Sophie's 4th album will be out in November (according to Russian TV)

A Russian fan posted this on PopJustice:
"Last weekend Sophie was in Russia on privacy party. Yesterday I saw news from this party on TV and in the end they said that album will out in NOVEMBER"

Last i heard from someone, they were fixing schedules. Let's not forget, she has a charity gig in November. If Wallace Productions can line up some more PAs for her, she might be able to pull off a single release, followed by the album.

We're not actually clear as to what is going on with the album right now because Peter Loraine is splitting ways with Fascination. Fascination Records will still be a print on Polydor's label, but there has been no official word if Sophie is going to get absorbed back into Polydor, or if she will leave with Loraine. Afterall, Sophie has been Loraine's pet project for 10 years now!

All this is pure speculation. The one thing we do know is that Sophie is promoting the album heavily in Russia. In fact, she is going to be there for four consecutive weekends:
"In Yaroslavl for a show tonight. The first of four consecutive weekends in Russia. Putting the visa to good use..."

Sophie also tweeted about a band called Bertolf covering her latest single with Armin Van Buuren. Here's the live performance on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V85_Z8qhIM

I'm not the biggest fan of it, but Sophie seems to like it. They don't really do justice to the emotion in the song. It was a good attempt though.

Things aren't looking good at Fascination HQ.

SOURCE: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i7537afebd91a441caa72f8c6f82d27bd

Peter Loraine, label head of London-based Fascination Records, is to move into management next month with a new venture backed by Universal Music U.K.

Fascination Management's first client will be pop group the Saturdays, whose third album "Headlines" peaked at No. 3 on the official U.K. albums chart. The management firm opens for business on Oct. 4.

Loraine, who started Polydor's pop-focused label Fascination Records in 2006, will be joined at Fascination Management by his current label co-ordinator Adam Klein.

Fascination A&R Manager Pino Pumilia will remain at Polydor. Fascination will continue as an imprint.

Loraine will continue working with as a consultant with Polydor, which he joined in 1998 as artist development manager. He had success with artists such as Girls Aloud, Cheryl Cole, the Saturdays and Sophie Ellis-Bextor and worked on major projects with ABBA including the "Mamma Mia" soundtrack.

Sophierazzi conveys it's best wishes to Loraine and team. Hopefully Sophie will be absorbed back into Polydor Records. This explains why there has been another delay in the album. Let's just hope the album co-incides with her tour. A Christmas release could only mean more sales, or i should properly word it saying "relatively more" sales.

Rumours rumours rumours....and no album in sight! Sigh :(

There have been tons of rumours about Sophie splitting with Fascination and being signed on All Around The World. Let me first dispel this rumour.

Armin's label, Armada, does not handle releases of his singles in the UK. "All Around The World" are releasing the single in the UK on behalf of Armin's label. "Xelon Entertainment" are releasing it in Australia. "Neblua" used to release Armin's singles in the UK, but the last couple of releases have been digital releases by "All Around The World".

Someone probably came across AATW mentioned as the label and decided to start a rumour that she parted ways with Fascination. This is not true. Yes, there were some issues ("fisticuffs" in SEB's words) involved with the release of the single. That is probably why Fascination stayed away from promotion activities. But now that the single is out, they did mention it once on their twitter, and the new video has been uploaded on Sophie's official website.

Coming to the second rumour - Sophie's 4th album has been dropped and there is a GH on the way. A rumour came from Universal Records that Sophie's fourth album has been dropped. The whole GH speculation is a fan-thing that people from several boards (PJ, FlopPop, UKMix etc.,) have started on their own.

Why the rumour about the album being dropped was started, i can't tell yet. I have sent Fascination many emails regarding the rumours asking them to dispel them at once. But they haven't cared to respond yet. I have tried to get a lot of people from PopJustice and Sophie-Online to flood Fascination's inbox with emails, so they know that there is genuine interest in Sophie.

