Sophie MAY be shooting not one, but two videos!

Now, we're already aware that Sophie is going to shoot the video for Bittersweet in London. She might also have another video.....for Can't Fight This Feeling:

"My new single, Can't Fight This Feeling, feat. Sophie Ellis-Bextor is now available on iTunes with remixes by Avicii, Soulshakerz etc. The single will be released on March 29 in France! We should shoot the video with Sophie in middle March in Paris, we'll keep you updated... e later, we'll add some pictures on this page." said Junior on his Facebook.

*jumps around with excitement*....
Thanks for the heads-up Eden

EDIT - Sophie and Junior are in the French top 40, sitting at #37. I hope this does well in France. It could cement a foundation for Sophie's fourth album. Afterall, she used to be famous there (thats what i've heard)
SOURCE: http://www.lescharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=si&year=2010&date=20100220
#1 Tik Tok - Kesha
#3 Bad Romance - Gaga
#4 Rude Boy - Riri
#8 Memories - Guetta & Cudi
#20 Fight For This Love - C. Cole
#23 Rain - Mika
#26 Rock That Body - The Peas
#30 Sweet Dreams - Bey
#32 Fireflies - Owl City
#37 Can't Fight This Feeling - Junior and the Bex-monster

So.. erm.. to sum up

All the information that we have received till now:

1. Sophie recorded with a billion producers (again). We know of 25-30 song titles through ASCAP. But only 12 are going to land up on the album (according to Sophie), which she recently named "Make A Scene". If we pray hard enough and if God is a generous fellow, then we may get two bonus tracks and a load of b-sides. The release strategy, as of now, is two singles followed by the album. And if my memory doesn't fail me, Sophie mentioned sometime in the past that there would be 3 singles from this album.

2. Bittersweet which is scheduled to be the FIRST single from the album is a monstermotherfucker of a track. The Bex-monster will be filming the video for it shortly, and it will hit the radio after that. The CD single will be released on the 2nd of May. We're still unsure what they're going to do with Heartbreak. The video for Bittersweet will be shot in London, with Chris Sweeny again (the same guy who did that goegeous video Heartbreak). A live recording of the Freemasons mix of Bittersweet is available on youtube, thanks to a generous PopJustice reader.

3. The danciest song on the album is a track about a stalker (big surprise!) who irritates Sophie over the phone. ASCAP registers a song-title called "Dial My Number" (with Liam Howe) which, i suppose is the track we're talking about. There was a title called "Hang Up" which came from an inside source, which is most probably just a big rumour. As are the other titles - Still Mixed Up and Carnival.

4. There was a demo CD in circulation in the Fascination office which included these tracks - Synchronised, Starlight, Dial My Number, Off & On, Heartbreak, Under Your Touch and Sophia Loren. Some, if not all, of these tracks might end up on the album. Synchronised was added to Fascination's office playlist back when the song title was just discovered. Calvin Harris had hinted once that he was working on a new mix for "Off & On". We're not sure if there is going to be a new mix of the song, or if his other song "Calling It Love" will end up on the album instead. Sophie performed Starlight at the iTunes festival. The track is produced by Richard X, who has also contributed another song called "Magic". Richard X seems to think that Magic will end up on Sophie's album, thats what i gather from BlackMelody. Richard X, along with Hannah Robinson contributed another song called "Immune To Love", which might not end up on the album.

5. There is a song called "Revolution" which a music journalist (JP) posted on the offical SEB forums. In his words. "'Revolution' has to be a single, I cannot write in words how much I love this track".

6. Sophie had mentioned Ed Harcourt a couple of times in the past. Ed collaborated with Sophie and Dimitri, contributing 3 songs, according to ASCAP. Sophie also said on a radio interview that she worked with Betty Boo for the album, but no song title has popped up, yet, crediting Betty Boo.

