Sophie tweeted: Just back from Cairo where I sang on a roof top as the sun set on the pyramids. Also managed to gatecrash a wedding.
Here's a snippet of the performance - http://www.twitvid.com/3IHOT
(thanks to TheWV for the heads up)
I know Sophie has this dance style videos thing going on. But how great would it be to have a video in Egypt? Pyramids, Sphinx, Camels, dancers doing the Egyptian and Sophie in Egyptian clothing.
Tweet Sophie, lets see if we can get her to film a video there.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Couple of dates + Pictures from Orsay Fashion Show performance
We have a few dates.
28 May - Cairo, Egypt
30 May - Circus at Paramount
6 Jun - Capital Emirates, London
9 Jun - Istanbul, Turkey
11 Jun - Vladivostok, Russia
12 Jun - Moscow, Russia
13 Jun - Warsaw, Poland
20 Jun - Istanbul, Turkey
8 Jul - Moscow, Russia
25 Jul - Billericay, Essex
27 Jul, The Roundhouse, London
14 August - Milk Music Festival
Here are a few pictures from the Orsay Fashion Show performance
28 May - Cairo, Egypt
30 May - Circus at Paramount
6 Jun - Capital Emirates, London
9 Jun - Istanbul, Turkey
11 Jun - Vladivostok, Russia
12 Jun - Moscow, Russia
13 Jun - Warsaw, Poland
20 Jun - Istanbul, Turkey
8 Jul - Moscow, Russia
25 Jul - Billericay, Essex
27 Jul, The Roundhouse, London
14 August - Milk Music Festival
Here are a few pictures from the Orsay Fashion Show performance
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
nothing much..but...
Sophie was replying on twitter to a couple of fans. Seems like we'll get a new single in late summer. I hope she still has the "single in July, album in August" plan.
when asked about what the next single was
@lecarlos somthing other than the one i last said...
Davidavies from PopJustice asked her a couple of questions and she replied as always, bless her!
@SophieEB Hi, I don't suppose you'd have any idea when we can expect to hear your next single, or see the album's artwork? How are you too?
@davidpdavies i am good thanks. new single late summer. album artwork soon... x
@SophieEB Aww, glad to hear it! And the family? Hope Sonny and Kit are okay! Is the cover from the shouting shoot that you did? X
@davidpdavies same photographer yes. shouty photos. kids good thanks.
And someone even asked Sophie if she was going to get signed on a US Label.
@SophieEB any word on your being assigned a u.s. Label?
@VixenMinogue let me get back to you on that one....!
when asked about what the next single was
@lecarlos somthing other than the one i last said...
Davidavies from PopJustice asked her a couple of questions and she replied as always, bless her!
@SophieEB Hi, I don't suppose you'd have any idea when we can expect to hear your next single, or see the album's artwork? How are you too?
@davidpdavies i am good thanks. new single late summer. album artwork soon... x
@SophieEB Aww, glad to hear it! And the family? Hope Sonny and Kit are okay! Is the cover from the shouting shoot that you did? X
@davidpdavies same photographer yes. shouty photos. kids good thanks.
And someone even asked Sophie if she was going to get signed on a US Label.
@SophieEB any word on your being assigned a u.s. Label?
@VixenMinogue let me get back to you on that one....!
Sophie vs. Britney vs. Linkin Park
Britney ruined the chorus for me, but the rest of the mash up is pretty good. Try it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yuouyyzCCw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yuouyyzCCw
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Interviews with Sophie
Monkey meets Sophie
http://web.orange.co.uk/article/monkey_meets_sophie_ellis_bextor
(you have to be a customer of Orange to view this. Could someone rip the video from there and post it here please? I don't have Orange in my country)
This year sees the release of Sophie's fourth studio album, so our friends at Monkey from Orange decided to get down to the nitty gritty and find out what we can expect from it, who she's been working with and why it's taken her so long to do a solo tour!
Their exclusive video interview with Sophie also sees her reveals her plans for a Greatest Hits album and a possible change of musical direction.
Interview on Pocket TV - Date At The Tea Shop
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JTO6CDDT
http://web.orange.co.uk/article/monkey_meets_sophie_ellis_bextor
(you have to be a customer of Orange to view this. Could someone rip the video from there and post it here please? I don't have Orange in my country)
This year sees the release of Sophie's fourth studio album, so our friends at Monkey from Orange decided to get down to the nitty gritty and find out what we can expect from it, who she's been working with and why it's taken her so long to do a solo tour!
Their exclusive video interview with Sophie also sees her reveals her plans for a Greatest Hits album and a possible change of musical direction.
Interview on Pocket TV - Date At The Tea Shop
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JTO6CDDT
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Frock Me + Five Minutes + 2 Top Ten Hits and more..
Sophie has had two top ten hits internationally. Even though Bittersweet failed to get inside the top 10 in UK, it's at #10 in Bulgaria (thanks to Victor for the info). 
Can't Fight This Feeling is #1 in Russia. It wasn't even released there. But it went #1. Kudos to SEB and Junior.
Also, Sophie is still #1 on MTV Dance. I have lost track of how many weeks it's been. But it's been really long. MTV must be playing her video A LOT.
Sophie was on Frock Me where she was interviewed and she also performed her new single.
You can download the interview and watch the performance now
INTERVIEW - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7Y3PZT2I
PERFORMANCE - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WL5FJRG3
(thanks to Paul)
You can also watch them on youtube instead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHgfLvlyx4U&feature=player_embedded (interview)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUQP_xVy3V4&feature=player_embedded (behind the scenes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHgfLvlyx4U&feature=player_embedded (performance)
(thanks to Renzo)
Sophie was on BBC. Here's Five Minutes with Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh2Aj_ImOYI&feature=player_embedded
(love how she ended the interview. she is so funny!)
Sophie was also on Enjoy The Dance Party where she performed Can't Fight This Feeling live.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmI0JedM60c&feature=player_embedded
Can't Fight This Feeling is #1 in Russia. It wasn't even released there. But it went #1. Kudos to SEB and Junior.
Also, Sophie is still #1 on MTV Dance. I have lost track of how many weeks it's been. But it's been really long. MTV must be playing her video A LOT.
Sophie was on Frock Me where she was interviewed and she also performed her new single.
You can download the interview and watch the performance now
INTERVIEW - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7Y3PZT2I
PERFORMANCE - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WL5FJRG3
(thanks to Paul)
You can also watch them on youtube instead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHgfLvlyx4U&feature=player_embedded (interview)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUQP_xVy3V4&feature=player_embedded (behind the scenes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHgfLvlyx4U&feature=player_embedded (performance)
(thanks to Renzo)
Sophie was on BBC. Here's Five Minutes with Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh2Aj_ImOYI&feature=player_embedded
(love how she ended the interview. she is so funny!)
Sophie was also on Enjoy The Dance Party where she performed Can't Fight This Feeling live.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmI0JedM60c&feature=player_embedded
Sophie Ellis-Bextor Returns from Round-The-World Yacht Voyage
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s1i74896
Unconventionally-beautiful Glacial Groove Queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor cruised into Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, yesterday in her snow-white, 34-foot yacht "Blue Peter Groovejet", at the end of her 210-day, 23000-mile round-the-world solo sail, writes Maritime Correspondent Bill Barnacle for Stamp Collector's Quarterly.
Ellis-Bextor stepped on dry land and immediately fell into the arms of her proud mother, former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis. "She said she'd sail around the world, and she has!" cried her tearful mother, who proceeded to pin a Blue Peter badge to her daughter's breast, to cheers from a huge crowd.
The rock-star style welcome clearly surprised Ellis-Bextor, who said "I'm not used to this, after such a long period of solitude. Where I've been hanging out, I've not been recognised much. And the boat trip was the same."
Ellis-Bextor, fingering her Blue Peter badge gingerly and trying to prise her mother away, told the writhing throng that she was delighted to prove people wrong. "I love being unconventional. There's so much convention. People don't think you're capable of these things. Take away those expectations, and there's no limit to what an unconventionally-beautiful glacial groove queen can achieve."
The World Speed Sailing Record Council is expected to confirm that Ellis-Bextor's feat is a world record. "She's the first disco-type singer to get round the world solo", said spokesbosun Jack Tarr. "Gladys Knight made it round, but, as we all know, she had one of the Pips stowed away to help out with stormy weather (I didn't rate their version much - Ed.), so we had to disqualify Gladys. Victoria Beckham is bound to try it now Sophie's had a go, but even if she makes it, Sophie will always be the only unconventionally-beautiful glacial groove queen to sail solo round the planet."
Ellis-Bextor revealed that she loves the way she can avoid recognition, and that was one of the reasons that she sailed round the world alone, as was the difficulty of her image. "Being unconventional-looking can be a challenge for a woman and a singer", she told journalists gathered at the quay-side at Hurstpierpoint. "It was oddly liberating, being alone among albatrosses, manatees, whales and migrating eels and turtles. I realised that we all have a unique beauty. The world is full of unconventional beauty. It's society that tries to impose convention on us."
She went on (and on - Ed.), now leaning on her mother, struggling to get her "land legs". "I also took my stamp collection with me. I'm a keen philatelist, which is not widely known, and I wanted to prove that philately gets you everywhere. I mean, round the world is pretty much everywhere!"
Once the laughter at this unconventional joke had died down, Ellis-Bextor revealed that she tried to speak French as much as possible during the voyage. "I can only speak very little French, and I tried to practice while I was alone, but I didn't make much progress. It's a good job I'm not French, or I'd be in real trouble!"
Once the laughter at this second unconventional joke had died down, the round-the-world heroine had another revelation for the gathered multitude.
"I started writing a novel years ago", she said, somewhat tentatively. "It wasn't very good, and I soon stopped writing. However, in between fighting the heaving main, speaking pidgin French to the albatrosses, and enjoying my stamp collection, I returned to my manuscript. I have made a new start. The novel is now the story of a stamp-collecting unconventionally-attractive groove queen and French lady sailor who is writing a novel about a stamp-collecting unconventionally-attractive groove queen and French lady sailor writing a novel about a stamp-collecting unconventionally-attractive groove queen and French lady sailor writing a novel at sea. It's all rather complicated now."
Finally, as she left the quayside, Ellis-Bextor said that one of the main reasons she embarked on the voyage was to avoid having to listen to her most-famous hit "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)". "I really hope that they're actually playing my latest single now, instead of always playing "Groovejet", she grimaced, as the evening sun shot spears of gold into the heaving graphite sea and the pastel-shaded hovels of Hurstpierpoint radiated a sombre, unconventionally beauteous hue, and she staggered away, on the arm of her adoring mother, leaving just one more question in the mind of this reporter.
Does a mariner's rolling gait sit well on an unconventionally-beautiful glacial groove queen? Is it a handicap? Or is it - and Sophie Ellis-Bextor's inspirational words and deeds make me think it could well be - is it another triumph of unconventionality?
Unconventionally-beautiful Glacial Groove Queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor cruised into Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, yesterday in her snow-white, 34-foot yacht "Blue Peter Groovejet", at the end of her 210-day, 23000-mile round-the-world solo sail, writes Maritime Correspondent Bill Barnacle for Stamp Collector's Quarterly.
Ellis-Bextor stepped on dry land and immediately fell into the arms of her proud mother, former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis. "She said she'd sail around the world, and she has!" cried her tearful mother, who proceeded to pin a Blue Peter badge to her daughter's breast, to cheers from a huge crowd.
The rock-star style welcome clearly surprised Ellis-Bextor, who said "I'm not used to this, after such a long period of solitude. Where I've been hanging out, I've not been recognised much. And the boat trip was the same."
Ellis-Bextor, fingering her Blue Peter badge gingerly and trying to prise her mother away, told the writhing throng that she was delighted to prove people wrong. "I love being unconventional. There's so much convention. People don't think you're capable of these things. Take away those expectations, and there's no limit to what an unconventionally-beautiful glacial groove queen can achieve."
