaborated withResidenteon a song called "Desencuentro"forhis debut solo album.[18]
In July 2020, Soko released her third studio album,Feel Feelings.[19]
Artistry
[edit]Musical style
[edit]Soko sings primarily in English, which she attributes to the fact that she mostly listens to music in English.[5]Her two favourite bands arethe Cureandthe Smiths,and the Cure's debut albumThree Imaginary Boysis her favourite album.[9][20]She expressed her dream of collaborating with the two bands' frontmen,Robert SmithandMorrissey,whom she called "my gods";[9][21]she also referred to Smith as her "living hero".[22]Other inspirations includeConor Oberst,[7]Joy Division,New Order,[9]andPatti 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".[9]Her debut albumI Thought I Was an Alienwas described as "woozy lo-fialt-pop"influenced by the works ofLeonard CohenandDaniel Johnston,[23]and was noted for its "demo-like rawness ".[24]On the other hand, her second albumMy Dreams Dictate My Realitywas labelled as "hi-fi"new wave,[25]goth-pop,[8][10]andpost-punk.[24]Her third albumFeel Feelingsfeatures her first song with lyrics in French and was compared to the works ofSerge GainsbourgandKing Krule.[10][26]Her lyrics were characterised as "biting"[5]and "poetic yet immediately relatable",[10]while her "huskyalto"[27]voice has been described as "throaty, confessional"[10]and "girlishly high-pitch[ed]" with a "raspy edge".[5]
Approach to acting
[edit]Soko finds roles that require physical challenges to be the ones she enjoys the most. For the filmOn the Ropes(2007), she trained in boxing for a year with French champions. ForThe Dancer(2016), she insisted on not having adance doubleand she therefore trained eight hours a day for three months. She believes that acting helps her have more compassion for things that are unknown to her.[1]
Live performances
[edit]
Sokolinski has had sold-out concerts in Scandinavia, Britain, and Australia.[5]She performed at theFalls Festivalat the end of 2008, theSouthbound Festivaland the Sunset Sounds Festival at the start of 2009. She has performed in the Los Angeles venues Henry Fonda, Troubadour, Bootleg Theatre, Spaceland, and Echoplex, and has played in support ofPeter Doherty,Babyshambles,Kate Nash,Nouvelle Vague,Daniel Johnston,Foster The People,andJohnny Borrell.In San Francisco, she performed at Bottom of the Hill on 15 June 2012.
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
[edit] |
On 19 January 2009 Sokolinski stated on her Myspace page that she was quitting music and was '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 was 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 albumI Thought I Was an Alienon 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
[edit]
In February 2010, Soko was nominated for aCésar Award for Most Promising Actressfor her role inÀ l'origine(English titleIn the Beginning), directed byXavier Giannoli.
Personal life
[edit]Soko became avegetarianafter the death of her father when she was five years old. She explained that it made her realise what a dead body was and she "didn't want to eat anyone's mom or dad or any living creatures".[7]She later transitioned toveganism,which influences her choice of film roles; she said that she would never shoot a scene where she has to eat meat "even if you paid me a million dollars".[1]Soko is a supporter ofBlack Lives Matterand delayed the release of her albumFeel Feelingsin 2020 so that it would not divert attention from theGeorge Floyd protests.She considers that being a white ally means being "activelyanti-racist".[27]She isstraight edge[7]anddyslexic.[6]
Sexuality and relationships
[edit]Soko says that she has always been comfortable with her sexual orientation and "did not really have tocome out",not even to her family.[28]In March 2012, she stated that she was bisexual,[29]while she toldWMagazinein March 2016 that "I've always been open with my sexuality, meaning I don't really care about gender".[30]In June 2020, she explained that she now considers herselfqueer:"I called myself bisexual then. 'Queer' wasn't yet an option. And slowly I realised that dating women made me feel so much more like myself, less oppressed, more equal and more empowered."[31]
Soko briefly dated American musicianAriel Pinkand they remained friends for several years afterwards. They collaborated on Pink's albumPom Pom(2014) and Soko's albumMy 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 actressKristen Stewartfor 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 musicianNick Cave.She experienceddenial of pregnancyfor 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
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR [37] |
BEL (Vl) [38] |
BEL (Wa) [39] |
SWI [40] |
SWI Rom. [41] |
US Heat [42] | ||
| I Thought I Was an Alien |
|
53 | 76 | 35 | 74 | 39 | 15 |
| My Dreams Dictate My Reality |
|
75 | — | 68 | — | — | — |
| Feel Feelings |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
EPs
[edit]| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Not Sokute |
|
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA [37] |
AUT [43] |
BEL (FL) [38] |
BEL (WA) [39] |
CAN Dig. [42] |
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
[edit]| 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
[edit]| 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 | Mar del Plata International Film Festival - Best Actress Women Film Critics Circle - Courage in Acting Award Nominated -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
[edit]- ^abcdeSchütz, 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.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^Notice de personne "Sokolinski, Stéphanie (1985-....)"(in French). 6 January 2003.Retrieved4 August2023.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^Beauvallet, JD (13 March 2012)."Les démons de Soko"[Soko's demons].Les Inrockuptibles(in French).
