Official Catch-up, and a few other things

So..Sophie HQ caught up with her. And they had a little chat about the current situation, the album and tour plans:

Hi Sophie, how are you?
I'm good thanks. I'm at Koko filming Koko Pops and the Album Chart Show. I'm doing a couple of songs in a bit.

So, the new album is announced! That's pretty exciting.
Yeah, the whole thing is exciting. I'm the boss lady this time around.

What's your label called?
It's called EBGB's. A bit like CBGB's in New York, but as in Ellis-Bextor Great Britain.

Ah, very clever!
Why thank you. I actually used it as the production company name when I did my live DVD way back in 2002.

So, you're a businesswoman now.
I guess I am, yes! But only my own business. People have been asking if I'm going to sign other acts, but it's all about getting my record out at the moment.

And, from a fan's point of view, they won't really notice the difference?
Not at all. But I get to be involved in everything. Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful 10 years with Universal, but doing it this way does feel like the reward for the hard work, because there's a lot of things about the traditional record company model that don't really work that well for an artist. It's great to be able to get your own team and do it yourself.

Does it mean you're taking a financial risk?
Well, in a lot of ways it's financially beneficial. You have to sell a lot less albums to make a living when you do it this way.

That all sounds great.
Yeah, it's really cool. And a lot of people have been doing it this way for a while. Eminem apparently does it this way, and Mumford & Sons made their album on their own label, then licensed it to Island. So it's not a new phenomenon, but I do think we'll see it happening more and more.

Will there be EBGB's merchandise?
Well, I am in the process of setting up an online shop, cos I haven't really done anything like that for a while. So there could be.
And the album is out in a matter of weeks.
Yeah, it's all coming together now. I can understand why some of the fans were occasionally a little disgruntled that it felt like I wasn't just getting on with putting my album out, but really what we've managed to achieve in the last 12 months is pretty good.

And you're happy with the album itself?
Really happy. I got it mastered recently and it's great just hearing it all together. I think it's really cohesive and consistent, and I'm really proud of all the songs. But then I'm probably a bit biased!

Do you have a current favourite track?
Well Starlight, which is the single, has always been one I love, just because it's got that wistful, melancholy mood, which I always love in pop music. It's that sort of happy sad feeling. I'm a big fan of that.

That song's about halfway into the album - how hard do you think about the tracklisting?
Oh you definitely have to get the whole dynamic of the record so that it works. Some songs just don't work next to each other.

Why did you pick Cut Straight To The Heart as the final song?
Because it's epic and dramatic and it's got a really long outro. That's the mood you should be left with.

You've got a whole bunch of shows lined up for the summer. Are you looking forward to them?
Very much so. I think the forest tour with Erasure should be really fun. The Feeling did the same tour a couple of years ago and I went along to some of those. It was really idyllic and everyone was in holiday mode.

Have you met Erasure before?
I haven't actually. But I'm definitely a fan. It should be really fun.

Will you play some new stuff at those shows?
Oh absolutely. I always try to do a good cross-section of the contemporary stuff and then the singles. I try and think what I would want to hear if I was going to the show.

Sophie and Mr. PopJustice had a little Twittersation:

PopJustice: Song Of The Day: Sophie Ellis-Bextor - 'Synchronised' http://bit.ly/mUsQHC
@Popjustice are you working your way through my album?
@SophieEB That is a secret I am afraid.
@Popjustice I need to know if they'll be more before I get 'a 1/3 of this album has been SOTD on Popjustice' stickers printed up for the CD.
@SophieEB Is this any help http://t.co/DUxKEhZ
@Popjustice ok will change sticker to : '10/14 songs rated 4* or higher by Popjustice (this information was correct at time of printing)'

Unfortunately, i also came across this:

@SophieEB doll will we get a b-side for the Starlight single? :) xx
@UltimateDisco wonderful remixes

Sigh! WE WANT A B-SIDE!


Oh, and Mr. PJ also rated all the songs on the album. He's got most of it right. Except, Make A Scene deserves 5 Stars and Cut Straight To The Heart deserves 4.5 stars.