7. Sophie has worked with the famous Armin Van Buuren on a very trance-y song called "Not Giving Up On Love" which is penned with the Nervo sisters. The Nervo sisters contributed another song called "We Got A Chance", according to ASCAP. Sophie recently confirmed the Armin track to be a part of the album.

8. "Sophia Loren", a track produced by Christopher Rojas and co-written with Cathy Dennis was initially planned to be the lead single of the album last January, when Sophie was still pregnant with Kit. The song was featured on a Rimmel advert which is now being played in the US as well. The chorus of the song can be heard on the advert, and a 2 minute snippet of the song can be heard on the making of ad. Christopher Rojas contributed another song called "Lose Myself" according to ASCAP.

9. Sophie's official website announced that Sophie was going to work with Greg Kurstin (again) and Andreas Kleerup on new songs. So far, no songtitles have popped up anywhere crediting them. Sophie has worked with Kurstin in the past on her hit single "Catch You".

10. Sophie has worked with some of the biggest names in the pop industry. Here are the list of collaborators - Freemasons, Calvin Harris, Richard X, Joe (Metronomy), Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps), Biffco, Dimitri, Hannah Robinson, Armin Van Buuren, Christopher Rojas, Jim Elliott (Kish Mauve), Fred Ball, Greg Kurstin, Andreas Kleerup, Johnny Douglas, Cathy Dennis, Ina Wrolsden, Miriam and Olivia Nervo, Ed Harcourt, Betty Boo and more (that whole Bloodshy & Avant thing is, most probably, just a rumour).

11. This is a thorough list of songs recorded for the album. We're not sure which ones are going to make it to the final cut - Cut Through The Heart, Don't Let Me Go, Sleepwalking, Love Deluxe, For Love, Not Giving Up On Love, Calling It Love, Dial My Number, Give Into Love, Magic, Bittersweet, Lose Myself, My Priority, Off & On, Only For This Moment, Sophia Loren, Sorry Now, Starlight, Supersexy, Synchronised, Scene, Under Your Touch, Whispers On The Street, Wicked Game, Immune To Love, We Got A Chance, Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer, Easier Said Than Done, Get Right, Hype, Kitten On The Keys, Revolution.

We have a date - 2nd May

But you can officially hate Fascination records for this. The single which was supposed to be out on the 26th of April is now going to be out on the 2nd of May. And their only reason for this push back is probably "just because..."
Sophie rightly said it in the Digital Spy interview. Making the music is her job. Deciding the dates is the label's job. Which means Fascination is to blame for EVERY SINGLE DELAY! Rot in hell you f***ers.
On the bright side, we finally have a date! Bittersweet will hit the radio in a couple of weeks (my guess - 2nd week of March).
Keep your eyes peeled!

Revolution - another song title.

Yay! JP (from the official forum) is back, and he posted this:
"The new album is going to be HUGE!!! There are so many strong tracks it is untrue!! Bittersweet is a surefire disco stomper....it will be massive! 'Revolution' has to be a single, I cannot write in words how much I love this track!! 2010 is going to be a big one!! JPx"
Revoltion was a title that Dave H (from the official forum, again) had mentioned a couple of months ago.
I just love how everyone says "Bittersweet will be massive". I just can't stop listening to the live recording on youtube. *fingers crossed that the rest of the album is as good as that*

More about the album

"Your love's bittersweet bittersweet oh-uh-ooh"
Seems like we're going to get an amazing hook for the song! kmitalian from PopJustice generously donated a recording of the Freemasons mix of Bittersweet. (You will find the youtube link in my previous post)

And a couple of hours ago, Digital Spy posted an inerview with Sophie on their website:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a204793/ellis-bextor-reveals-new-album-title.html
Thank you DS for asking the right questions, something that the official website should have done. Anyway.