Frankly, i wouldn't be surprised if the album is cancelled. The lead single flopped miserably on the charts, even though it is the best song of this year and Sophie's best song so far in her career. The so-called second release from the album (Not Giving Up On Love) hasn't been promoted in the UK at all, and is only performing moderately outisde the UK. Yes there have been sales in the US as well, but it's nothing significant for Sophie because the whole release has been labelled as "Armin's" release. I wouldn't be too surprised if the track is later cut out of the final tracklist for the album (if it comes out). Polydor (Fascination's parent label) had plans to release "Can't Fight This Feeling" in the UK. There is a possibility for the song to do well because it has become quite popular in Russia, France, Lebanon, Spain and a few other European countries. It can be called a success for Junior Caldera. The single did what it had to do for him - put him on the map. For Sophie, again, it's nothing significant. The Freemasons single was her last moderate hit, only by sales. It charted outside the top 10.

Looking at these disappointing figures, Fascination MAY have decided to scrap the album. BUT there has been no official word from anyone, so it's best that we don't assume anything. Sophie still has her tour in December. In fact some of the venues are quickly selling out. If Fascination rushes out with a third single this September, and if it finds a decent charting spot somewhere on the higher side of the top 20, then they can still release the album and it will probably sell as much as TTLF did, or maybe a little more (because she has widened her fanbase by performing with Pet Shop Boys, Will Young, George Michael and Take That. And let's not forget her performance in NYC.)

Let's just hope for the best. If you want help dispel these rumours, please email and tweet Fascination and ask them what's going on. Who knows, if one of us are lucky, we might get a response.
email: info@fascinationrecords.com
twitter: @welovepop

Let's do our best, and see what happens with the release.

I love Sophie to bits, and i'm doing my best to dispel these rumours and promote her album. If you love Sophie and her music, promote her. Buy the Maxi that will be out on the 30th. If you haven't already bought Bittersweet, Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer and Can't Fight This Feeling, buy them. Spread the word about an upcoming fourth album. Let's just hope everything turns out to be just fine.

Recent tweets and more

1. next week first date with pet shop boys! i am happy girl.
2. today chiswick house festival. bit of singing rewarded by food and drink. ok then.
3. @MonsieurDeMatt because we are going to have fisticuffs (when asked about why the new single is Armin "vs" SEB)
4. @SlaterPalmeira no! whatever gave you that idea?! (when asked if the album/single was scrapped and if Sophie left Fascination)

Xondus, on PopJustice, who heard the acoustic performance of Not Giving Up posted the lyrics to the first part of the chorus:
'Hold me now
Nothing else matters
It's just the two of us
And if it all falls down
Nothing else matters
You know we're strong enough'

Sophie has NOT parted ways with Fascination

If you come across any bullshit about Sophie parting ways with Fascination or getting signed onto Al Around The World, don't believe it. It's not true. There is no official statement either from Sophie or Fascination. Apparently all these rumours sprung up from a tweet (which was eventually deleted) and someone from PopJustice happened to find this tweet and post it there.

Sophie and Fascination are probably taking their time with this release because they don't want Bittersweet's charting to affect the new single in any way. Disassociating themselves from a flop. "Not Giving Up" will be out sometime soon. Sophie is probably done with the video by now. She will soon be opening for the Pet Shop Boys.

Did Bittersweet leave Sophie with a bitter feeling?

I hope not.

Here's the news article from Conorofficial:

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has reportedly slammed her record label, Polydor for failing to promote her latest single.

'Bittersweet', the lead single of her upcoming album, Straight To The Heart only managed to peak at 25 in the charts, mainly due to lack of promotion.

Ellis-Bextor reportedly said: “I think they could have at least promoted it a bit more, 25th just isn’t very good and it’s down to them.”

Her fourth, and possibly final album, Straight To The Heart is set to be released in the UK this August.

No one is sure if there's any truth, or if this statement was even really made. But Sophie tweeted saying, "it's not true! fascination folk are good people"

No need to panic. But, if there is any truth to this (possibly final album) then i think it is our duty as fans to support Sophie. British fans, please go out and buy the next single (or download from iTunes) and help boost her sales. International fans are buying her singles already. Bittersweet is getting some airplay on international radios. BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 didn't playlist the song because of it's poor sales.

Support Sophie guys, please......

