SOFI TUKKER - The BREAD Tour

SOFI TUKKER, the GRAMMY-nominated duo comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, are about to unleash their third album BREAD, their most daring, innovative and infectious body of work to date. Two years in the making, it is a sonic pleasuredome of dance-laden bangers. It is a lighthearted yet profound invitation to drop your fears and devour life to the fullest, a big gulp of optimism and a remedy against the pervasive scarcity mindset. The music blends house, Brazilian funk, drum and bass, bossa nova, pop, Portuguese poetry, and, most crucially—fun.

“BREAD is pure energy,” Sophie says of the band’s most infectious project to date. “Literally, carbs. That's exactly what we want our music to do. When you put on the album, we want it to give you energy.  Tucker adds, “We didn't know when we wrote the song ‘Bread’ that it was going to feel like a thesis statement for the album, and we didn't know that was going to be the name of the album initially, but as we were discussing, it became clearer and clearer that what we wanted to say to the world is: the world can be dark but it's also a really fun place. We wanted to use a very normal, everyday word to mean a lot more.” BREAD, in addition to being a symbol of abundance, energy, sensuality and community, is an acronym for “Be Really Energetic And Dance.”

“BREAD is also something that people all around the world use to connect and gather around” Sophie adds. It’s clear that Sophie and Tucker embodied this sensibility of togetherness while making the album. Featuring guest spots from artists such as Channel Tres, MC Bola, and Kah-Lo, and collaborating with producers Richard Beynon and Marcio Arantes, the band recorded this album all around the world, but especially in Brazil, which has always been a big influence in SOFI TUKKER’s world.  “I feel a sense of pride for the country because of how much of a role it plays in our music. Brazil is like a member of the band,” says Tucker. Sophie is fluent in Portuguese but their extended time there during the making of the album deepened their relationship with the place and its poetry even further. Their long-time friend and collaborator, Brazilian poet Chacal, makes an even bigger creative stamp on this album, having written poems specifically for the band and the themes they wanted to discuss on BREAD, like for the song “Cafuné”, Sophie’s favorite Portuguese word which has no direct translation into English.

The visuals for the project reflect the sensual overtones of the music. The decadent album cover was shot by visual artist and fine art photographer Rob Woodcox, who captures Sophie wearing a custom gown (by Chris Habana) made entirely out of bread in front of the ornate Palácio das Laranjeiras in Rio de Janeiro, surrounded by joyful Brazilian dancers in graceful, elaborate poses, as if to say: welcome to the BREAD world: beautiful, ridiculous, and sure to make you dance.

After the release of their debut album Treehouse (2018) and sophomore album WET TENNIS (2022), SOFI TUKKER, now independent from a record label, have been dropping collabs and singles in anticipation of BREAD. In the first half of 2023, they released collaborations with Kx5 (Kaskade & Deadmau5) and contributed two tracks to their friend LP Giobbi’s debut album. The duo also reunited with The Knocks ("One On One"), and released “Várias Queixas (SOFI TUKKER Version)" feat. Gilsons, and a viral collaboration with Brazilian artists Mari Merenda and Sophia Ardessore ("Veneno”). They were also behind remixes of GRAMMY-winning Jon Batiste’s "Worship" from the acclaimed album World Music Radio, and Wuki’s "Sunshine (My Girl).”

SOFI TUKKER made an indelible mark on the 2023 festival scene, with coveted slots and unforgettable performances at Coachella, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, among others. Their 2024 fall North American headline tour will be their biggest to date by far, while arena tours supporting J Balvin in Australia and Kygo in Europe will round out their year. Their “explosive” (Rolling Stone) live show is a one-of-a-kind combination of dance-music with live instruments, finding them playing on instruments and playground equipment, and performing choreography with the infectious Bob’s Dance Shop. With an almost cult-like following (“The Freak Fam”, as they call themselves) the live show is an “electrifying” (Entertainment Weekly) gathering place for freaks worldwide, creating a joyous, friendly and inviting environment. DJing is also a shared love for Sophie and Tucker, who are in their fourth consecutive year of their DJ Residency in Las Vegas, and several summer plays in Ibiza.

Originally meeting as students at Brown University, Tucker and Sophie didn’t cross paths until their senior year. Sophie had just returned from living abroad in Rio and was performing her original bossa-nova inspired songs in a jazz trio. Tucker, who had taken up DJing after being forced out of D1 basketball due to illness, convinced Sophie to take a leap of faith and move to New York with him to form a band instead of moving back to Rio after graduation.

Less than a year later, SOFI TUKKER dropped their debut single “Drinkee” which became Grammy-nominated, followed by their debut album Treehouse (also Grammy-nominated). Adding to their impact on popular culture, SOFI TUKKER has soundtracked hundreds of syncs in movies, TV, and commercials, including advertising campaigns for Apple ("Best Friend"), Peloton ("Purple Hat") and Smartwater ("Wet Tennis”).

SOFI TUKKER wear many hats and have a shared passion for fashion. The duo were the faces of G-Star Raw's colorful denim campaign on billboards worldwide, they donned two unique custom-made looks by Dolce & Gabbana for their 2023 Coachella sets, and they were captured hanging out and DJing at pal Heidi Klum’s famous Halloween Bash. For their last album, they launched their own fashion label, WET TENNIS, whose signature ombre designs were presented at New York Fashion Week. 

Much of their endeavors are directly linked to physical wellness and mental health, from the spirit of their shows and the lyrics in their music, to their philanthropic work. They take extraordinary care of themselves while they're on the road. “We tour like athletes and we know we can only really spread positivity when we’re feeling whole and positive ourselves,” says Sophie. They are advocates for therapy, meditation, and community; and Sophie, while being professionally the life of the party, is sober.

That may seem at odds with being co-owners of a cachaça brand (Novo Fogo), but that contradiction is part of what has always made the band special. The Novo Fogo team is equally passionate about flavor and taste as they are about trees and biodiversity. SOFI TUKKER have spent time at Novo Fogo’s distillery in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, planting endangered species of trees in their natural habitats as part of the Un-Endangered Forest project.

The duo have also worked with multiple charitable organizations, including Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, the March for Our Lives and the Red Cross, among others. SOFI TUKKER are on the board of FEMME HOUSE, a nonprofit which is dedicated to counteracting gender disparities in dance music.

While SOFI TUKKER are creating new worlds, they’re also actively participating in this one. The yin and yang is found in everything SOFI TUKKER; The organic and the electronic. The party and the purpose. The built-world and the natural world. The playfulness and the sophistication. The Sophie and the Tucker.