Highlights of the interview:
1. The video will be shot next week, in London with Chris Sweeny is the producer again. Sophie has the concept of the video, but she won't disclose anything right away.
2. Sophie's quote on Bittersweet - "It's another song I did with the Freemasons. It's very pop-dance. I think the chorus sounds a little bit like it's from a musical - it's quite sort of dramatic and melodic, and a bit meandering in a good way."
3. The strategy might be 2 singles and the album sometime in Autumn. The album is called Make A Scene - being comfortable with your own skin. There may be 12 tracks, sequencing yet to be done.
4. Confirmed producers so far - Metronomy, Armin Van Buuren, Sneaker Pimps, Richard X, Calvin Harris and Freemasons confirmed till now.


Richard X - Starlight (or Magic, but that was recorded during the GH sessions, so i doubt it)
Metronomy - Scene
Freemasons - Bittersweet and Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Calvin Harris - Off & On (I'm not too sure if Calling It Love will be on the album)
Sneaker Pimps - Dial My Number (it has to be this, the Stalker song)
Armin Van Buuren - Not Giving Up On Love

So.. that is, roughly, 7 songs

I know Dimitri is going to be on the album. (I hope its "Sleepwalking". That title is just awesome!). I also hope Jim Elliott's track makes it (Whispers On The Street).

Bittersweet - Freemasons Mix - LIVE AUDIO!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2RFmfIUQkY
ohmyfuckinggoshthisrockssophieisgoingtoscoreahitwiththis!

Thanks to a very generous contributor on PopJustice, we now know what the Freemasons mix of Bittersweet sounds like...

Enjoy fellas...and dames.

3 things

1. Sophie came up with the album title.
"yay! i have finally named the album! poor little thing has been nameless up until now.."
Don't you just love how she treats her albums like her own children. Awww! My guess - she's probably going to tell us the title only after the first single. Which is fine, i like suspense. Just give us the single for now, Sophie, please!

2. Heartbreak was played at the BAFTA.

I found this on Movies Kick Ass Blog.
Since BAFTA has made a habit out of playing random songs to announce winners and presenters, as opposed to musical cues from their own films, my favorite were:
•Lady GaGa's "Just Dance" when "Fish Tank" won for Best British Film (isn't it odd that "An Education" lost this one and also Best Picture?) perhaps they were making reference to Katie Jarvis character's love of dance?
•Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Freemasons' "Heartbreak Make Me a Dancer" was used in the red carpet segment and had great stylish effects.
•When Carey Mulligan came out to present Best Foreign Language Film they played the awesome "Bulletproof" by Laroux!
•Clive Owen was introduced to the beat of Lily Allen's "The Fear".

3. Sophie at the Elle Style awards during the London Fashion week.

She looks like a Goddess, doesn't she?!

My god, who can tell she's 30!!

Electric blue, lime green and bright pink - those three colours on a normal person would make them look silly, but just look how she can brilliantly mix all three into one outfit - GENIUS!

*worships Sophie*

*then drools*

Official Catch Up - Part 4

And you're still as excited by music?
Oh, completely. I think I've really made a conscious effort to still be a fan of music, rather than one of those veteran pop stars who forget what a brilliant job it is. I want to still be excited about it. Although I do quite like it when I go out and meet younger bands and they treat me like this really worldly musician with all this experience.

What advice do you pass on?
I just try to encourage people not to be cynical about it. Because of shows like X Factor people think they know how it all works and that it's always a record company making decisions for you. And actually, I don't think labels are inherently evil. If you've got your own creative ideas, they're happy to go with them. There's a lot more scopes for artists to make their own creative decisions than people might imagine.

@X_In_My_Arms_X would like to know who you'd compare the sound of the new album to.
Um... I don't really know. I suppose the single has a slightly Pet Shop Boys feel to it. I can hear that in there. But I think it depends on the different people I've collaborated with. The Calvin Harris one has definitely got his fingerprints on it. And the one with Joe from Metronomy has kept the sound evolving and pushing on.

So all the collaborations you've talked about in the last year or two are on the album?
Pretty much, yeah. And some quite unexpected ones too. I did a trance song with this guy called Armin van Buuren which is like fairground trance.