LINK TO THE ORIGINAL POST WITH MR. PJ'S SCREENSHOT: http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5417&Itemid=206
LINK TO THE ORIGINAL POST WITH THE SOPHIE HQ INTERVIEW: http://www.sophieellisbextor.net/news?id=333

It's official. Starlight + album being released in the UK

*pinch me, i must be dreaming*

Starlight is going to be released on the 30th of May, followed by the Sophie's long awaited fourth album, Make A Scene, on the 6th of June. Here is what her official website says:

We're very pleased to announce that Sophie will release her new single ‘Starlight' on 30th May, followed by her new album ‘Make A Scene’ on 6th June.

‘Starlight’ is a perfect chilled dance anthem that is instantly catchy with a soft but edgy beat. It is a track that can easily take you from sun lounger by day to nightclub by evening and is the perfect summer anthem.

Sophie’s new album ‘Make A Scene’ is an exciting and energetic pop juggernaut on which Sophie was heavily involved with all parts, including co-writing much of it and working with an in-demand team of writers and producers that includes Freemasons, Greg Kurstin, Calvin Harris, Cathy Dennis, Metronomy, Hannah Robinson, Richard X and Armin Van Buuren.

The countdown starts here…

Although, nothing is stated about which label she is on currently. U-Music Russia handled the release of TTLF previously, and they are releasing Make A Scene in Russia. But we're not sure if she is still with Polydor Records. Sophie may have been shifted on to some other label under Universal who might handle this release in the UK. Details yet to come...

Peter PopJustice Robinson made Starlight the song of the day and called it "A nice song". His exact words were as follows:

It is so much easier being a Sophie Ellis-Bextor fan once you accept that she is never ever going to have another hit single.

Once you learn to live with that fact, and once you are able to leave behind questions like 'will Radio 1 play this?' (NO AND NEITHER WILL RADIO 2), 'will she promote it properly?' (SHE'LL DO HER BEST BUT NOBODY'S REALLY INTERESTED) and 'will it get into the Top 10?' (NO), all you are left with is one question: 'is the song any good?'.

And the answer here is 'not as good as some of her other songs but generally yes it is a really enjoyable listen and her voice is rather nice as per usual'.

Peter is probably annoyed with all the delays, but lets not ignore the fact that the song is The Song Of The Day. Here's hoping that the song gets good reviews from everyone. Buy the single or download from iTunes on 30th of May. Also, you can import the album from Russia after the 18th of April, if you want.

LINK TO ARTICLE ON THE OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.sophieellisbextor.net/news.php?id=329
LINK TO ARTICLE ON POPJUSTICE: http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5387&Itemid=279

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?

Digital Spy Interview + Album Chart Show + confirmed tracklist

This is a no nonsense post. Enjoy.

DIGITAL SPY INTERVIEW
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/interviews/a214312/sophie-ellis-bextor.html
Following last year's summer smash with the Freemasons, 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)', Sophie Ellis-Bextor has proved that lightning can indeed strike twice by teaming up with the dance duo again from her cracking newbie 'Bittersweet'. In the middle of a promo tour for the single - and mere minutes before she was due on live telly - we managed to grab a quick chat with Mademoiselle E-B herself.

What's the response to the new single been like?
"Good, it all seems positive so far. I probably shouldn't say this but I think it sounds really good on the radio! I'm happy with how it's all shaping up."

What sort of chart position are you hoping for?
"God, I honestly haven't given it that much thought. I think whatever position means that the next single gets support and the album does OK. I think the more important thing is that it hangs around - a bit of longevity would be good, please!"

Have you decided what the next single's going to be?
"It's going to be 'Off And On', the track penned by Calvin Harris and Cathy Dennis."

You posted 'Off And On' on your MySpace page a while ago - are you worried that will affect sales?
"Nah, I don't think that's how things work anyway. I put 'Heartbreak' up a while before I released that too. Lily Allen put 'The Fear' up on her MySpace about a year before it came out and it still did really well. It's a new mix of the song too."