The World Speed Sailing Record Council is expected to confirm that Ellis-Bextor's feat is a world record. "She's the first disco-type singer to get round the world solo", said spokesbosun Jack Tarr. "Gladys Knight made it round, but, as we all know, she had one of the Pips stowed away to help out with stormy weather (I didn't rate their version much - Ed.), so we had to disqualify Gladys. Victoria Beckham is bound to try it now Sophie's had a go, but even if she makes it, Sophie will always be the only unconventionally-beautiful glacial groove queen to sail solo round the planet."
Ellis-Bextor revealed that she loves the way she can avoid recognition, and that was one of the reasons that she sailed round the world alone, as was the difficulty of her image. "Being unconventional-looking can be a challenge for a woman and a singer", she told journalists gathered at the quay-side at Hurstpierpoint. "It was oddly liberating, being alone among albatrosses, manatees, whales and migrating eels and turtles. I realised that we all have a unique beauty. The world is full of unconventional beauty. It's society that tries to impose convention on us."
She went on (and on - Ed.), now leaning on her mother, struggling to get her "land legs". "I also took my stamp collection with me. I'm a keen philatelist, which is not widely known, and I wanted to prove that philately gets you everywhere. I mean, round the world is pretty much everywhere!"
Once the laughter at this unconventional joke had died down, Ellis-Bextor revealed that she tried to speak French as much as possible during the voyage. "I can only speak very little French, and I tried to practice while I was alone, but I didn't make much progress. It's a good job I'm not French, or I'd be in real trouble!"
Once the laughter at this second unconventional joke had died down, the round-the-world heroine had another revelation for the gathered multitude.
"I started writing a novel years ago", she said, somewhat tentatively. "It wasn't very good, and I soon stopped writing. However, in between fighting the heaving main, speaking pidgin French to the albatrosses, and enjoying my stamp collection, I returned to my manuscript. I have made a new start. The novel is now the story of a stamp-collecting unconventionally-attractive groove queen and French lady sailor who is writing a novel about a stamp-collecting unconventionally-attractive groove queen and French lady sailor writing a novel about a stamp-collecting unconventionally-attractive groove queen and French lady sailor writing a novel at sea. It's all rather complicated now."
Finally, as she left the quayside, Ellis-Bextor said that one of the main reasons she embarked on the voyage was to avoid having to listen to her most-famous hit "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)". "I really hope that they're actually playing my latest single now, instead of always playing "Groovejet", she grimaced, as the evening sun shot spears of gold into the heaving graphite sea and the pastel-shaded hovels of Hurstpierpoint radiated a sombre, unconventionally beauteous hue, and she staggered away, on the arm of her adoring mother, leaving just one more question in the mind of this reporter.
Does a mariner's rolling gait sit well on an unconventionally-beautiful glacial groove queen? Is it a handicap? Or is it - and Sophie Ellis-Bextor's inspirational words and deeds make me think it could well be - is it another triumph of unconventionality?
Friday, May 14, 2010
So when is the best time to have a baby?
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article7125348.ece
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a peculiarly English pop star. It’s hard to imagine any other nation producing a stunning singer, whose albums sell millions, yet who looks and acts more like a middle-class mum than an MTV sexpot. She’s 31, the age at which most of her friends are vaguely thinking about having children. She already has two young sons — Sonny, 6, and Kit, 1.
“I had Sonny two weeks after my 25th birthday and I didn’t really realise quite how young that was, comparatively, until recently. I guess I was a bit speedy, but I’m thrilled. I’m glad I had children as young as I did.”
Although she’d known her husband, Richard Jones — the bassist in her band — for 18 months, it was only a couple of months after they got together that she discovered she was pregnant.
“It was really nice that, right from the start, Richard and I felt like a family. We went from being friends to suddenly romantically involved and expecting a baby. Sonny wasn’t planned but he was still wanted and now we have baby Kit.”
She thinks that her mum, the former Blue Peter presenter, Janet Ellis, who had her at 23, always hoped that she would do the same “while she’s young enough to enjoy all that. I think having babies in the family is, by and large, a happy thing. The whole family feels more settled.”
The downside is that hardly any of her girlfriends have had children yet. “I’ve only got one friend who just had her first baby last summer and I’m like, ‘Come on girls!’ It’s really nice when they’re the same age and can play together."
“But,” she adds, “I might be a bit smug when I’m 40, and Sonny’s 15, and my friends have got three-year-olds.”
For all her breezy insouciance, it hasn’t been plain sailing: she had pre-eclampsia with Sonny, who went on to get meningitis, then Kit was born prematurely, weighing only 2lb 6oz (1.07kg). But she shrugs off the trauma, saying that the pre-eclampsia was scary at the time, although she was “spooked” by how tiny Kit was.
She tries never to spend more than two or three nights away from her children (when supporting Take That’s Beautiful World Tour she rented a flat for an 11-night stint in Manchester so that her family could be with her), but she says that she would hate not to work.
“Feeling guilty about things is an emotion of motherhood that I wasn’t expecting. Why? I suppose because it makes you care about stuff: have I fed them too much? Or not fed them enough? Have they got enough clothes on? You can worry about everything if you let it be that way. You have to kind of go ‘it’s fine’.”
Being a pop star isn’t such a bad job, she reckons, when it comes to combining motherhood and work because she can take her children with her. There’s no job security, but she relishes the uncertainty and says that having children has made her more ambitious. “It’s brought more focus. If you’re going to be away from them, it has to count for more. I don’t want to be out of the house doing stuff I don’t care about.”
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is a peculiarly English pop star. It’s hard to imagine any other nation producing a stunning singer, whose albums sell millions, yet who looks and acts more like a middle-class mum than an MTV sexpot. She’s 31, the age at which most of her friends are vaguely thinking about having children. She already has two young sons — Sonny, 6, and Kit, 1.
“I had Sonny two weeks after my 25th birthday and I didn’t really realise quite how young that was, comparatively, until recently. I guess I was a bit speedy, but I’m thrilled. I’m glad I had children as young as I did.”
Although she’d known her husband, Richard Jones — the bassist in her band — for 18 months, it was only a couple of months after they got together that she discovered she was pregnant.
“It was really nice that, right from the start, Richard and I felt like a family. We went from being friends to suddenly romantically involved and expecting a baby. Sonny wasn’t planned but he was still wanted and now we have baby Kit.”
She thinks that her mum, the former Blue Peter presenter, Janet Ellis, who had her at 23, always hoped that she would do the same “while she’s young enough to enjoy all that. I think having babies in the family is, by and large, a happy thing. The whole family feels more settled.”
The downside is that hardly any of her girlfriends have had children yet. “I’ve only got one friend who just had her first baby last summer and I’m like, ‘Come on girls!’ It’s really nice when they’re the same age and can play together."
“But,” she adds, “I might be a bit smug when I’m 40, and Sonny’s 15, and my friends have got three-year-olds.”
For all her breezy insouciance, it hasn’t been plain sailing: she had pre-eclampsia with Sonny, who went on to get meningitis, then Kit was born prematurely, weighing only 2lb 6oz (1.07kg). But she shrugs off the trauma, saying that the pre-eclampsia was scary at the time, although she was “spooked” by how tiny Kit was.
She tries never to spend more than two or three nights away from her children (when supporting Take That’s Beautiful World Tour she rented a flat for an 11-night stint in Manchester so that her family could be with her), but she says that she would hate not to work.
“Feeling guilty about things is an emotion of motherhood that I wasn’t expecting. Why? I suppose because it makes you care about stuff: have I fed them too much? Or not fed them enough? Have they got enough clothes on? You can worry about everything if you let it be that way. You have to kind of go ‘it’s fine’.”
Being a pop star isn’t such a bad job, she reckons, when it comes to combining motherhood and work because she can take her children with her. There’s no job security, but she relishes the uncertainty and says that having children has made her more ambitious. “It’s brought more focus. If you’re going to be away from them, it has to count for more. I don’t want to be out of the house doing stuff I don’t care about.”
Official charting - Bittersweet
It's official, Bittersweet failed to perform well on the charts. Digital Spy and The Guardian gave the song 5 stars and BBC Radio 1 (curse those sods) gave it 3 stars. It was #1 on MTV Dance for weeks (it's still #1). PopJustice and several other websites gave the song favourable reviews. Sophie was on top of the PJ Almighty for several weeks (months even!). It's hard to believe that a song as good as this landed somewhere inside the top 40., and not in the top 10.
Bittersweet peaked at #25 on the UK Singles Chart, #14 on the UK Club Chart and #38 on the UK Downloads Chart. I hope it does well in Russia. By the way, Can't Fight This Feeling is #1 in Russia (thanks Fran). It's good to see that Sophie has a loyal fanbase there. Go Russian fans!
Sophie has plans for a second single - either Revolution or Off And On. The second single hits the radio sometime in July and the album will follow in August. Hopefully everything will go as planned and she'll have a decent top 10 hit with the next single.
Wishing the best for Sophie....
By the way, i'm back. I'm done with my exams (such a relief). So how have you been?
Bittersweet peaked at #25 on the UK Singles Chart, #14 on the UK Club Chart and #38 on the UK Downloads Chart. I hope it does well in Russia. By the way, Can't Fight This Feeling is #1 in Russia (thanks Fran). It's good to see that Sophie has a loyal fanbase there. Go Russian fans!
Sophie has plans for a second single - either Revolution or Off And On. The second single hits the radio sometime in July and the album will follow in August. Hopefully everything will go as planned and she'll have a decent top 10 hit with the next single.
Wishing the best for Sophie....
By the way, i'm back. I'm done with my exams (such a relief). So how have you been?
Monday, May 10, 2010
That Armin Song (remember Not Giving Up On Love)
This may seem a little stalkerish...BUT
19 minutes ago
you're going to love Not Giving Up... it's fantastic! Armin is great. you'll hear it soon...
17 minutes ago
@SophieEB Brilliant song! x (biffco's response)
11 minutes ago
@biffco thanks. how you? there is a new and improved mix of it now. got that wistful thing in there that i always love in pop.
19 minutes ago
you're going to love Not Giving Up... it's fantastic! Armin is great. you'll hear it soon...
17 minutes ago
@SophieEB Brilliant song! x (biffco's response)
11 minutes ago
@biffco thanks. how you? there is a new and improved mix of it now. got that wistful thing in there that i always love in pop.
Sophie to support Will Young in July
It seems like Sophie will start her tour a little early. She is supporting Will Young on his tour in July. That will give the album plenty of exposure. VERY GOOD MOVE!