That sounds like a departure.
Yeah, a real departure! But I absolutely love it.

Finally, @Barrie14 asks "Stockings or tights?"
Tights. I can't be bothered with stockings, too fiddly. But that's quite a personal question, isn't it Barrie?

SOURCE: SEB.net

Official Catch-Up and some other news

Third installment from SEB.net:

So, we asked your Twitter followers for some questions for you. One of them said, "Oh, so this is a fake Twitter, f***ing liars".
What?! So, he thinks all the tweets haven't been me? Actually, my brother got a bit annoyed with me because when I started Twitter, it was just after I'd had Kit and I was in that hormonal bubble when you've just had a baby and I kept on putting tweets up like "I'm now breastfeeding on Brighton pier". My brother made me stop doing that. So, if I had a fake me, I'd really like to think they'd have a little bit more discretion and perhaps be a little bit more pop. So take that Mr Cynic!

Other followers have asked whether you'll be playing live in America, Moscow, Singapore, Brazil, South Africa or Glasgow. Any plans?
Well, yeah, I'd love to. I do make this promise now that I will never, ever, ever put on a tour and then not perform the tour! There's always so many politics to that stuff, but I understand from a fans' point of view that it just looks like you can't be bothered. But I would love to play in all those places and it's brilliant that all those people have asked in such a short time. I have fans in far-flung places! I've still got a real excitement about the fact that your music can go out on these journeys that you're never going to go on. I love that.

An intelligent question from @davidlimonline - "how critical is the success of this upcoming album for your career? R U feeling the pressure & do you have a contingency plan?"
Ooh, that is an intelligent question. I would say the least critical out of everything, actually. Because I kind of feel like I do what I do now. Although that being said, you obviously want it to do well and I'm really pleased with it. But I don't feel as much pressure, because I feel like I'm here now, y'know? I feel like I'll be able to put out another album after this, no matter what.


A little bit about the track Scene:

It has been confirmed that the track Sophie Ellis Bextor recorded with Darren Lewis and Tunde Babalola of Future Cut is entitled “Scene.” The Metronomy-penned song is slotted for inclusion on the artist’s upcoming as-yet-untitled 4th album on Fascination / Polydor Records.
Future Cut Productions are also known for their work with Lily Allen (“Smile”), Ava Leigh (“Mad About the Boy”), Laura Izibor (“Shine”), Nicole Scherzinger (“What’s Keeping You”), Shakira (“Gypsy”), Rihanna (“Mad House”) and Livvi Franc (“Hummingbird”).
SOURCE: http://monicamania.blogdrive.com/archive/4667.html
Thanks to Eden for the heads-up!

And in other news, Alexander McQueen committed suicide on the 11th of this month. Sophie commented on his death saying "It’s very shocking. It’s sad when anyone feels that alone but particularly someone who is so talented and seemingly has so much to live for.”
RIP Alexander McQueen
SOURCE: Daily Star

HELLO! mag interview, Fascination's tweet, Bloodshy & Avant, release date and more

Fascination recently tweeted this:

"The Freemasons remixes of the new Sophie single - Bitter Sweet - are beyond brilliant! Release date is April 26."

So the good news is that we have a release date. Sophie is filming the video on the 17th of this month. Maybe the song hits the radio after that, followed by the video premiere in March.

Also, a recent article on Music Fascination confirms a list of collaborators for this album, and Bloodshy & Avant are in it too! Excited? - Read here

Thanks to Eden for the heads-up.

And, HELLO! magazine caught up with Sophie at New Orleans.

It's a city famous for food and music, so it's no wonder singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor looks at home when HELLO! catches up with her in New Orleans. "My family, good music and really good food are what's important to me", says the 30-year-old pop star, who lives in London with her bassist husband Richard Jones of the band The Feeling and their songs Sonny, five and Kit, nearly one. Having shot to fame a decade ago when she sang on the dance classic Groovejet, Sophie's first three albums were hits around the world while her fourth - as yet untitled - is due out soon, as she enjoys the Big Easy, Sophie talks hangovers, hauntings and happiness.

