“We met in college at an art gallery. We were both booked to play the same event. I was there with a jazz trio playing mostly bossa-nova inspired music and Tuck was the DJ after me that night,” recalls Sophie Hawley-Weld of first meeting Tucker Halpern, the other half of SOFI TUKKER. “He came early and saw me play and ended up remixing one of my songs on the spot. I remember thinking he was very tall. The dude’s 6’7”. You don’t see it often.”
Since that fateful meeting at Brown University in 2014, they two have been making some sweet (sassy/fun/upbeat) music together. “It’ll make you dance,” Tucker says. “And hopefully feel good. It’s got global influences. And it mixes raw and real instruments with electronic sounds.”
Sophie attributes their special magic to the fact that they’re true opposites. “Our brains and influences are so different and so we are constantly bringing each other a new perspective around everything,” she says. “It’s part of why we probably don’t get sick of each other. We also communicate allllllll the time and about everything to make sure we are always on the same page. And we both have short memories. So, any disagreement is quickly forgotten and moved on from.”Remember when their song “Best Friend” was in that iPhone X commercial in 2017—the same year their single “Drinkee” was up for a Grammy? A year later their album Treehouse was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album. In April 2022, they released their newest album WET TENNIS, with twelve tracks that were well worth the wait, and delivering one of the feistiest and most imaginative offerings of the year.
Their single “Summer in New York,” with its opening ode to Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner,” is one of Tucker’s favorites. “Summer in New York is probably our favorite right now, just because it’s so timely and literal,” Tucker explains. “We moved to New York in time for summer just after writing it. The song inspired us so much to go live the life that we were dreaming of during the pandemic. We outline our favorite places in New York and our favorite things about the city and now we are actually getting to walk down the street, while listening to that song, and living it literally.”
But when it comes to original sin—the concept itself and the new single of the same name—don’t look too deep. “There isn’t one,” Sophie says. “That’s the point of the song! We don’t think we are born sinners in need of repenting.”
Here’s a day in the life of SOFI TUKKER.
Date
April 28, 2022
Time I woke up
Somewhere around 10:00 a.m. — Sophie & Tucker
Every day starts with
Iced oat milk latte. — Tucker
Meditation in bed and a pot of jasmine tea. — Sophie
Breakfast consists of
Açai bowl. — Tucker
Oatmeal with protein powder berries and almond butter. — Sophie
To get going I always
Take a shower. — Tucker
Change my outfit at least twice. — Sophie
I don’t feel dressed without
My yellow choker. — Tucker
Checking with tucker (as my in-house stylist of course). — Sophie
Before I start working I must
Have another coffee. — Tucker
Have had my tea. — Sophie
Currently working on
Designing the Wet Tennis tour production. — Sophie & Tucker
But I’d really love to be
Nothing else we’d rather do. — Sophie & Tucker
Book I’m reading
Netflix. — Tucker
Kink by R.O Kwon and Breath: The New Science of A Lost Artby James Nestor. — Sophie
I don’t know how anyone ever
Lives without dance music. — Tucker
Doesn’t cry. — Sophie
If I had to play one album on repeat, it would be
Wet Tennis by SOFI TUKKER (had to). — Sophie & Tucker
The perfect midday consists of
Getting outside with my hair blowing in the wind cuz I’m either in my truck or on my scooter. I’m a big toy guy. — Tucker
Going on a walk while talking to a friend or some afternoon delight. — Sophie
To help get through the day I need
To be in creative in some way. — Tucker
Sleep. — Sophie
Not a day goes by without speaking to
Sophie. — Tucker
Tucker. — Sophie
My daydreams consist of
Sex and house music. — Sophie & Tucker
In a perfect day, in a perfect world
Women could make their own decisions about their bodies. — Sophie & Tucker
I’ll always fight for
Abortion rights. — Sophie & Tucker
Currently in love with
Summer in New York. — Sophie & Tucker
Hoping to make time to watch
CODA. — Sophie & Tucker
By my bedside I always have
My phone. — Tucker
The womanizer and a couple books. — Sophie
To help get through the night
I watch Netflix. — Tucker
Wear earplugs. — Sophie
Bed time
Depends on tour schedule. — Sophie & Tucker
When I think about tomorrow, it’s always
Exciting. — Sophie & Tucker