Any ideas on what the video will be like?
"Well, ages ago there was talk about 'Off And On' being the first single and I was approached by [director] Sophie Muller and she had some really good ideas for the video. I think it was something to do with having a fairground on my face! Hopefully we can revisit that idea because it sounds intriguing! I'd be foolish not to see what that's all about, wouldn't I?"

Is the album ready to go now?
"Yes, there's one song that needs a final tweek, and then we'll master it and sort out a running order, and then we're done. I think the next single will be out the last week of July and the album will be out the following week. Knowing me, that could all change, but that's what I've been told!"

There's an especially dancey song on your album called 'Revolution' - what's the story behind it?
"Well, I wrote it with Greg Kurstin and Cathy Dennis and it was actually the quickest song to write on my whole album. We started work at midday and Cathy had to leave by 4pm, and we even had time for some lunch outside in the garden, so it was probably about three hours' work. I think it sounds great - really fresh and quite heavy. The best bit is that it refers to 'Murder On The Dancefloor'."

Was the reference to 'Murder On The Dancefloor' intentional?
"Yes, very much so! It wasn't my idea - I think I'm too British to think of something like that - but Cathy suggested it and I really liked the idea. I think it's great if you've been around a while to reference yourself."

Do you think it will be a single in the future?
"I think so, maybe after 'Off And On'? The third single will either be 'Revolution' or a track called 'Starlight', which was produced by Richard X. I think that's quite a pretty song. I like all the songs on the album though, so I don't really mind what's a single."

What's your favourite track on the album?
"I like all the ones we've been talking about, but there's another song I did with Richard X called 'Magic' which I really like. I always know a song is a favourite when I start imagining myself on galloping horses - that often means I'm onto a winner! There's also a song called 'Dial My Number' which has a great electro vibe."

Would describe it as a dance album?
"Very much so - more so than any of my other albums. What I'm planning next though is an album that's really different. I think I need to do something different now and move on from the dance stuff. I might come back to it, but I think this album is a good way to bow out of the dance sound for now. I think it's finishing on a high."

Any ideas of what sound you might take on next?
"Yes, but I won't say just in case I change my mind! It's still couple of years away, but I still like thinking about these things now."

BITTERSWEET REMIX VIDEO (Watch @ DigitalSpy)
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/thesound/a214370/freemasons-remix-sophie-e-b.html

WATCH THE ALBUM CHART SHOW HERE
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9R08ZJ55 (Part One)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3RJSWF4Q (Part Two)
(many thanks to Paul)

CONFIRMED TRACKLIST
Gay Times Magazine, May 2010 - Sophie discusses each track. (someone please buy the mag and send in a transcript)
Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)
Bittersweet
Off & On
Revolution
Starlight
Magic
Synchronised
Cut Straight To The Heart
Dial My Number
Homewrecker
Under Your Touch
Scene
(hidesebastian from the PJ forums just posted that Not Giving Up On Love is a part of the album, no need to panic)

RANDOM:
She's done a duet with The Feeling on their upcoming album. It's called "Leave Me Out Of It". Oh and there's a bit of French on Under Your Touch. And the vocoder on Under Your Touch makes it sound like a Pet Shop Boys track - very good!

Here's what i hear, if anyone wants the lyrics:

UNDER YOUR TOUCH

Come, the night is waiting
I want to waste it on you
Voulez Vous?

Come, this invitation
Is only open to you
What you got to lose?

If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again

Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)

You, you got me thinking
I'll break tradition for you
And make a move

Yeah you, my neon vision
My sole ambition to love
Let's make it true

If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again

Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)

The way you've made me fall
It isn't logical
I had a craze and now all i want is you

So don't look and see
Come put your hands on me
On and on, nobody else will do

If i could be under your touch
Nothing would take me away
Cos i've been dreaming you up
Again and again

Baby i'm so ready for love
I'm so ready for love
Want to be under your touch
(Want to be under your touch)

More about Bittersweet + slightly bigger picture from PJ + new interview

(irishguy28 is on fire!! Thanks for all of this)
7" single (2737677)
A - Bittersweet
B - Bittersweet (Freemasons Radio Mix)
CD Single (2737676)
1 - Bittersweet
2 - Sophia Loren

Sophie was interviewed on The Hits Radio. Here's the whole interview, for those who missed it.
(thanks to Paul for this)
Interview on The Hits Radio with Sophie - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RRU3WPB9

There's a slightly bigger picture of the artwork on PopJustice, thank you Mr. PJ for posting it. But i still wonder why it's so wide...