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicnews/Sophie+EllisBextor+supports+Will+Young+at+Billericay+Concert-79896.html
Will Young will be supported at his open-air Billericay Lake Meadows concert in July by pop star and fashion icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Rising to prominence in the ‘90s as lead singer of Britpop band Theaudience, Ellis-Bextor forged a successful solo career with chart-topping hits such as ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ – her solo debut, in collaboration with Spiller, which beat Victoria Beckham’s solo debut to the #1 spot – and ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’, which remained in the UK Charts for twenty-three weeks
2001’s debut album, ‘Read My Lips’, reached #2 in the UK Album Charts and produced four top-twenty singles. Follow-up album ‘Shoot From the Hip’ spawned two further top-ten singles before Ellis Bextor took time out from her performing career to care for her first child, returning with 2007’s ‘Trip the Light Fantastic’ which entered the UK Album Charts at #7
Sophie Ellis Bextor has supported and guest-performed concerts for the biggest names in pop music, from George Michael to Take That, and now Will Young
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/music/musicnews/Sophie+EllisBextor+supports+Will+Young+at+Billericay+Concert-79896.html
Will Young will be supported at his open-air Billericay Lake Meadows concert in July by pop star and fashion icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Rising to prominence in the ‘90s as lead singer of Britpop band Theaudience, Ellis-Bextor forged a successful solo career with chart-topping hits such as ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ – her solo debut, in collaboration with Spiller, which beat Victoria Beckham’s solo debut to the #1 spot – and ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’, which remained in the UK Charts for twenty-three weeks
2001’s debut album, ‘Read My Lips’, reached #2 in the UK Album Charts and produced four top-twenty singles. Follow-up album ‘Shoot From the Hip’ spawned two further top-ten singles before Ellis Bextor took time out from her performing career to care for her first child, returning with 2007’s ‘Trip the Light Fantastic’ which entered the UK Album Charts at #7
Sophie Ellis Bextor has supported and guest-performed concerts for the biggest names in pop music, from George Michael to Take That, and now Will Young
Saturday, May 8, 2010
That MEGA Sophie Ellis-Bextor post (Part Three)
Digital Spy video interview with Sophie - Watch Here
And here's a lot of videos, which include interviews, promo and some random stuff
(many thanks to Paul for this *appreciates his effort*)
Saturday Kitchen Live - download here
Bittersweet (Acoustic) - Live from Studio Five - download here
Bittersweet + Heartbreak (Acoustic) and interview - The Beat BBC - download here
Album Chart Show Spotlight - download here
Loose Women - download here
Freshly Squeezed - download here
Happy Sophie-ing!
And here's a lot of videos, which include interviews, promo and some random stuff
(many thanks to Paul for this *appreciates his effort*)
Saturday Kitchen Live - download here
Bittersweet (Acoustic) - Live from Studio Five - download here
Bittersweet + Heartbreak (Acoustic) and interview - The Beat BBC - download here
Album Chart Show Spotlight - download here
Loose Women - download here
Freshly Squeezed - download here
Happy Sophie-ing!
That MEGA Sophie Ellis-Bextor post (part two)
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR WANTS POP COLLABORATION
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/sophie-ellisbextor-wants-pop-collaboration_1141094
Sophie Ellis-Bextor hopes to work with songwriters Xenomania again after having such a good experience when they collaborated on her 'Trip the Light Fantastic' LP.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor wants to work with Girls Aloud's hitmakers Xenomania.
The 31-year-old pop beauty teamed up with the songwriters on her previous album 'Trip the Light Fantastic' and is keen to collaborate with them again.
She told BANG Showbiz: "I think Brian Higgins and Miranda Cooper from Xenomania are two of the best pop writers around, they're great."
"I had a lot of fun doing that. I really liked the song we created, 'If You Go'. I've performed it a few times and hopefully if I do my next tour I can wheel it out. Because it sounds so good live with all the drums."
Discussing the possibility of a new tour, Sophie - who cancelled her own string of concerts to support Take That in 2007 - is keen to get back on the road.
She told BANG Showbiz: "We're talking about doing an autumn tour and hopefully we'll get that on sale soon. It would be good to get it up and running."
"It's been too long. I haven't done a solo tour in ages. I've done lots of support tours and I have done the odd one-off solo show, but nothing flat out. It's pretty shameful really."
TALKING SHOP: SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
ORIGINAL POST: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8649749.stm
It is a slightly startling 10 years since Sophie Ellis-Bextor hit number one with the shimmering Groovejet (If This Ain't Love).
Since then, she's popped up at regular intervals with her peculiar brand of frosty-but-feisty floor-fillers.
We last saw her supporting George Michael and Take That in 2007-8, after which she took a break to have a second child, Kit, with her husband Richard Jones from pop group The Feeling.
Now she's back with a new album, Straight To The Heart, inspired by her recent reinvention as a club DJ.
Friendly and funny, the star opened up to the BBC News website about stalkers, stealing boxer shorts and why people think she's posh.
Your new album sees you going back to your dance roots. What lay behind that decision?
I've been DJing a little bit, so you get used to the fact that music sounds brilliant when it's loud. And then I worked with a lot of DJs - the Freemasons and Calvin Harris and Armin van Buuren - who really do that sound so authentically. I think that all fed into the album's creation.
When you're DJing, is there a particular record you keep handy in case of a dancefloor crisis?
There are certainly some tracks where you put them on and think: 'If you're not dancing to this, then nothing's going to work.' Things like Wanna Be Starting Something, or Young Hearts Run Free.
One of mine used to be Groovejet…
Well, I don't play that one but I'll take your word for it!
Have you ever been in a club where the DJ recognises you and puts on one of your songs?
Yes, it happened to me at a funfair! It can be a bit embarrassing, but I've learnt that you just have to ignore it. Getting up to dance to your own stuff looks pretty pretentious. And leaving the dancefloor when it comes on is just awkward.
Why is the album called Straight To The Heart?
Because that is what pop music does. It's supposed to be something that, in three minutes, gets you right there. All my favourite pop records do that. It's not really cerebral, you just can't help yourself.
The record is very fun and open. It seems a lot of female artists who have children write songs that are celebratory of life…
I suppose it removes a layer. I feel definitely more positive and much more secure. It's a better world with them in it.
But then, I also wrote a song about this stalker I've had on texts.
What happened? Did someone got hold of your number?
I've had the same number for about eight or nine years, so it was kind of my own fault, but I get these messages which I never reply to.
The song's called Dial My Number and it's saying 'just because you've got my number, doesn't mean anything's gonna happen'.
Do you worry that acknowledging this guy in a song will give him the validation you'd denied them by not replying to his texts?
Ah, but they still don't know they've got me - because I might be talking about someone else who's got my number!
The song Off And On has the lyric, 'the time away has done me good'. You're singing about a relationship, but it could also apply to your career. Did you intend to take three years off?
I think sometimes it's good to know when to push off!
When I was 21 and doing my first album, people would ask how I was going to stay the distance, and I would say: 'Well, I'm 21 now, so I can actually fit in two comebacks before I'm 30." And I was right!
Isn't it harder to pick back up where you left off each time?
I don't know. You get more interest because people say: 'Oh, you're back. Tell us what you've been up to.' Certainly for me, it's worked well - and it meant I could have babies.
But I quite like that the public has a very short attention span. If I haven't been on telly for a little bit, I can sense it. People don't take as much notice of you, it's really quite palpable.
When you go back on the telly, what happens?
I often get people saying: 'Has anyone ever told you you look like that Sophie Ellis-Bextor?'
And I usually say: 'Yeah, all the time and it's really annoying!'
The public seems to genuinely like you, though. What's the secret?
I don't think anyone doubts my motives, really. I do what I do and it's not very complicated. Of course, you might hate the music that I make, but I don't think people feel threatened by me just getting on with what I'm up to.
What's the biggest misconception people have about you?
Maybe that I'm going to be really serious, or just that I'm really posh. I don't really mind that one, actually. I think that's quite funny.
Don't they assume you're loaded with money, though? It'll always be your round at the pub.
That happens anyway when you're a pop star! Since Groovejet came out people have said: 'Oh, you must be a millionaire!'
I've had a number one record, guys. That doesn't make you a millionaire. Not any more. Not even 10 years ago when it came out.
One of your new songs, Revolution, starts with the lyric "bang bang, it's a hold-up". Have you ever stolen anything?
When Sonny, my eldest, was about two or three, he put some Spider-Man boxer shorts for a 12-year-old boy into his buggy. Then when we left the shop the alarm beeped and I was mortified!
It's not even like it was obviously for him or me. They didn't fit either of us! But luckily they just let me put them back.
If you became a career criminal what sort of shop would you rob?
A food shop! I'm not actually targeting this shop - but do you know the Fromagerie? It's just off Marylebone High Street and it's got loads of amazing cheese and wine.
So you'd steal cheese?!
Yes! Maybe Le Vacherin - the one you put in the oven. That one's good. But all different sorts of cheeses and breads. I love food!
You toured with Take That a couple of years ago. What did you make of Gary Barlow lending his support to David Cameron for the election?
Oh my God, I didn't see that! I don't really want to get into politics and pop. All I can say is, it wouldn't have been me standing next to David Cameron.
INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIE
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.entertainment-focus.com/music/articles/interview-sophie-ellis-bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been quiet since the release of her Top 15 hit Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) with The Freemasons last year. Her new album Straight To The Heart, which was supposed to be her first Greatest Hits, is due for release in the coming months.
Thankfully Sophie Ellis-Bextor decided a new album was better than a Greatest Hits at this stage in her career and. So you might think that this will be another poppy, happy, feel-good ordeal but truly it isn’t and we really think that after listening to a few tracks and especially the infectious new single Bittersweet (out this week), Sophie Ellis-Bextor is back to her best. EF caught-up with the pop princess and had a chat about the album, single and life in general.
How are you today?
Not too bad thank you.
Your new single Bittersweet is out today. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Bittersweet is a song written by Freemasons and it’s about when you are intoxicated by a new lover that you know might do you harm but it’s too late. A painful pleasure or a pleasurable pain.
You worked with a lot of big dance producers on your new album. How was the experience?
It’s been great! It just kind of happened it wasn’t planed or anything. I think the first three tracks I did with a leftfield dance act called Metronomy then Calvin Harris and Freemasons. So after that I was quite set in a dance area. So it made sense to keep going in that direction and I am glad I did cuz I love the album.
Wasn’t this album supposed to be your Greatest Hits?
Yeah essentially. I started recording songs like Heartbreak and after a while I thought ‘this is a little premature I’m not ready for a Greatest Hits I need to write another album’. So I just decided to keep on that route really.
So is the album going to be mainly dance music?
Yes it’s a very dancy album, with a lot of keyboards and lots of bass.
Is it going to be feel-good like your other albums?
Yeah exactly. Quite positive and quite celebratory.
You’ve been off the music scene for a bit. What have you been up to?
Well I had an album three years ago and toured that album. I had another baby, a little boy last year. I feel like I have been doing a lot, I have been really busy doing gigs. I released a song with Freemasons last year called Heartbreak but this album took about two years to make. I am not really quick with making records (laughs).
Is it cuz you are a perfectionist in the studio?
Well I think it’s more because I am really enthusiastic and I like to keep going until I’m really convinced I am done. So I do a lot of collaborations and work with people around Europe and went to America for a bit. Fill each week with a few writing tricks and keep it interesting and before you know it months have gone by.
Are there a lot of songs that didn’t make it onto the album then?
Yes but the really good ones I’ll put on the album as bonus tracks. It’s not that those songs weren’t as good as the others. When you start painting a picture of what you want to do some songs might not feel quite the right frame work.
So if the Volcano keeps quiet are going to be gigging soon?
Yes I might do a solo tour in autumn and I have a few gigs to promote the new single. I also have a single out with a French DJ called Can’t Fight This Feeling. So I’m keeping busy!
You are quite successful overseas as well. Are there any places you really enjoy going back?
Well there are always fun places to travel back to like Paris where I just been working, such a lovely city. I love Paris! I actually really enjoy going to Russia as I go there quite regularly. You are on a plane for a few hours and you feel like you are in a place that is completely different. I always like to go to Italy because I love Italian culture. Mexico was brilliant…and South America in general.
Is the audience the same or does it change depending on where you are?
Generally people react the same way to the songs. I find this response quite reassuring. You know music is this unifying force really. If we are talking about types of crowds they are quite similar too.
Do you have any favourite tracks on the album (Straight To The Heart)?
At the moment because its new I like all of them, because they are all like shiny new objects. I suppose I like Revolution because its quite chaotic and a bit different for me. There’s a song called Starlight, which I did with producer Richard X and its really pretty voice full pop, which always makes me happy. There’s a song called Dial My Number, which is really eighties sounding and electro. I like that too.
That’s really in the moment….
Yeah I’m really enjoying the charts at the moment.
What have you been listening to then?
