Soundtrack Of My Life: electro duo Sofi Tukker

The song I wish I’d written

Feist – ‘Let It Die

Sophie: “It’s almost like I had written it, because when I first heard it I was like ‘woah, I’ve had those thoughts but never said them so eloquently!’ I was in college and I was going through a hard time. We’ve never covered it; it’s not necessarily emo, but it’s definitely on the sadder side and with Sofi Tukker we go out of our way to make uplifting music. I write sad songs as therapy, but then we don’t know what to do with them because they don’t fit in our world!”

The first gig I went to

Backstreet Boys, Boston, 1990s

Tucker: “My sister had had an operation so my parents took us to see the Backstreet Boys in Boston where I grew up. It was right in their heyday; I remember them flying around from hanging wires on boogie boards. Now that I think about it, it was the coolest thing ever. But I hated it because it was so loud – I was being a baby about it.”

The first album I bought

Avril Lavigne – ‘Let Go’

Sophie: “The one with ‘Sk8er Boi’ on it! I was about 10 – I wasn’t thinking for myself yet and just listening to what everyone else was listening to. A friend of mine wanted to go to her concert so we dressed up as her with ties on. It was a pretty short lived phase – I wouldn’t say it defined my musical taste for very long!”

The song that makes me dance

Sam Smith – ‘I Feel Love’

Tucker: “Sam Smith and Disclosure just remade this old Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder disco song and they did such a good job. I was just listening to it and I was dancing to it – there’s your proof. I’m a big hip-thrust guy – if you’ve ever come to our shows you’ll notice that. I’ve been a humper since a young age.”

The song I can no longer listen to

Aqua – ‘ Barbie Girl’

Sophie: “I don’t know how to drive so Tucker is the one left to do long car rides. So when we’re on hour six or whatever, he can listen to whatever he wants at whatever volume he wants. And he’ll put on Aqua while I’m trying to sleep but I can’t say anything!”

The song that changed my life

Stan Getz & João Gilberto – ‘Corcovado’

Sophie: “I used to be a jazz singer but I was introduced to Portuguese bossa nova and fell in love with the language and the music. So I decided to only sing in Portuguese for six months and learn the language. Then I moved to Brazil. That was really transformative.”

The song I want played at my funeral

Right Said Fred – ‘I’m Too Sexy’

Tucker: “Funerals are so sad and I don’t want people being sad, I want them smiling and laughing. I like that idea more. I want everyone doing one big group hip-thrust to send me off!”