Sophie Marcella Cates (born August 25, 1999), formerly known as Silver Sphere, is an American singer-songwriter. She independently released her debut album Yikes! in October 2019, and was subsequently signed to RCA Records. In September 2020, she released her first EP, All My Boyfriends, through RCA. She released her second EP, Basement Party, in November 2022. In March 2024, she released her second studio album, SUPERNOVA.
Career In 2018, Cates independently released her debut single, "Drinking Games", using the stage name Silver Sphere. She wrote and produced the song herself at the age of 18 while studying at Columbia College. This was followed by other singles including "Boys In Bands" and "Sucks 4 U". On October 2, 2019, she independently released her debut album, Yikes!. Abby Wright of The Central Trend described the album as "a vibrant treasure map of pockets" and stated that she "really, really liked" the project.
The release of Yikes! led to Cates being signed by RCA Records, and on July 22, 2020, she released her debut major label single, "Crowd". On the day of its release, she announced that her second extended play, All My Boyfriends, would be released on September 23, 2020. Prior to the EP's release, she released "Handle Me" as a single on August 12, 2020. After the EP's release, Sienna Estrada of Earmilk praised Cates for demonstrating artistic growth, noting the contrast in sound between Yikes! and All My Boyfriends, noting her "bright pop melodies and attitude". On November 25, 2020, she released the single "Football Game". In July 2021, Cates announced via social media that she would be using her birth name as her professional artist name. In 2022 she self-released "Nasty" and "Cardigan" as singles from extended play Basement Party. She released the extended play in April 2022.
On March 29, 2024, Cates released SUPERNOVA, her second studio album. The album is thematically focused around her breakup with fellow singer-songwriter Lauv. The album's genres have been described as electronic pop and indie sleaze.
On August 16, 2024, Cates released the single rotation. The video for the single was directed and edited by Cates' longtime friend, Maximilian Kelly. In October 2026, Cates joined the Pixie Tour in support of Olivia O'Brien.
Personal life In 2020, she entered into a relationship with fellow singer-songwriter Lauv.
Cates is a cousin of fellow singer-songwriter Greta Kline, better known by her former solo stage name and current band name Frankie Cosmos. Cates has shared that her cousin Kline inspired her to start creating music as a teenager by introducing her to self-uploading on Bandcamp and inviting Cates to attend some of her live performances.
Discography Albums Title Details Yikes! Released: October 2, 2019 Label: Independent Format: Digital download, streaming SUPERNOVA Released: March 29, 2024 Label: Independent Format: Digital download, streaming Extended plays Title Details All My Boyfriends Released: September 23, 2020 Label: RCA Format: Digital download, streaming Basement Party Released: November 11, 2022 Label: Independent Format: Digital download, streaming
Singles
As lead artist TitleYearAlbum"Drinking Games"2018Yikes!"Take it Away""Boys in Bands"2019Yikes!"Lost Cause""Sucks 4 U""Waste My Time""Crowd"2020All My Boyfriends"Handle Me""Football Game""Bad Mood"2022The End Of The World!"Nasty"Basement Party"Cardigan""Walking the Dogs"2023Supernova"Supernova""Certain Light""I Don't See You (How I Used To)""Like That"2024"17chains""Rotation""Chaos Exposure"2026 rowspan="2" "Best You Ever Had"
As featured artist Title Year Album "speaker"2022comfort noise "i don't reply"2023parasocial interaction (EP) "lovesong"2023it's all possible (EP)
Music videos Title Year Director(s) "Drinking Games" 2018Malcolm Ryshavy "Take it Away" Brit Wigintton "Boys in Bands" 2019 Maya Cruz "Lost Cause" Maya Cruz, Malcolm Ryshavy "Sucks 4 U" Maya Cruz "Boys Are Dumb! Duh!" Christian Vazquez "I'll Go Goth" Drake Li "Handle Me" 2020 Tusk "Ghosts!" "Football Game" "Bad Mood"2022Hunter Moreno "Nasty"Kevin Chen, Callum Hutchinson "Cardigan"N/A "Walking the Dogs"2023Paige MacCready "Maybe She Was the One"Antony Muse "I Don't See You (How I Used To)"Evan Deng "Rotation" 2024 Maximilian Kelly
Songwriting credits + List of songs produced or co-produced for other artists, showing year released and album name Title Year Artist(s) Album "Rushing Back"2019Flume, Vera Blue "26"2022LauvAll 4 Nothing "All 4 Nothing (I'm So In Love)" "Shotgun"2026Jeremy ZuckerArchive_001 "I Don't Know Why I Said That"2026Me As A Girl
Tours
Supporting
Jeremy Zucker: MORE NOISE!!!! Tour (2022)
References
External links