I just got the new Gorillaz album and that’s excellent and I’ve been listening to Phoenix’s album and Goldfrapp’s. I’m also enjoying Vampire Weekend. I think those are my favourite albums at the moment.
Are you planning on doing any festivals this year?
I don’t know yet but I am definitely talking about it. My new album Straight To The Heart is out in August so it would work nicely. I hope so.
Thank you for your time!
Thank you….
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/sophie-ellisbextor-wants-pop-collaboration_1141094
Sophie Ellis-Bextor hopes to work with songwriters Xenomania again after having such a good experience when they collaborated on her 'Trip the Light Fantastic' LP.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor wants to work with Girls Aloud's hitmakers Xenomania.
The 31-year-old pop beauty teamed up with the songwriters on her previous album 'Trip the Light Fantastic' and is keen to collaborate with them again.
She told BANG Showbiz: "I think Brian Higgins and Miranda Cooper from Xenomania are two of the best pop writers around, they're great."
"I had a lot of fun doing that. I really liked the song we created, 'If You Go'. I've performed it a few times and hopefully if I do my next tour I can wheel it out. Because it sounds so good live with all the drums."
Discussing the possibility of a new tour, Sophie - who cancelled her own string of concerts to support Take That in 2007 - is keen to get back on the road.
She told BANG Showbiz: "We're talking about doing an autumn tour and hopefully we'll get that on sale soon. It would be good to get it up and running."
"It's been too long. I haven't done a solo tour in ages. I've done lots of support tours and I have done the odd one-off solo show, but nothing flat out. It's pretty shameful really."
TALKING SHOP: SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
ORIGINAL POST: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8649749.stm
It is a slightly startling 10 years since Sophie Ellis-Bextor hit number one with the shimmering Groovejet (If This Ain't Love).
Since then, she's popped up at regular intervals with her peculiar brand of frosty-but-feisty floor-fillers.
We last saw her supporting George Michael and Take That in 2007-8, after which she took a break to have a second child, Kit, with her husband Richard Jones from pop group The Feeling.
Now she's back with a new album, Straight To The Heart, inspired by her recent reinvention as a club DJ.
Friendly and funny, the star opened up to the BBC News website about stalkers, stealing boxer shorts and why people think she's posh.
Your new album sees you going back to your dance roots. What lay behind that decision?
I've been DJing a little bit, so you get used to the fact that music sounds brilliant when it's loud. And then I worked with a lot of DJs - the Freemasons and Calvin Harris and Armin van Buuren - who really do that sound so authentically. I think that all fed into the album's creation.
When you're DJing, is there a particular record you keep handy in case of a dancefloor crisis?
There are certainly some tracks where you put them on and think: 'If you're not dancing to this, then nothing's going to work.' Things like Wanna Be Starting Something, or Young Hearts Run Free.
One of mine used to be Groovejet…
Well, I don't play that one but I'll take your word for it!
Have you ever been in a club where the DJ recognises you and puts on one of your songs?
Yes, it happened to me at a funfair! It can be a bit embarrassing, but I've learnt that you just have to ignore it. Getting up to dance to your own stuff looks pretty pretentious. And leaving the dancefloor when it comes on is just awkward.
Why is the album called Straight To The Heart?
Because that is what pop music does. It's supposed to be something that, in three minutes, gets you right there. All my favourite pop records do that. It's not really cerebral, you just can't help yourself.
The record is very fun and open. It seems a lot of female artists who have children write songs that are celebratory of life…
I suppose it removes a layer. I feel definitely more positive and much more secure. It's a better world with them in it.
But then, I also wrote a song about this stalker I've had on texts.
What happened? Did someone got hold of your number?
I've had the same number for about eight or nine years, so it was kind of my own fault, but I get these messages which I never reply to.
The song's called Dial My Number and it's saying 'just because you've got my number, doesn't mean anything's gonna happen'.
Do you worry that acknowledging this guy in a song will give him the validation you'd denied them by not replying to his texts?
Ah, but they still don't know they've got me - because I might be talking about someone else who's got my number!
The song Off And On has the lyric, 'the time away has done me good'. You're singing about a relationship, but it could also apply to your career. Did you intend to take three years off?
I think sometimes it's good to know when to push off!
When I was 21 and doing my first album, people would ask how I was going to stay the distance, and I would say: 'Well, I'm 21 now, so I can actually fit in two comebacks before I'm 30." And I was right!
Isn't it harder to pick back up where you left off each time?
I don't know. You get more interest because people say: 'Oh, you're back. Tell us what you've been up to.' Certainly for me, it's worked well - and it meant I could have babies.
But I quite like that the public has a very short attention span. If I haven't been on telly for a little bit, I can sense it. People don't take as much notice of you, it's really quite palpable.
When you go back on the telly, what happens?
I often get people saying: 'Has anyone ever told you you look like that Sophie Ellis-Bextor?'
And I usually say: 'Yeah, all the time and it's really annoying!'
The public seems to genuinely like you, though. What's the secret?
I don't think anyone doubts my motives, really. I do what I do and it's not very complicated. Of course, you might hate the music that I make, but I don't think people feel threatened by me just getting on with what I'm up to.
What's the biggest misconception people have about you?
Maybe that I'm going to be really serious, or just that I'm really posh. I don't really mind that one, actually. I think that's quite funny.
Don't they assume you're loaded with money, though? It'll always be your round at the pub.
That happens anyway when you're a pop star! Since Groovejet came out people have said: 'Oh, you must be a millionaire!'
I've had a number one record, guys. That doesn't make you a millionaire. Not any more. Not even 10 years ago when it came out.
One of your new songs, Revolution, starts with the lyric "bang bang, it's a hold-up". Have you ever stolen anything?
When Sonny, my eldest, was about two or three, he put some Spider-Man boxer shorts for a 12-year-old boy into his buggy. Then when we left the shop the alarm beeped and I was mortified!
It's not even like it was obviously for him or me. They didn't fit either of us! But luckily they just let me put them back.
If you became a career criminal what sort of shop would you rob?
A food shop! I'm not actually targeting this shop - but do you know the Fromagerie? It's just off Marylebone High Street and it's got loads of amazing cheese and wine.
So you'd steal cheese?!
Yes! Maybe Le Vacherin - the one you put in the oven. That one's good. But all different sorts of cheeses and breads. I love food!
You toured with Take That a couple of years ago. What did you make of Gary Barlow lending his support to David Cameron for the election?
Oh my God, I didn't see that! I don't really want to get into politics and pop. All I can say is, it wouldn't have been me standing next to David Cameron.
INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIE
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.entertainment-focus.com/music/articles/interview-sophie-ellis-bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been quiet since the release of her Top 15 hit Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) with The Freemasons last year. Her new album Straight To The Heart, which was supposed to be her first Greatest Hits, is due for release in the coming months.
Thankfully Sophie Ellis-Bextor decided a new album was better than a Greatest Hits at this stage in her career and. So you might think that this will be another poppy, happy, feel-good ordeal but truly it isn’t and we really think that after listening to a few tracks and especially the infectious new single Bittersweet (out this week), Sophie Ellis-Bextor is back to her best. EF caught-up with the pop princess and had a chat about the album, single and life in general.
How are you today?
Not too bad thank you.
Your new single Bittersweet is out today. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Bittersweet is a song written by Freemasons and it’s about when you are intoxicated by a new lover that you know might do you harm but it’s too late. A painful pleasure or a pleasurable pain.
You worked with a lot of big dance producers on your new album. How was the experience?
It’s been great! It just kind of happened it wasn’t planed or anything. I think the first three tracks I did with a leftfield dance act called Metronomy then Calvin Harris and Freemasons. So after that I was quite set in a dance area. So it made sense to keep going in that direction and I am glad I did cuz I love the album.
Wasn’t this album supposed to be your Greatest Hits?
Yeah essentially. I started recording songs like Heartbreak and after a while I thought ‘this is a little premature I’m not ready for a Greatest Hits I need to write another album’. So I just decided to keep on that route really.
So is the album going to be mainly dance music?
Yes it’s a very dancy album, with a lot of keyboards and lots of bass.
Is it going to be feel-good like your other albums?
Yeah exactly. Quite positive and quite celebratory.
You’ve been off the music scene for a bit. What have you been up to?
Well I had an album three years ago and toured that album. I had another baby, a little boy last year. I feel like I have been doing a lot, I have been really busy doing gigs. I released a song with Freemasons last year called Heartbreak but this album took about two years to make. I am not really quick with making records (laughs).
Is it cuz you are a perfectionist in the studio?
Well I think it’s more because I am really enthusiastic and I like to keep going until I’m really convinced I am done. So I do a lot of collaborations and work with people around Europe and went to America for a bit. Fill each week with a few writing tricks and keep it interesting and before you know it months have gone by.
Are there a lot of songs that didn’t make it onto the album then?
Yes but the really good ones I’ll put on the album as bonus tracks. It’s not that those songs weren’t as good as the others. When you start painting a picture of what you want to do some songs might not feel quite the right frame work.
So if the Volcano keeps quiet are going to be gigging soon?
Yes I might do a solo tour in autumn and I have a few gigs to promote the new single. I also have a single out with a French DJ called Can’t Fight This Feeling. So I’m keeping busy!
You are quite successful overseas as well. Are there any places you really enjoy going back?
Well there are always fun places to travel back to like Paris where I just been working, such a lovely city. I love Paris! I actually really enjoy going to Russia as I go there quite regularly. You are on a plane for a few hours and you feel like you are in a place that is completely different. I always like to go to Italy because I love Italian culture. Mexico was brilliant…and South America in general.
Is the audience the same or does it change depending on where you are?
Generally people react the same way to the songs. I find this response quite reassuring. You know music is this unifying force really. If we are talking about types of crowds they are quite similar too.
Do you have any favourite tracks on the album (Straight To The Heart)?
At the moment because its new I like all of them, because they are all like shiny new objects. I suppose I like Revolution because its quite chaotic and a bit different for me. There’s a song called Starlight, which I did with producer Richard X and its really pretty voice full pop, which always makes me happy. There’s a song called Dial My Number, which is really eighties sounding and electro. I like that too.
That’s really in the moment….
Yeah I’m really enjoying the charts at the moment.
What have you been listening to then?
I just got the new Gorillaz album and that’s excellent and I’ve been listening to Phoenix’s album and Goldfrapp’s. I’m also enjoying Vampire Weekend. I think those are my favourite albums at the moment.
Are you planning on doing any festivals this year?
I don’t know yet but I am definitely talking about it. My new album Straight To The Heart is out in August so it would work nicely. I hope so.
Thank you for your time!
Thank you….
That MEGA Sophie Ellis-Bextor post (Part One)
Sorry for the complete lack of updates you guys, i know some of you may have already got all the news from other sources. And some of you have been very loyal, thank you for keeping Sophierazzi up-to-date even in my absence. Here's one post - everything that you missed....
SHOPAHOLIC SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2010-04/30/content_9797637.htm
The 'Bittersweet' singer can't resist hitting the high street to get her hands on the latest trends, but is never satisfied with her purchases.
She said: "I think I'm a shopaholic - I can't seem to stop buying clothes and shoes! I always feel that if I just buy one extra item then suddenly my wardrobe will be complete and I'll be covered for every eventuality."
Although she is a great shopper, Sophie admits it's not a real skill and she is envious of people who have multiple talents.
She added to Britain's OK! magazine: "I'm quite envious of people who are really good at something, like being able to draw amazingly or speak another language and are happy to keep quiet about it. I don't really have too many talents, so if I have something that I'm even half decent at - like 'guess the intro' or cooking - I'm likely to tell people straight away, I'm pathetic like that!"
SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR'S AGE CONCERN
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.exposay.com/v/37447/sophie-ellisbextors-age-concern
Sophie Ellis-Bextor feels old.