So, Sophie, what do you make of New Orleans?

It's an incredible city! Southern Comfort flew me out here and the atmosphere's just amazing. There's music everywhere; as we were taking these photos, some old boys just started dancing in the street outside. It's supposedly the most haunted place in America and you can definitely feel it in the air. We took a ghost tour, but fortunately we didn't come face to face with any unnerving otherworldliness. It was fun though.

Thanks to Sophie-Online for the pictures.

(Sophie is the brand ambassador for Southern Comfort)

Do you get out much back home in London?

Absolutely! My husband and I are both musicians, so we're pretty nocturnal creatures and we do spend a lot of time out and about once the kids are tucked up in bed. We both DJ too, so we definitely inhabit this whole other world once the children are in bed.

What's your tipple?

If it's just a quiet drink after work I like white wine, but if it's more of a party night you can't beat mojito to get you revved up.

Do you ever overindulge?

Very rarely. I'm a bit obsessed with keeping in control and I don't like getting hangovers, so I'm quite a responsible drinker. Even people who've known me for years, way before I had kids, haven't seen me get too out of it.

What's your favourite bar snack?

I like those little green chilli peppers, eaten whole and fried, with a bit of salt and edamame, with an ice-cold beer.

Your songs were born prematurely after you developed pre-eclampsia and Kit spent the first five weeks of his life in hospital. How is he now?

He's lovely and healthy and happy and it's all fine now. Having two kinds means life's a bit more chaotic but it's where we always hoped to find ourselves.

Are you planning any more?

I like the idea of more, but for the time being, I'm just focusing on work and the new album. I've been working with a lot of different dance DJs including Calvin Harris and the Freemasons, so it's definitely the most "dancey" album I've ever made.

Was it more of a creative challenge, producing a new album with such a young baby in tow?

It's actually been all right. Making music doesn't really feel like a day job and in fact the new song I've done with the Freemasons was written at home while I was looking after Kit, in between feeds, so it was quite a relaxed process.

Are the boys demonstrating any musical inclinations yet?

Kit is just responding like most babies do, I guess, but Sonny is pretty into music. He loves dancing around and he's already talking about being a drummer and is partial to a bit of Metallica.

You turned 30 last April. How does it feel to kiss goodbye to your twenties?

So far, I've found getting older to be a good thing, as you feel more settled in your skin. I certainly wouldn't want to go back and be 18 again.

Have you still got a passion for fashion?

Of course. I've got two kids but I'm not dead. People always assume that when you have babies, you suddenly don't want to get dressed up anymore, but I'm still a popstar.

So who are your biggest style inspirations?

I still look back to when I was little; things like Mary Poppins and the girls in Grease, 1950s fashions, tailoring and bright make-up. Same as always - I'm a creature of habit!

New song title - Did I?

Thanks to Nunya B on PopJustice who did a bit of snooping around.

DID I (Jasmine Barid/James Bryan/Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Alexander James Wallace)

http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?requesttimeout=300&mode=results&searchstr=880866070&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=20&start=1

Lorenzo Agius Photoshoot (sophie looks so much like Madonna)

thanks for the heads-up, whoever it was...(leave your name so i can credit you for the info)

I was on PopJustice when i commented saying Sophie has put on some weight cos her face looked fat in the Beck's tee picture. But i take back my words. Her face is gorgeous as ever.

Love the blue campaign. Very electric.

Photos by Lorenzo Agius.

Call me crazy, but i think Sophie looks like Madonna in these pics.

Another day, another disappointment - the 2nd official instalment is here

I think the odds of Sophie getting pregnant again are more than releasing the album this year. Oh well, here's some disappointing news for you all - the album won't be out till autumn (PROBABLY!)