Fascination tweet + CFTF video still

Fascination's recent tweet:
welovepop Ooh....first cut of the Sophie Ellis-Bextor 'Bittersweet' video just arrived in our inbox!!

So..erm yeah. That's pretty much what happened. Oh and to your right is what appears to be another video still from Junior Caldera's new video "Can't Fight This Feeling" with Sophie. Sophie seems to be wearing two outfits for the video. Or this may just a picture from an after-party (if there was one).

And thank you readers, PopJustice readers, UKMix readers and Sophie-Online readers for the good response. I'm really happy that you all liked my edit. Looking forward to the radio edit now. *prays it lands safely in the top 5*

We have a date - 2nd May

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

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

Fascination recently tweeted this:

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

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

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

Thanks to Eden for the heads-up.

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

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

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

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

Thanks to Sophie-Online for the pictures.

(Sophie is the brand ambassador for Southern Comfort)

Do you get out much back home in London?

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

What's your tipple?

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

Do you ever overindulge?

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

What's your favourite bar snack?

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

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

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

Are you planning any more?

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

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

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

Are the boys demonstrating any musical inclinations yet?

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

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

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

Have you still got a passion for fashion?

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

So who are your biggest style inspirations?

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

Sophie left us a welcome blog

Don't forget to check out the welcome blog Sophie left on her official site.
The excitement is building slowly and steadily. I hope the new single will be a stormer.
Among several nice comments that i came across on the world-wide-web, one of them deserves to be quoted.
"Even something that just approaches the TTLF era in greatness would be a welcome addition to 2010. Also, it'll be nice for Fascination to be hyping an act that actually deserves to be hyped".
I hope Fascination stumble upon this post.
"LET THE HYPE BEGIN!"

and then she tweeted.....

"the new single's about when you can't resist something that you know is bad for you. a guilty pleasure. like watching celebrity big brother."
Lol. I find the comparison quite hilarious. So it's a song about guilty pleasures. I'm glad its not another heartbreak on the dancefloor.

"out early april, heading to radio early february"
oh. I was hoping for January, but i'm still quite excited. February is not far away.

"the new single is called Bittersweet. it's written with those lovely Freemason's again (and lovely biff and lovely hannah too.)"
Freemasons/Biff/Hannah/Sophie. Wow. Its like nothing can go wrong. But i suspect this was more of a Fascination move. Heartbreak did well and stayed for a long time, so why not use the same formula and spice it up. Oh well, i'm still on board. I hope it is as "massive" as Fascination deemed it to be. *fingers crossed*

Love Heist is not a new song at all

Well, according to fascination
"‘Love Heist’ is actually a demo from Sophie’s 3rd album. This is definitely NOT her next single"

Well, there you go. Officially confirmed, not on her 4th album. It was a good track though. I really wish some of these songs are uploaded on iTunes or Napster. This idea has been suggested several times on Sophie's official website, on PopJustice.

Sophie's fans are all willing to pay for the unreleased songs. I wonder why the label hasn't considered this idea at all... If they do consider this, i would love to hear these:
Love Heist - cos the song is amazing!
Dontcha Wanna Get Crazy - i've been crazy about this ever since the title was revealed
Fake Love To Me - doesn't it sound amazing!?
Revenge - i love this song. I would love to hear Sophie's voice on it

FASCINATION please release these on iTunes...

Thanks Wextor for confirming this with Fascination

Good News: The old songs will be on her upcoming album

A friend (Wex) received this email from fascination confirming that both HMMAD and OAO will feature on Sophie's album. But we're not sure which version of HMMAD will be on her album.

Hi Wextor,
thanks for your email. The final track listing for Sophie's upcoming album hasn't yet been finalized, but I am fairly certain that Synchronized, Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer and Off And On will all make it on there. As for future singles, this hasn't yet been discussed.

I hope this helps answer your questions. Best regards,

Adam Klein
Fascination Records Label Assistant

This is a good thing for Sophie imo. If the single does well, its like the debut single from her album is a hit. I only hope that she is featured in the video. It wouldn't make sense including it on her album without Sophie in the video.