The 31-year-old pop star - who shot to fame aged 15 as a member of indie group Theaudience - is always made aware of her advancing years when she meets her teenage fans, but insists it doesn't upset her too much.
Sophie - who has two children, Sonny, five, and 14-month-old Kit Valentine, with her husband, The Feeling guitarist Richard Jones - said: "When I talk to teenagers I do feel older. Richard and I both feel like we've done so much growing up since we've been together. But there are a lot of perks to getting older."
Despite getting older, the 'Bittersweet' singer insists she feels more confident now she is in her thirties than a decade ago.
She added: "It's hard to feel comfortable in your own skin when you're younger. I think you get that knowledge when you've had highs and lows - stuff that only comes with getting older."
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR - NO LONGER AN UGLY DUCKLING
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.tmnnews.co.uk/showbiz/sophie-ellis-bextor-no-longer-an-ugly-duckling/
It’s hard to believe that the beautiful singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor has not always had such complimentary things said about her striking looks. It’s not just the people on the streets that have made derogatory remarks. High profile celebrities such as Robbie Williams and Frank Skinner have also made nasty comments. The laid back stunner refuses to let it bother her however.
From an early age Sophie had to contend with spitefulness regarding her looks. She remembers some children at her infant’s school even forming an Anti-Sophie club. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said, “One time they pelted me with coins. It was pure jealousy, because my mum was on TV.” Although the bullying was unpleasant and uncalled for, she also says how rumours of her being nicknamed ‘Rhombus-Face’ at school are completely un-true."
The thirty-one year old never let it stop her from going forward in her career or thriving in her private life. Her debut solo album, Read My Lips spawned four top twenty hits and her new album, Straight To The Heart is due for release later this year. Now happily married to the bassist of The Feeling Richard Jones and with two healthy sons, Miss Ellis-Bextor is not looking back.
“Ultimately I don’t care if people think I look a bit odd. All my favourite female pop stars – Debbie Harry, PJ Harvey, Bjork – are unconventional-looking and slightly bonkers.”
The news which shocked me and a couple of PopJustice readers
STRAIGHT TO THE HEART MIGHT GET AN EARLY RELEASE IN AUSTRALIA
ORIGINAL POST: http://auspop.blogspot.com/2010/05/incoming-sophie-ellis-bextor.html
We've had quite a number of people asking us when Sophie Ellis-Bextor's new material will be getting an Australian release. We can confirm that as of late today, Soph's new album 'Straight To The Heart' has now appeared on Universal Music's Aussie release schedule. But the strange thing is - it's way before the UK's official release date of August 02, so things could quite possibly be delayed in the weeks ahead. But at this stage (and not accounting for said delays), we're set to see it in the shops on June 11.
It's rumoured to include a track co-written by Melbourne's Nervo sisters called 'Not Giving Up on Love'.
SOON YOU CAN FEEL LIKE A BIT OF A DINOSAUR (load of mistakes)
ORIGINAL POST: http://news.pinkpaper.com/Feature.aspx?id=1862
Hello Sophie, how are you?
I'm alright thanks, how are you?
Not bad, not bad. Are you on a whirlwind tour of promotion?
I'm home today. I was doing the album chart show yesterday, it was a weird day but today I'm panicking about what to get for a birthday because we have a lot of birthdays in April.
Really?
Yeah I better get on it, yeah…
So, back with a new album, why have you forsaken the gays for so long?
I'm not one of those people who can turn around with a new album quickly, I seem to have taken a good 18 months of waiting but I think it's worth it and it's going to make a difference to the new album. I don't know how people can do it any quicker really. Maybe they're better than me - I don't know.
So first of all – Lips, Hip, Trip – you've broken the chain with this album title?
Oh, I know. It's funny – people have been worried about that. I've also been annoyed because apparently, I didn't realise it initially but it went 'R,S,T' the album title so I really should have had a 'U' this time. I should have been smarter. But I completely got all of that. It's really cause the song on the new album called Under Your Touch and I first called it Under Your Touch. That would be in keeping with with the alphabetical album titles. But I'm sorry I broke the chain.
The new album is Straight From The Heart, is that right?
Yes – Straight TO The Heart. There's a song on the album called Cut Straight To The Heart which I did with Ed Harcourt and I thought that's what music should do really, just effect you there, especially good pop music. It's supposed to be urgent. At least I'm keeping my thing in body parts – lips and hips and now I'm on heart. Maybe I'm starting a new tradition.
So what sound would you say this has taken from Trip, how has it moved on?
It's definitely more dancey, a bit more electro a bit more contemporary. I think when I did Trip some of the dancey sounds I was trying to make were more like a disco sound and I think this time it's more electro dance than disco really.
Do you think that comes from hanging around with people like Calivin Harris and the Freemasons?
Definitely. I think it's just also just what's happening with music. There's a lot of that stuff on the radio that's got a lot of keyboards and beats, you know, even previously pretty indie bands are doing that sort of sound so I think that you can't help but be affected by the revolution of music.
So who else have you worked with on this new album?
I've worked with Ian from the Sneaker Pimps, I've worked with Richard X. I've worked with pop-writers with people like Cathy Denis and Hannah Worthington. I did a track with a D-J called Armin Van Beuren so we're quite different.
Is the Junior Caldera song (Just Can’t Fight This Feeling) on the album?
I don't know exactly how we're gonna do that – it's on his album. It's gonna be involved somewhere. It's funny because, in the olden days you'd bring your record out and it was quite a straightforward thing. But now, because you have sites like iTunes you can bring your record out in variations. The bulk of 12 songs will be the same everywhere.
I love how you say 'olden days'.
I know but things change so quickly. Soon you can feel like a bit of a dinosaur. Even things like Top of the Pops and CDUK – that sort of stuff was all around when I started and now it's all gone.
Do you miss it?
Yeah. I miss having one show that you knew would have put on your performance and re-create part of your video or more dancers and you'd have to a bit more for that. And it's a shame to not have some of that occasion. Everything's spread a little more thin so you have to apply the same use across the board and have as many people's trust really.
Are you planning on touring with this album?
Yeah, I think it's long overdue. I'd like to tour in the autumn - I love touring in the Autumn. I haven't done a tour since my first record. But don't tell anybody, that sounds terrible. I had a lot of supporters – Take That for their tour and I did 34 dates.
Talking about feeling like a dinosaur - I remember the last tour you did and I had one of those sleeveless t-shirts with the little lips saying 'Read My Lips'…
Oh yeah, I had a lot of merchandise. We definitely need to bring that out again.
Have you decided on the tracks on the album? Because what I wanted to do was go through them and ask you to describe what each one is…
Yep. Well we've got the single Heartbreak and that one was with the Freemasons and that one is kind of theatrical. I was playing a bit of a diva and that was quite fun. It's one of those things where you've got to take on an a slight alter-ego – you've got to be quite the opposite and it's an alteration when somethings intoxicated you and you can't really do anything about it. When you look at it that way it sounds much more tender It's really quite romantic.
Then there's the track with Calvin Harris which is called Off and On and it was originally written with Roisin Murphy but for some reason it didn't fit and I'm a bit squeemish about taking on things that I didn’t write. But I think you've always got to think about that you can bring something to it and that was one of those examples when I thought 'Yeah I don't think we're doing that'. But working with Cathy was brilliant I'm a big fan of her. And there's another song that I did with Cathy called Revolution which is one of my more passionate songs – it will be a single it has kind of a different sound to it. Not exactly in the verses but it is sort of quite aggressive. I did it with Greg Hurston who is a big producer in LA.
I love Cathy Denis – I don't think I've ever not loved something she's written.
Yeah I know she's really, really, really, really good. She does things that you don't think of doing like I reference Murder On The Dancefloor. That's just something that would never have occurred to me because I think I'm too British. Cathy's from Norwich so she's British too but she's good at thinking on a different tangent and I like collaborating with people because they push you to do things that you wouldn't normally have done.
I did a song called Starlight with Richard X and Hannah Worthington and that song is one of my favourites. I love it in pop music when it's got a sort of wistful sadness, like Georgio is really good at that. This song as definitely got that feel. It takes you off to a different place for a minute.
I did another song with Hannah and Richard called Magic which is another love song and when I do songs I always get this image in my head and with this it sound a bit like I'm galloping somewhere.
I've got a couple of slower numbers – one is called Synchronised which is about how you want to get back with a lover but you probably won't ever do it that's got that sadness too. It's actually really hard to write a happy song. I've tried it on many occasions and you do get it but it's that sadness and heartache and loss of love that have this built in interest I suppose.
Some of the greatest pop songs ever written have been quite poppy but they're really, really miserable.
Yeah completely. Especially the ones where you don't think they're going to be miserable at first and then they turn out to be. Those are brilliant aren't they? And you get people picking them for their first dance at weddings and you think 'Oh, you haven't really listened to the verse....' Like Every Breath You Take or something.
I love this little one called Cut Straight To The Heart and that was with Ed Hardcourt. I don't know if you're familiar with his work, a really talented singer and writer. He's one of those really consistent guys who you puts people like me to shame cause he can do it all – he'll play the piano and the guitar and does it really well but makes this magic sound and he's one of the best lyricists I've ever worked with. I know a lot of people who are good with melody – that's one of my strong points. But lyrics, it's just really tough to get a lyric, especially to do exactly what you want it to. But he is really really good a that.
There's also a song called Dial My Number, that's about a stalker, a text stalker. I've never replied to them but they send me these texts sending me jokes, sending me lyrics. He just wanted to be my friend, not to be particularly sinister, but kind of annoying. So it starts off with the feeling that someone might have your number but it doesn't mean that somethings gonna happen.
Isn't that a bit scary?
Nah...it's only texting. If it was somebody saying "I know where you live" that would be different but it's harmless. It's just a bit annoying. But it's my own fault because I've had the same number for about eight years. But every once in a while it'll be like half midnight or one am and someone will ring and I'm not good at recognising phone numbers and if I'm foolish enough to answer it, it sounds like people at parties going “ahahahahaha” you know, pretty drunk. It's really annoying.
I've seen people doing that at parties to other people and I've just thought, ‘stop being a twat’.
Yeah, it is really annoying. Which brings me on to another song with a weird subject matter which is Homewrecker. It's about girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose which is very annoying. And sometimes they're just really obvlivious and just happy to get the attention that they don't really realise that they've crossed the line and he'll go 'Yeah but she's just a good friend' Yeah but I saw the way she laughed at your jokes and I saw the way that she put her hand on your arm when she was telling a story and it's not on.
Is that something that's happened to you?
I think everybody's had that happen with girls and you think 'Why are you doing that, I'm right here' but you get ‘girls girls’ and then you get girls who prefer the company of men and I think women can spot those girls a mile off and men can't, it's really strange. It might even be someone you know and you just think that they're obviously not a ‘girls girl’. It's something in the eyes I think.
Then there's a song called Under Your Touch, which is quite saucy really. It's just about fancying someone which is always a good subject matter.
And I've written a song – do you know Metronomy? Well there's a guy, Joe, who's part of Metronomy and I did a song with him called Scene and actually, Scene was a very instrumental track and it really set the tone quite early on it was quite quirky and different it just made me think that maybe I've got to try some new stuff here to push me a bit and it was a really important track to write. (She goes through the songs on her computer) Revolution, Heartbreak, Off and On, Scene, Starlight, Bittersweet, Cut Through The Heart, Under Your Touch, Synchronised, Dial My Number, Homewrecker and Magic.
So you've done the shoot for the album cover?
Yeah, I actually get to choose my favorites today.
And is it fabulous?
It will be – the company I work with have done all my album covers and they've got some good ideas. My favorite shot at the moment is one where you can't really see my face. It's like a profile shot where I'm flinging my hair around and I like the way it looks.
So the second single is probably due...
July. That will be Off and On or Revolution.