So, you've got some live dates coming up, at The Feeling's Little World Festival in Meribel.
That's right. It's taking shape nicely, actually. They've got loads of bands and DJs and all sorts. I think we've got one Easyjet flight with around 80 of us booked onto that one plane. I think whoever else is on there will find it quite a funny ride.

Didn't you go out in 2008 when they played in Meribel?
I did, yes. But I didn't perform. It was really exciting, though. The gigs were really full-on and rammed. So I'm looking forward to it.

Will you be playing new stuff?
Yes, I think there will be a few new ones in there.

Are there any further live plans?
We're talking about maybe doing a festival or two, although at the moment all the planning is in the embryonic stage. But I think summer 2011 will be the big summer for me for touring and festivals, because I don't think the album will be out until after festivals this year. Probably in the autumn.

In other Sophie news, you went to the SpongeBob SquarePants premiere recently.
Yes, I did! That was good, actually. And then we went onto a gig and then out chasing the closing times of the bars around London. It was a fun night.

What gig did you go to?
Sinead and the Dawnbreakers. It was really good. She's really brilliant live and every time I see them they've got better. She does rockabilly style and it really suits her.

Sinead, of course, being your husband's bandmate's wife.
Exactly! A fellow Feeling WAG.

The only thing that cheered me up is a little tweet that Sophie left:
"the countdown begins.. video shoot for bittersweet is 17th feb. exciting! the 17th of the month for my 17th video."

Looking forward to the video. Hopefully the single will hit the radio in Feb as planned.

Sophie modelling for Beck's tees

Sophie Ellis Bextor models a T-shirt designed by the Beckhams in aid of Sport Relief. The shirts are now on sale at TK Maxx and Sainsburys, priced at £14.99, of which at least £8 will go to charity. Victoria Beckham, Spice Girl turned hit fashion designer, has called on the skills of her three young sons and husband David to design a range of T-shirts in aid of Sport Relief.

(P.S. thanks to el-tinto for the bigger pic)

Sophie Ellis Bextor exclusively models the ladies’ T-shirt, which has just landed in TK Maxx (tkmaxx.com) and Sainsburys (sainsburys.co.uk) stores nationwide.

The singer, who pipped Posh Spice to the number one spot when she featured on Spiller’s Groovejet track back in 2000, is the first to admit she won’t be running a marathon to raise funds over the Sport Relief weekend (March 19-21). “This is the best way of showing my sporty side,” she laughs.

Armed with cans of spray-paint, the Beckhams, including sons Brooklyn, 10, Romeo, seven, and Cruz, four, collaborated to create the red and black “Beckham heart Sport” logo which adorns the top. It is one in a series of four T-shirts designed by the family in aid of the fundraising initiative. “I thought the T-shirts were a really nice idea,” says Sophie, who has two small boys of her own with husband Richard Jones. “The fact that they were made by the kids, too, carries a family theme which is really important.”

Ladies’ T-shirt, £14.99, with at least £8 from every sale going to Sport Relief; sportrelief.com

SOURCE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/7139087/Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-models-Victoria-Beckham-Sport-Relief-shirt.html

what could be more torture...

...not having a Sophie song that is supposed to be 'absolutely-fantastically-stupendously-marvellous' or being teased about it.. hmmm.

(i like being teased though)

BiffCo tweeted:

"" One touch and there's a rush of Electricity. So wont you show me all there is to know? " S.E.B. 2010"

Steve Anderson (yes, the guy who remixes Kylie's songs for her tour) said:

"Perks of being old friends with a Freemason - @SophieEB's "Bittersweet" is an absolute MONSTER!! HUGE RIFF ALERT!!! - amazing amazing"

Biff replied:

"Fabelhoff! You approval means a lot xxx"

and Steve said:

"with Sophie, Marina and Hurts you are on FIRE my friend!"

excited? I know i am... can't wait for the (gonna burn this) goddamn (house right down) song to hit the radio. C'mon Sophie.... hurry it up!