As fans and collaborators continue to mourn SOPHIE’s death from an accidental fall, one fan has taken Change.org by storm with a popular idea of how best to honor the electronic music pioneer: in just two days, more than 20,000 people have signed Christian Arroyo’s petition asking NASA to name a newly discovered planet in SOPHIE’s honor.
Signatures skyrocketed after Charli XCX, one of SOPHIE’s frequent collaborators, voiced her support for the campaign on Twitter today. The campaign is now one of the fastest-growing petitions on Change.org this week, currently growing at a rate of one signature every 18 seconds.
In the petition description, Arroyo explains why SOPHIE meant so much to him and others in the LGBTQIA+ community: “SOPHIE was a highly influential singer, songwriter, and producer who was a source of great inspiration to the LGBTQIA+ community. Her messages, actions, and music left a lasting impression on many LGBTQIA+ individuals. She always pushed a message of individuality and expressing your true self that resonated throughout everything she did.”
Arroyo goes on to share why he chose to ask NASA to name the planet after SOPHIE: “SOPHIE released an album in 2018, titled Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides. On the cover art for the album, SOPHIE sits surrounded by water in an ethereal setting. Recently revealed images TOI-1338 b, a planet discovered in the Summer of 2019 by Wolf Cukier, bear a resemblance to the setting pictured on the cover of Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides."
In addition to her own music, SOPHIE produced for Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Kim Petras and stars. In 2019, she made history as one of the three first openly trans women to be nominated for a Grammy.