Is there anything else that's going to pop up – any b-sides or bonus unreleased tracks?
I don't really get a chance to do that thing cause we didn't really do that the first time and there's probably a good reason for it. So no. I think everything has its moment and then you should move on, but if you didn't do it the first time then there's probably a good reason.
SHOPAHOLIC SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2010-04/30/content_9797637.htm
The 'Bittersweet' singer can't resist hitting the high street to get her hands on the latest trends, but is never satisfied with her purchases.
She said: "I think I'm a shopaholic - I can't seem to stop buying clothes and shoes! I always feel that if I just buy one extra item then suddenly my wardrobe will be complete and I'll be covered for every eventuality."
Although she is a great shopper, Sophie admits it's not a real skill and she is envious of people who have multiple talents.
She added to Britain's OK! magazine: "I'm quite envious of people who are really good at something, like being able to draw amazingly or speak another language and are happy to keep quiet about it. I don't really have too many talents, so if I have something that I'm even half decent at - like 'guess the intro' or cooking - I'm likely to tell people straight away, I'm pathetic like that!"
SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR'S AGE CONCERN
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.exposay.com/v/37447/sophie-ellisbextors-age-concern
Sophie Ellis-Bextor feels old.
The 31-year-old pop star - who shot to fame aged 15 as a member of indie group Theaudience - is always made aware of her advancing years when she meets her teenage fans, but insists it doesn't upset her too much.
Sophie - who has two children, Sonny, five, and 14-month-old Kit Valentine, with her husband, The Feeling guitarist Richard Jones - said: "When I talk to teenagers I do feel older. Richard and I both feel like we've done so much growing up since we've been together. But there are a lot of perks to getting older."
Despite getting older, the 'Bittersweet' singer insists she feels more confident now she is in her thirties than a decade ago.
She added: "It's hard to feel comfortable in your own skin when you're younger. I think you get that knowledge when you've had highs and lows - stuff that only comes with getting older."
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR - NO LONGER AN UGLY DUCKLING
ORIGINAL POST: http://www.tmnnews.co.uk/showbiz/sophie-ellis-bextor-no-longer-an-ugly-duckling/
It’s hard to believe that the beautiful singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor has not always had such complimentary things said about her striking looks. It’s not just the people on the streets that have made derogatory remarks. High profile celebrities such as Robbie Williams and Frank Skinner have also made nasty comments. The laid back stunner refuses to let it bother her however.
From an early age Sophie had to contend with spitefulness regarding her looks. She remembers some children at her infant’s school even forming an Anti-Sophie club. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said, “One time they pelted me with coins. It was pure jealousy, because my mum was on TV.” Although the bullying was unpleasant and uncalled for, she also says how rumours of her being nicknamed ‘Rhombus-Face’ at school are completely un-true."
The thirty-one year old never let it stop her from going forward in her career or thriving in her private life. Her debut solo album, Read My Lips spawned four top twenty hits and her new album, Straight To The Heart is due for release later this year. Now happily married to the bassist of The Feeling Richard Jones and with two healthy sons, Miss Ellis-Bextor is not looking back.
“Ultimately I don’t care if people think I look a bit odd. All my favourite female pop stars – Debbie Harry, PJ Harvey, Bjork – are unconventional-looking and slightly bonkers.”
The news which shocked me and a couple of PopJustice readers
STRAIGHT TO THE HEART MIGHT GET AN EARLY RELEASE IN AUSTRALIA
ORIGINAL POST: http://auspop.blogspot.com/2010/05/incoming-sophie-ellis-bextor.html
We've had quite a number of people asking us when Sophie Ellis-Bextor's new material will be getting an Australian release. We can confirm that as of late today, Soph's new album 'Straight To The Heart' has now appeared on Universal Music's Aussie release schedule. But the strange thing is - it's way before the UK's official release date of August 02, so things could quite possibly be delayed in the weeks ahead. But at this stage (and not accounting for said delays), we're set to see it in the shops on June 11.
It's rumoured to include a track co-written by Melbourne's Nervo sisters called 'Not Giving Up on Love'.
SOON YOU CAN FEEL LIKE A BIT OF A DINOSAUR (load of mistakes)
ORIGINAL POST: http://news.pinkpaper.com/Feature.aspx?id=1862
Hello Sophie, how are you?
I'm alright thanks, how are you?
Not bad, not bad. Are you on a whirlwind tour of promotion?
I'm home today. I was doing the album chart show yesterday, it was a weird day but today I'm panicking about what to get for a birthday because we have a lot of birthdays in April.
Really?
Yeah I better get on it, yeah…
So, back with a new album, why have you forsaken the gays for so long?
I'm not one of those people who can turn around with a new album quickly, I seem to have taken a good 18 months of waiting but I think it's worth it and it's going to make a difference to the new album. I don't know how people can do it any quicker really. Maybe they're better than me - I don't know.
So first of all – Lips, Hip, Trip – you've broken the chain with this album title?
Oh, I know. It's funny – people have been worried about that. I've also been annoyed because apparently, I didn't realise it initially but it went 'R,S,T' the album title so I really should have had a 'U' this time. I should have been smarter. But I completely got all of that. It's really cause the song on the new album called Under Your Touch and I first called it Under Your Touch. That would be in keeping with with the alphabetical album titles. But I'm sorry I broke the chain.
The new album is Straight From The Heart, is that right?
Yes – Straight TO The Heart. There's a song on the album called Cut Straight To The Heart which I did with Ed Harcourt and I thought that's what music should do really, just effect you there, especially good pop music. It's supposed to be urgent. At least I'm keeping my thing in body parts – lips and hips and now I'm on heart. Maybe I'm starting a new tradition.
So what sound would you say this has taken from Trip, how has it moved on?
It's definitely more dancey, a bit more electro a bit more contemporary. I think when I did Trip some of the dancey sounds I was trying to make were more like a disco sound and I think this time it's more electro dance than disco really.
Do you think that comes from hanging around with people like Calivin Harris and the Freemasons?
Definitely. I think it's just also just what's happening with music. There's a lot of that stuff on the radio that's got a lot of keyboards and beats, you know, even previously pretty indie bands are doing that sort of sound so I think that you can't help but be affected by the revolution of music.
So who else have you worked with on this new album?
I've worked with Ian from the Sneaker Pimps, I've worked with Richard X. I've worked with pop-writers with people like Cathy Denis and Hannah Worthington. I did a track with a D-J called Armin Van Beuren so we're quite different.
Is the Junior Caldera song (Just Can’t Fight This Feeling) on the album?
I don't know exactly how we're gonna do that – it's on his album. It's gonna be involved somewhere. It's funny because, in the olden days you'd bring your record out and it was quite a straightforward thing. But now, because you have sites like iTunes you can bring your record out in variations. The bulk of 12 songs will be the same everywhere.
I love how you say 'olden days'.
I know but things change so quickly. Soon you can feel like a bit of a dinosaur. Even things like Top of the Pops and CDUK – that sort of stuff was all around when I started and now it's all gone.
Do you miss it?
Yeah. I miss having one show that you knew would have put on your performance and re-create part of your video or more dancers and you'd have to a bit more for that. And it's a shame to not have some of that occasion. Everything's spread a little more thin so you have to apply the same use across the board and have as many people's trust really.
Are you planning on touring with this album?
Yeah, I think it's long overdue. I'd like to tour in the autumn - I love touring in the Autumn. I haven't done a tour since my first record. But don't tell anybody, that sounds terrible. I had a lot of supporters – Take That for their tour and I did 34 dates.
Talking about feeling like a dinosaur - I remember the last tour you did and I had one of those sleeveless t-shirts with the little lips saying 'Read My Lips'…
Oh yeah, I had a lot of merchandise. We definitely need to bring that out again.
Have you decided on the tracks on the album? Because what I wanted to do was go through them and ask you to describe what each one is…
Yep. Well we've got the single Heartbreak and that one was with the Freemasons and that one is kind of theatrical. I was playing a bit of a diva and that was quite fun. It's one of those things where you've got to take on an a slight alter-ego – you've got to be quite the opposite and it's an alteration when somethings intoxicated you and you can't really do anything about it. When you look at it that way it sounds much more tender It's really quite romantic.
Then there's the track with Calvin Harris which is called Off and On and it was originally written with Roisin Murphy but for some reason it didn't fit and I'm a bit squeemish about taking on things that I didn’t write. But I think you've always got to think about that you can bring something to it and that was one of those examples when I thought 'Yeah I don't think we're doing that'. But working with Cathy was brilliant I'm a big fan of her. And there's another song that I did with Cathy called Revolution which is one of my more passionate songs – it will be a single it has kind of a different sound to it. Not exactly in the verses but it is sort of quite aggressive. I did it with Greg Hurston who is a big producer in LA.
I love Cathy Denis – I don't think I've ever not loved something she's written.
Yeah I know she's really, really, really, really good. She does things that you don't think of doing like I reference Murder On The Dancefloor. That's just something that would never have occurred to me because I think I'm too British. Cathy's from Norwich so she's British too but she's good at thinking on a different tangent and I like collaborating with people because they push you to do things that you wouldn't normally have done.
I did a song called Starlight with Richard X and Hannah Worthington and that song is one of my favourites. I love it in pop music when it's got a sort of wistful sadness, like Georgio is really good at that. This song as definitely got that feel. It takes you off to a different place for a minute.
I did another song with Hannah and Richard called Magic which is another love song and when I do songs I always get this image in my head and with this it sound a bit like I'm galloping somewhere.
I've got a couple of slower numbers – one is called Synchronised which is about how you want to get back with a lover but you probably won't ever do it that's got that sadness too. It's actually really hard to write a happy song. I've tried it on many occasions and you do get it but it's that sadness and heartache and loss of love that have this built in interest I suppose.
Some of the greatest pop songs ever written have been quite poppy but they're really, really miserable.
Yeah completely. Especially the ones where you don't think they're going to be miserable at first and then they turn out to be. Those are brilliant aren't they? And you get people picking them for their first dance at weddings and you think 'Oh, you haven't really listened to the verse....' Like Every Breath You Take or something.
I love this little one called Cut Straight To The Heart and that was with Ed Hardcourt. I don't know if you're familiar with his work, a really talented singer and writer. He's one of those really consistent guys who you puts people like me to shame cause he can do it all – he'll play the piano and the guitar and does it really well but makes this magic sound and he's one of the best lyricists I've ever worked with. I know a lot of people who are good with melody – that's one of my strong points. But lyrics, it's just really tough to get a lyric, especially to do exactly what you want it to. But he is really really good a that.
There's also a song called Dial My Number, that's about a stalker, a text stalker. I've never replied to them but they send me these texts sending me jokes, sending me lyrics. He just wanted to be my friend, not to be particularly sinister, but kind of annoying. So it starts off with the feeling that someone might have your number but it doesn't mean that somethings gonna happen.
Isn't that a bit scary?
Nah...it's only texting. If it was somebody saying "I know where you live" that would be different but it's harmless. It's just a bit annoying. But it's my own fault because I've had the same number for about eight years. But every once in a while it'll be like half midnight or one am and someone will ring and I'm not good at recognising phone numbers and if I'm foolish enough to answer it, it sounds like people at parties going “ahahahahaha” you know, pretty drunk. It's really annoying.
I've seen people doing that at parties to other people and I've just thought, ‘stop being a twat’.
Yeah, it is really annoying. Which brings me on to another song with a weird subject matter which is Homewrecker. It's about girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose which is very annoying. And sometimes they're just really obvlivious and just happy to get the attention that they don't really realise that they've crossed the line and he'll go 'Yeah but she's just a good friend' Yeah but I saw the way she laughed at your jokes and I saw the way that she put her hand on your arm when she was telling a story and it's not on.
Is that something that's happened to you?