Mr. PJ's thoughts about the artwork:
Here is some Sophie Ellis-Bextor artwork.
It's BLACK AND WHITE but it's also COLOUR meaning that it is at once CLASSIC and CONTEMPORARY.
We do like the fact that 'Sophie' and 'Ellis-Bextor' are separated - it's a
separation that immediately changes the emphasis on her surname from Bextor to
Ellis. This is precisely the sort of career redefining attention to detail that
will help Soph(THAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT THANKS - ED)

AND... the moment that i have been waiting for since 5 years (at the very least) - Sophie might be branching out into Fashion!!!

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed that she would like to branch out into
fashion.
The Digital Spy website reports that the singer said to The People
that she would particularly like to design her own range of footwear.
Ellis-Bextor is quoted as saying: "I would definitely do shoes. I'm
obsessed with them and have more than 200 pairs."
She went on to say that she would like to work with a high-street store, saying: "I love Topshop. That's the sort of thing I'd like to do."
SOURCE: http://www.rte.ie/fashion/2010/0329/ellisbextors.html
ORIGINAL SOURCE: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a211105/ellis-bextor-hoping-for-own-shoe-range.html

Bittersweet - The radio response

Okay, i don't know if we should be worried or not, but it seems like the radios aren't supporting her all over again. Someone on PopJustice said:

"If you look at the Compare My Radio website, it would seem
that the only radio station supporting Bittersweet has already dropped the song.
http://comparemyradio.com/tracks/Sophie_Ellis-Bextor/Bittersweet
Scroll down to track play history.
I hope Team Sophie have some sort of back-up plan
because if this album's campaign was supposed to ride on Bittersweet than it is
not looking very good."

Now i don't know how radio stations work there, but if requests are allowed, i hope you guys are requesting for the song. Some people say that Radio 1 and Radio 2 are the major stations who have wide audiences, and without their support, it is very difficult to sell a song. Sophie was lucky with Heartbreak, even though Radio 1 didn't support her, she managed to sell in millions, and chart on the higher side of the Top20. But at least Sophie had a whole lot of performances on TV, but so far, i've seen nothing.

A friend of mine told me that Bittersweet is getting played on TV, but it was played late in the night. I haven't seen the video on VH1 or MTV as yet. Again, i don't know if i should be worried, because the single isn't out before May, so there's plenty of time for it to catch on, but can we do something about it?

I'm trying to get the local stations here to playlist the song. Here we can actually head over to the website and request the music manager to playlist a song, and based on the reactions they will continue to play it. If such a policy exists there, i suggest you guys to start requesting..

What you can also do?
- Vote for Bittersweet on the MTV Dance chart - http://www.mtv.co.uk/channels/mtv-dance/chart
- Vote for Bittersweet in this Spanish newspaper - http://www.20minutos.es/musica/top
(you can vote any number of times on both)

Anyway, now that i have calmed down a little bit, i thought i would share a little something with everybody. I requested the guy who posted the snippet of Revolution to post Under Your Touch, and he did. So you can hear a snippet of that song now - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3bkBuV58U ... it's pretty decent. But then again, i shouldn't be judging this from a clip. Anyway, he also sent me this, which has the intro to Revolution. It sounds amazing...

special thanks to KMGuy

Bittersweet - Video

Okay, so i just saw Sophie's new video on PopJustice. I'm blown away, but still somewhere in the back of my mind, i'm a tad bit disappointed. But i may change my mind. I have only watched it 8 times so far.