- ^abNtuen, Koko (2020)."SoKo dives into the rebirth of the ego and mental healing in new album".LadyGunn.Retrieved30 July2023.
- ^abcdefgMaslin Nir, Sarah (5 July 2007)."Soko: sweet tunes with dangerous lyrics".The Times.UK. Archived fromthe originalon 27 July 2008.Retrieved3 August2023.
- ^abcTredez, Florence (24 February 2012)."Soko: la nouvelle Björk?"[Soko: the new Björk?].Elle(in French). France.Retrieved3 August2023.
- ^abcde"Soko and Lime: The Acid-Sweet Indie Singer Talks Singing, Acting, and Kissing Asia Argento".AfterEllen.28 June 2013.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^abBerman, Stuart (24 July 2020)."This Queer French Singer Will Make You Cry".The Cut.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^abcdef"Soko".Issue.2015.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^abcdeO'Brien, Jon."Soko".AllMusic.Retrieved31 March2015.
- ^abMeesenburg, Thomas (2 May 2007)."Soko kommer til Danmark"(in Danish).Soundvenue.Archived fromthe originalon 15 January 2008.Retrieved14 October2007.
- ^Mathewson, Catriona (5 September 2007)."Down Under MySpace hit for French singer".The Courier Mail.Archived fromthe originalon 16 June 2009.Retrieved13 December2007.
- ^Trebay, Guy (5 October 2007)."Why It All Looks So Easy, and Why It Isn't".The New York Times.Retrieved17 December2007.
- ^VideoArchived15 November 2018 at theWayback Machine,Youtube
- ^Viral first kiss videoArchived12 February 2017 at theWayback Machine,Billboard
- ^JealousArchived24 September 2015 at theWayback Machine,Huhmagazine
- ^Pilgrim, Thomas (2015). "SoKo: My Dreams Dictate My Reality".Sonic Seducer(in German). No. 3. pp. 101–2.
- ^Residente feat. Soko,Desencuentro,retrieved4 April2017
- ^"Soko: Feel Feelings - Album Review".Vinyl Chapters.12 July 2020.Retrieved13 July2020.
- ^"High 5: Soko".Rookie.19 February 2015.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^Max, Angélique."Interview with French musician, SoKo".Manhattan Fashion Directory.Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2015.
- ^abParslow, 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.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^abcBerman, Stuart (22 April 2015)."Adrenaline Addict: Inside Soko's Manic Pop Dreamworld".Pitchfork.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^Roberts, Randall (28 February 2015)."Soko mines '80s new wave on 'My Dreams Dictate My Reality'".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved1 April2015.
- ^Kölsch, Florian (10 July 2020)."Review: Soko - Feel Feelings".Musikexpress(in German).Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^abStudarus, Laura."Soko Explores Her Feelings".Grammy.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^abcKenig, 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).Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^Santucci, Françoise-Marie; Despentes, Virginie (19 March 2012)."Bye Bye Blondie, bonjour Despentes".Libération(in French).Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^Petrarca, Emilia (28 March 2016)."Soko on Modern Love and What Goes Down in the DM".W.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^abSpiller, 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.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^Soko (15 February 2019)."French Actress Soko Shares Exclusive Photos From the Birth of Her First Child".Vice.Retrieved4 August2023.
- ^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 fromthe originalon 2 November 2022.
We moved to Paris 2 months ago
- ^abHung, Steffen."lescharts.com - Discographie Soko".
- ^abHung, Steffen."ultratop.be - Discografie Soko".Ultratop.
- ^abHung, Steffen."ultratop.be - Discographie Soko".Ultratop.
- ^abHung, Steffen."hitparade.ch - Discographie Soko".
- ^Hung, Steffen."lescharts.ch - Discographie Soko".
- ^abcd"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.Retrieved11 April2017.
External links
[edit]
- Official website
- SokoatIMDb
- Stéphanie Sokolinski: Filmographieon allocine.fr
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1985 births
- Living people
- 21st-century French actresses
- 21st-century French women singers
- Actors with dyslexia
- Actresses from Bordeaux
- Because Music artists
- French film actresses
- French queer people
- French LGBTQ actors
- French LGBTQ singers
- French LGBTQ songwriters
- French people of Italian descent
- French people of Jewish descent
- French people of Polish descent
- French people of Russian descent
- French television actresses
- French voice actresses
- Indie pop musicians
- Musicians from Bordeaux
- Musicians with dyslexia
- Queer actresses
- Queer singer-songwriters
- LGBTQ women singers