I think everybody's had that happen with girls and you think 'Why are you doing that, I'm right here' but you get ‘girls girls’ and then you get girls who prefer the company of men and I think women can spot those girls a mile off and men can't, it's really strange. It might even be someone you know and you just think that they're obviously not a ‘girls girl’. It's something in the eyes I think.
Then there's a song called Under Your Touch, which is quite saucy really. It's just about fancying someone which is always a good subject matter.
And I've written a song – do you know Metronomy? Well there's a guy, Joe, who's part of Metronomy and I did a song with him called Scene and actually, Scene was a very instrumental track and it really set the tone quite early on it was quite quirky and different it just made me think that maybe I've got to try some new stuff here to push me a bit and it was a really important track to write. (She goes through the songs on her computer) Revolution, Heartbreak, Off and On, Scene, Starlight, Bittersweet, Cut Through The Heart, Under Your Touch, Synchronised, Dial My Number, Homewrecker and Magic.
So you've done the shoot for the album cover?
Yeah, I actually get to choose my favorites today.
And is it fabulous?
It will be – the company I work with have done all my album covers and they've got some good ideas. My favorite shot at the moment is one where you can't really see my face. It's like a profile shot where I'm flinging my hair around and I like the way it looks.
So the second single is probably due...
July. That will be Off and On or Revolution.
Is there anything else that's going to pop up – any b-sides or bonus unreleased tracks?
I don't really get a chance to do that thing cause we didn't really do that the first time and there's probably a good reason for it. So no. I think everything has its moment and then you should move on, but if you didn't do it the first time then there's probably a good reason.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Sophie interview with ilikemusic
First of all, thanks guys for keeping the blog going even in my absence. And thank you for the wishes. My exams are still going on. The first two were fine. I have 5 more. I'm so sorry to leave you guys without Sophie updates. But there's been a whole load of news. I promise to post them all here when i get some free time. Sophie is in the top 30 on iTunes right now. I hope everyone is still downloading the EP or the single. "Sophia Loren" seems to be a CD exclusive. So if you haven't got your copy yet, go get it now....
Here's a little something i found on ilikemusic. I'll post again on Sunday. Cheers. Miss you all!! (keep posting updates under the comments for this post please....)
http://www.ilikemusic.com/pop/Sophie_Ellis_Bextor_Interview_2010-9690/1
Sophie Ellis-Bextor's collaboration with DJ Spiller marked the beginning of her career. Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) topped the UK singles chart and launched Sophie head first into the world of pop. Over the subsequent decade three hugely successful albums and a plethora of top-ten singles followed. Now she's back with her new album Straight To The Heart, ready to do it all again...
I Like Music chatted with Sophie about the style of her new opus, collaborating with the finest musicians that pop has to offer, supporting Take That, and what the future has in store.
"I Like Music because… it's provided the soundtrack to all of my happiest memories." SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
ILM: What can we expect from album number four?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: With this record, the first two songs written were with Calvin Harris and then with Freemasons. That kind of set the scene really, because they're both very dancey, electro, synthy tracks. I thought "right, I want an album to match that." So this album's kind of a more specific genre than the other ones. Very positive, upbeat and electro.
ILM: You collaborated with a lot of people on the record, how did you ensure the album remained cohesive and worked as a whole?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: I guess I don't really know. I'm not very good at that kind of thing; working out how to make it all cohesive. It just came together. It's difficult to be objective about your own writing style I suppose. Hopefully there's just some sort of motif, and my approach was quite consistent. With every album I've worked with a lot of different people. I guess I'm a creature of habit in terms of how I start stuff, and also my production habits in terms of the things I want to emphasise. So I probably can't really help myself. I think it kind of happens by default. It's like your wardrobe: you'll have your own style with the clothes that you wear even though they're all different tops, trousers, skirts and dresses. It's a similar thing with writing an album, probably!
ILM: What do you think the key ingredients are for a successful pop career?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: It just dawned on me recently that it's actually quite an achievement to be around for ten years! I think for me, the thing that's really helped is taking time to make the records and knowing to go away for a little bit. Don't give people enough time to get well and truly sick of you! It's the same for me. I don't get enough time to get sick of what I'm doing. I'm always really genuinely enthusiastic to start writing another album. It's always a good moment.
ILM: What stand out as the highlights over the last ten years?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: The people I've been working with. I think to myself "this is really exciting" about the fact that I still get to work with people that I think are arguably some of the most relevant pop writers and producers around. That's pretty cool! When Groovejet went to number 1, even though that was a really long time ago now, that was really special as well. I'll carry that with me. Then, when I first travelled around with my first record. I would get off the plane in somewhere like Mexico City or New Zealand, and people there were playing my music and were there to meet me! That was phenomenal. Even now it's really touching to have a teenager writing a letter to me from, I don't know, Russia or something. They're listening to a song that I wrote at home. It's pretty incredible.
ILM: What was it like to support Take That?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: They were really good at introducing me to the best way to put on those massive arena shows. They were very good hosts. They'd come and watch my soundcheck, and there were some really good parties and meals. It was also really good for me as a performer. I was pitching up at these arenas filled with 15,000 women waiting for four men to come out! I had to try and keep them excited but also win them over! It was pretty invaluable for me and definitely made me a better performer
ILM: What would be your advice to any aspiring pop musicians?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: My main bit of advice would be not to fixate on getting yourself a record deal and concentrate on developing yourself as your own person. Some people can't think of anything except for getting the deal, but actually when you get the record deal that's normally the start of a whole new set of problems. Other people start having opinions on what you should be up to and how you should be doing it. So I think that bit when you're just your own person, trying things out and experimenting and having fun is really valuable to have. The record deal will take care of itself.
ILM: What have you been listening to recently?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: I've been listening to a lot of new stuff recently, some really good albums have been out this year. The Goldfrapp album, Gorillaz album, Vampire Weekend and Phoenix. Those are my top four albums of the last four months or so.
ILM: Apart from the new album and single, what are your future plans?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: At the moment I haven't planned any further than about August 2010! I have another single out in July, so next month is the video and generally getting the wheels in motion for that. Then I'll just see where it takes me really. I'm the sort of person who quite likes those big question marks. I know some people get freaked out, but I'm used to not having plans so I can cope with that!
Here's a little something i found on ilikemusic. I'll post again on Sunday. Cheers. Miss you all!! (keep posting updates under the comments for this post please....)
http://www.ilikemusic.com/pop/Sophie_Ellis_Bextor_Interview_2010-9690/1
Sophie Ellis-Bextor's collaboration with DJ Spiller marked the beginning of her career. Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) topped the UK singles chart and launched Sophie head first into the world of pop. Over the subsequent decade three hugely successful albums and a plethora of top-ten singles followed. Now she's back with her new album Straight To The Heart, ready to do it all again...
I Like Music chatted with Sophie about the style of her new opus, collaborating with the finest musicians that pop has to offer, supporting Take That, and what the future has in store.
"I Like Music because… it's provided the soundtrack to all of my happiest memories." SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
ILM: What can we expect from album number four?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: With this record, the first two songs written were with Calvin Harris and then with Freemasons. That kind of set the scene really, because they're both very dancey, electro, synthy tracks. I thought "right, I want an album to match that." So this album's kind of a more specific genre than the other ones. Very positive, upbeat and electro.
ILM: You collaborated with a lot of people on the record, how did you ensure the album remained cohesive and worked as a whole?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: I guess I don't really know. I'm not very good at that kind of thing; working out how to make it all cohesive. It just came together. It's difficult to be objective about your own writing style I suppose. Hopefully there's just some sort of motif, and my approach was quite consistent. With every album I've worked with a lot of different people. I guess I'm a creature of habit in terms of how I start stuff, and also my production habits in terms of the things I want to emphasise. So I probably can't really help myself. I think it kind of happens by default. It's like your wardrobe: you'll have your own style with the clothes that you wear even though they're all different tops, trousers, skirts and dresses. It's a similar thing with writing an album, probably!
ILM: What do you think the key ingredients are for a successful pop career?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: It just dawned on me recently that it's actually quite an achievement to be around for ten years! I think for me, the thing that's really helped is taking time to make the records and knowing to go away for a little bit. Don't give people enough time to get well and truly sick of you! It's the same for me. I don't get enough time to get sick of what I'm doing. I'm always really genuinely enthusiastic to start writing another album. It's always a good moment.
ILM: What stand out as the highlights over the last ten years?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: The people I've been working with. I think to myself "this is really exciting" about the fact that I still get to work with people that I think are arguably some of the most relevant pop writers and producers around. That's pretty cool! When Groovejet went to number 1, even though that was a really long time ago now, that was really special as well. I'll carry that with me. Then, when I first travelled around with my first record. I would get off the plane in somewhere like Mexico City or New Zealand, and people there were playing my music and were there to meet me! That was phenomenal. Even now it's really touching to have a teenager writing a letter to me from, I don't know, Russia or something. They're listening to a song that I wrote at home. It's pretty incredible.
ILM: What was it like to support Take That?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: They were really good at introducing me to the best way to put on those massive arena shows. They were very good hosts. They'd come and watch my soundcheck, and there were some really good parties and meals. It was also really good for me as a performer. I was pitching up at these arenas filled with 15,000 women waiting for four men to come out! I had to try and keep them excited but also win them over! It was pretty invaluable for me and definitely made me a better performer
ILM: What would be your advice to any aspiring pop musicians?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: My main bit of advice would be not to fixate on getting yourself a record deal and concentrate on developing yourself as your own person. Some people can't think of anything except for getting the deal, but actually when you get the record deal that's normally the start of a whole new set of problems. Other people start having opinions on what you should be up to and how you should be doing it. So I think that bit when you're just your own person, trying things out and experimenting and having fun is really valuable to have. The record deal will take care of itself.
ILM: What have you been listening to recently?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: I've been listening to a lot of new stuff recently, some really good albums have been out this year. The Goldfrapp album, Gorillaz album, Vampire Weekend and Phoenix. Those are my top four albums of the last four months or so.
ILM: Apart from the new album and single, what are your future plans?
Sophie Ellis-Bextor: At the moment I haven't planned any further than about August 2010! I have another single out in July, so next month is the video and generally getting the wheels in motion for that. Then I'll just see where it takes me really. I'm the sort of person who quite likes those big question marks. I know some people get freaked out, but I'm used to not having plans so I can cope with that!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Non Sophie related post. I'm not going to be around for the next 2 weeks. I have my exams till the 16th. So i won't be logging in and posting.
If there's anything that needs to be mentioned on Sophiarazzi (chart positions, interview updates, performances etc.,) please leave them in the comments so readers can find it easily..
I'll try to make some time next Sunday. Maybe i'll post the important stuff, if anything turns up. Bittersweet is out on iTunes, and the CD is available on Amazon and HMV. Buy the single and support Sophie. I have ordered for another single (two in total). I've done my bit. Don't forget to keep voting for Sophie on MTV Dance. Here's the link (CLICK)
Aww i'm going to miss you all. And all the lovely friends i've made on PopJustice and Sophie-Online (wait i'm not dying...). See you around folks. Hope to see Bittersweet in the top 10 when i'm back.
Good luck to Sophie and my best wishes to all the readers... Cheers. Kx.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has the last laugh
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1269205/Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-I-dont-care-people-think-I-look-bit-odd.html
The 31-year-old singer on being hard-skinned when it comes to insults, pretending to be French and why music has been the best therapy for her
Sophie Ellis-Bextor started her career as lead singer of Theaudience in 1997, but the indie band split after a handful of singles and it wasn't until 2000 that she found fame after recording the vocals for DJ Spiller's Groovejet (If This Ain't Love ).
The track went straight to No 1 in the UK, and the following year she released a million-selling debut solo album, Read My Lips. This spawned four Top 20 singles, including Murder On The Dancefloor, Europe's most-played song in 2002. Her fourth album, Straight To The Heart, is out later this year. Now 31, she is married to Richard Jones, bassist of The Feeling. They live in west London with sons Sonny, six, and one-year-old Kit.
Sticks and stones may break my bones... but I'm pretty hard-skinned when insults come my way.
Everybody remembers Robbie Williams said I had a face like a satellite dish. It didn't bother me too much. I just reasoned he was miff ed because I declined to support him on tour. Frank Skinner greeted me with, 'Why the wide face?' On that occasion I fought back and gave as good as I got. I learned to stand up for myself at school where I was never too popular. At infants' school some kids even had an Anti-Sophie club. One time they pelted me with coins. It was pure jealousy, because my mum was on TV. But the teasing was never as bad as reported. It's totally untrue that I was nicknamed Rhombus-Face at school, a complete myth. Ultimately I don't care if people think I look a bit odd. All my favourite female pop stars - Debbie Harry, PJ Harvey, Bjork - are unconventional-looking and slightly bonkers.
From the age of six I was obsessed with moneymaking schemes.
The best one I came up with involved Blue Peter merchandise (her mother is former presenter Janet Ellis). I hit on the idea of selling Blue Peter badges in the playground for 50p, or £1 for a badge and autograph. I was doing a roaring trade until my mother started to wonder why I kept asking her for stuff. Over the years I've lost that entrepreneurial knack. I stopped being motivated by money as it was distracting me from my true purpose, which was to make music.
I wrote the worst novel ever.
When my band broke up I needed some kind of catharsis. It had been an eye-opening experience. We'd got a £500,000 deal and we were insanely hyped. Then we split without having had a proper career. I decided to write a novel about it. Three chapters were completed. They were utterly terrible, shockingly written. I'm tempted to dig it out, but only for my own amusement. If anyone takes me seriously now, a quick read would change their minds. They say everyone has a book inside them burning to be written. Mine was a novel begging not to be written.
If my career goes stale tomorrow at least I've got my stamps to fall back on.
Philately is normally a boys' hobby but for some reason it was in vogue at my junior school. Between the ages of eight and ten I collected avidly. I'd pore over my Stanley Gibbons book, obsessively checking my collection's value. I always hoped I'd stumble across a really valuable one, a Penny Black or an Inverted Jenny, but it wasn't to be. Ten years ago I got them valued; they were only worth about £600. But I sometimes delude myself into thinking they're worth millions. I always say to my husband, 'If the pop career goes belly-up we've can always fall back on my stamps.'
Petty bureaucracy makes my blood boil.
In Britain we're becoming too policed by rules for the sake of rules. Every day seems to bring a whole new stupid set. It makes me feel like Michael Douglas in Falling Down. It's things like weight allowance rules at airports that conform to no logic other than fleecing the public for more cash. It's random things like a supermarket chain banning people from wearing pyjamas in their stores. (Personally I wouldn't wear pyjamas to do my weekly shop but each to their own.) I'm a good citizen. I pay my taxes. Why should I conform in all these other ridiculous ways? I find it quite sinister.
Music has always been the best therapy for me.
It helped me through two nightmarish pregnancies. Sonny was born nine weeks early by emergency caesarean and then went down with meningitis. Kit was also premature and weighed just 2lb 10oz. He looked like a little alien. The stress of both pregnancies was overwhelming, like being hit by a train. Being able to make music was a godsend, a way of letting all the emotion out. When I started recording this new album, Kit was just starting to grow and get well. Every three hours he'd come in for his feed. I'd have a mic in one hand and my baby in the other. I found that very empowering.
The great advantage of fame is getting to jump queues.
I'm not the type to play the 'don't you know who I am?' card. But I'll happily trade on my name to avoid standing in a line. The last time was at Legoland. It was high season, the whole place was going to be rammed. My press o ffice rang in advance to say I was going with my family. They gave me a gold pass, meaning we didn't have to queue for anything. Apart from queue-jumping I can't think of too many advantages to being famous.
I'm busy assembling a fairground in my house.
I scour eBay for old fairground stock and pick up some amazing bargains. I bought a choo-choo train, the kind you see children riding outside shops. And I've got a giant ice-cream cone. My favourite item is one of those huge cartoon boards you put your face and hands in. I've also got a vintage 'roll up, roll up' sign. I'd love my own ghost train but my house isn't quite big enough.
I'm the world's messiest woman.
I'm not unclean but I leave a trail of chaos wherever I go. For years I was incapable of getting any sense of order in my house. When it came to sorting things out I'd make a start, then find something else to distract me. But I'm trying to be tidier. I can't bear the thought of guests arriving and making a face when they see the chaos I live in.
If I'm not in the mood to be recognised I'll pretend to be French.
People have come up to me and asked, 'Are you Sophie Ellis-Bextor?' Usually I'm fine with it but there are days I can't be bothered. So I've shrugged and said, 'Non.' Sometimes it works. If they're French it can get a bit complicated. What tends to happen more and more is that people say, 'Has anyone told you that you look like Sophie Ellis-Bextor?' Because I do my own shopping and travel by public transport, people probably assume it's not me. They expect me to be travelling by private jet and that's not my life at all.
The 31-year-old singer on being hard-skinned when it comes to insults, pretending to be French and why music has been the best therapy for her
Sophie Ellis-Bextor started her career as lead singer of Theaudience in 1997, but the indie band split after a handful of singles and it wasn't until 2000 that she found fame after recording the vocals for DJ Spiller's Groovejet (If This Ain't Love ).
The track went straight to No 1 in the UK, and the following year she released a million-selling debut solo album, Read My Lips. This spawned four Top 20 singles, including Murder On The Dancefloor, Europe's most-played song in 2002. Her fourth album, Straight To The Heart, is out later this year. Now 31, she is married to Richard Jones, bassist of The Feeling. They live in west London with sons Sonny, six, and one-year-old Kit.
Sticks and stones may break my bones... but I'm pretty hard-skinned when insults come my way.
Everybody remembers Robbie Williams said I had a face like a satellite dish. It didn't bother me too much. I just reasoned he was miff ed because I declined to support him on tour. Frank Skinner greeted me with, 'Why the wide face?' On that occasion I fought back and gave as good as I got. I learned to stand up for myself at school where I was never too popular. At infants' school some kids even had an Anti-Sophie club. One time they pelted me with coins. It was pure jealousy, because my mum was on TV. But the teasing was never as bad as reported. It's totally untrue that I was nicknamed Rhombus-Face at school, a complete myth. Ultimately I don't care if people think I look a bit odd. All my favourite female pop stars - Debbie Harry, PJ Harvey, Bjork - are unconventional-looking and slightly bonkers.
From the age of six I was obsessed with moneymaking schemes.
The best one I came up with involved Blue Peter merchandise (her mother is former presenter Janet Ellis). I hit on the idea of selling Blue Peter badges in the playground for 50p, or £1 for a badge and autograph. I was doing a roaring trade until my mother started to wonder why I kept asking her for stuff. Over the years I've lost that entrepreneurial knack. I stopped being motivated by money as it was distracting me from my true purpose, which was to make music.
I wrote the worst novel ever.
When my band broke up I needed some kind of catharsis. It had been an eye-opening experience. We'd got a £500,000 deal and we were insanely hyped. Then we split without having had a proper career. I decided to write a novel about it. Three chapters were completed. They were utterly terrible, shockingly written. I'm tempted to dig it out, but only for my own amusement. If anyone takes me seriously now, a quick read would change their minds. They say everyone has a book inside them burning to be written. Mine was a novel begging not to be written.
If my career goes stale tomorrow at least I've got my stamps to fall back on.
Philately is normally a boys' hobby but for some reason it was in vogue at my junior school. Between the ages of eight and ten I collected avidly. I'd pore over my Stanley Gibbons book, obsessively checking my collection's value. I always hoped I'd stumble across a really valuable one, a Penny Black or an Inverted Jenny, but it wasn't to be. Ten years ago I got them valued; they were only worth about £600. But I sometimes delude myself into thinking they're worth millions. I always say to my husband, 'If the pop career goes belly-up we've can always fall back on my stamps.'
Petty bureaucracy makes my blood boil.
In Britain we're becoming too policed by rules for the sake of rules. Every day seems to bring a whole new stupid set. It makes me feel like Michael Douglas in Falling Down. It's things like weight allowance rules at airports that conform to no logic other than fleecing the public for more cash. It's random things like a supermarket chain banning people from wearing pyjamas in their stores. (Personally I wouldn't wear pyjamas to do my weekly shop but each to their own.) I'm a good citizen. I pay my taxes. Why should I conform in all these other ridiculous ways? I find it quite sinister.
Music has always been the best therapy for me.
It helped me through two nightmarish pregnancies. Sonny was born nine weeks early by emergency caesarean and then went down with meningitis. Kit was also premature and weighed just 2lb 10oz. He looked like a little alien. The stress of both pregnancies was overwhelming, like being hit by a train. Being able to make music was a godsend, a way of letting all the emotion out. When I started recording this new album, Kit was just starting to grow and get well. Every three hours he'd come in for his feed. I'd have a mic in one hand and my baby in the other. I found that very empowering.
The great advantage of fame is getting to jump queues.
I'm not the type to play the 'don't you know who I am?' card. But I'll happily trade on my name to avoid standing in a line. The last time was at Legoland. It was high season, the whole place was going to be rammed. My press o ffice rang in advance to say I was going with my family. They gave me a gold pass, meaning we didn't have to queue for anything. Apart from queue-jumping I can't think of too many advantages to being famous.
I'm busy assembling a fairground in my house.
I scour eBay for old fairground stock and pick up some amazing bargains. I bought a choo-choo train, the kind you see children riding outside shops. And I've got a giant ice-cream cone. My favourite item is one of those huge cartoon boards you put your face and hands in. I've also got a vintage 'roll up, roll up' sign. I'd love my own ghost train but my house isn't quite big enough.
I'm the world's messiest woman.
I'm not unclean but I leave a trail of chaos wherever I go. For years I was incapable of getting any sense of order in my house. When it came to sorting things out I'd make a start, then find something else to distract me. But I'm trying to be tidier. I can't bear the thought of guests arriving and making a face when they see the chaos I live in.
If I'm not in the mood to be recognised I'll pretend to be French.
People have come up to me and asked, 'Are you Sophie Ellis-Bextor?' Usually I'm fine with it but there are days I can't be bothered. So I've shrugged and said, 'Non.' Sometimes it works. If they're French it can get a bit complicated. What tends to happen more and more is that people say, 'Has anyone told you that you look like Sophie Ellis-Bextor?' Because I do my own shopping and travel by public transport, people probably assume it's not me. They expect me to be travelling by private jet and that's not my life at all.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Nice little write up from The Guardian
The Guardian had a really nice review of Bittersweet. I think it's worth posting here.. Sophie is a popstar who is here to stay, 12 years in music and she's still making really good tunes - that is an achievement!
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/may/01/singles-out-this-week
Sophie Ellis-Bextor should seem rather old-fashioned in these days of Ke$ha sicking up her lunch in Paris Hilton's wardrobe and Gaga strapping 20 B&H on her face, but while faces come and go, tunes like this skyscraping electro disco-pop blockbuster never fall out of vogue. If you can't handle her fantastically nonchalant warbletones you're better off making a cup of tea for the tune's duration; but also think about where your life's headed because the signs, frankly, are not good.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/may/01/singles-out-this-week
Sophie Ellis-Bextor should seem rather old-fashioned in these days of Ke$ha sicking up her lunch in Paris Hilton's wardrobe and Gaga strapping 20 B&H on her face, but while faces come and go, tunes like this skyscraping electro disco-pop blockbuster never fall out of vogue. If you can't handle her fantastically nonchalant warbletones you're better off making a cup of tea for the tune's duration; but also think about where your life's headed because the signs, frankly, are not good.
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