Watch - http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4558&Itemid=206
Better quality - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq5BQH6IDS0

SOPHIE:
1. She looks awesome
2. Loving the cream-coloured dress that she is wearing. And all the hand movements she has with the dress - very reminiscent of Take Me Home.
3. Purple (Cadburys Diary Milk) Dress is kinda neat. When it's flying in the background, it reminds me of Christina's Fighter and Girls Aloud's Sexy, No No No!
4. Not very fond of the tattoo in this video. Although it never bothered me in any of her earlier videos.

TRAMPOLINE EFFECT:
1. Amazing
2. Amazing
3. Amazing
.
.
.
99. Amazing
100. Amazing
101. When she jumps in air, for some reason, the video feels like its a cross between Goldfrapp and Evanescence. I don't even know why!

SONY BRAVIA EFFECT:
1. Haha. I love how random confetti is thrown around. Also the smoke and the paint. Beautifully done. It's almost like the video is made for a channel to pick it up for an advert. Brilliant work Chris!
2. They actually threw purple paint on her face. Oh my god! I love it!!

DANCING:
1. Hats off back-up dancers! *applauds* They deserve it.
2. Why is Sophie stupidly caressing a wall when she should be dancing!?
3. That kick-move in the first half of the video is sooooo sexy!

OUTFITS:
Perfect!

EDITING:
1. The colour schemes, the subtle hues are very pleasing to see
2. I'm not a fan of Chris' lighting work, but it may look better after a couple of views
3. LOVE the slow motion.
4. I love the concept for the beginning and the ending, but i don't like how the video is swiped in and out... it reminds me of hip-hop videos.

tweets, updates, reviews & PopJustice

So... if you thought that 9 minute mix of Bittersweet was every bit as orgasmic as pop heaven, think again. Sophie's official website uploaded a 45 second clip of the song, featuring the chorus of the song. The radio edit has so many layers..so many more instruments and sounds than the remix. This and the 30 second clip on PopJustice are enough to blow your socks off!

If that didn't get you beaming like a foolish cat, this will. Sophie finished her video with Junior Caldera. The video should be out soon. So French readers, do give us a review (and hopefully a high quality recording) of the video. Sophie has also finished the photoshoot session for the album cover. Here are a couple of her recent tweets:

1. back from paris. video with junior caldera done. macaroons eaten. merci, paris.
2. oh and i should let you know yesterday i shot my album cover. v nice photographer who made me shout out very odd stuff as he clicked.
3. and sometimes i flung my head around. sore neck today.
4. all in the name of pop.

Bittersweet which is still sitting on top of the PopJustice almighty has received a lot of positive reactions from fans world over and the press. Digital Spy gave the song a very good review. Mr. PopJustice made bittersweet his song-of-the-day; he also uploaded the chorus of the song 5 times telling us how good the song is (could it be that uploading the snippet 5 times signifies that he rated it with 5 stars?) Anyway PopJustice readers (fans on the official forum and bloggers) are wetting their pants with excitement - this can only mean one thing. Sophie has got a hit on her hands.

Play your cards right Sophie, and you can end up with a #1 which will stay in the top ten for more than 23 weeks this time!

New York Post gave Sophie a good review too -
You remember Sophie Ellis-Bextor? You know! Come on, the 23-week chart-topping brunette beauty behind "Murder on the Dancefloor?" Well the disco-light lovin' diva is back -- and this time, she can really ... shake it down.
Sophie's new single "Bittersweet" premiered last night on UK radio and it blew my man knickers off. It's the first single from her fourth studio album, co-written by the Freemasons (writer/producers responsible for some of Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Shakira and Kelly Rowland's hits) and Hannah Robinson (writer of hit-bangers from Christina Aguilera, The Saturdays and Sugababes). Yeah, you don't even have to press play to know it's already going be amazing.
Sophie tweeted about the song saying it is "about when you can't resist something that you know is bad for you. A guilty pleasure. Like watching celebrity 'Big Brother.'" Hold the hamburger phone miss thang! You like lady pop music, "Big Brother" and you Twitter... is that you in a fancy weave Jarett?
Well if it is, nice moves, the song is brilliant and I have high hopes the whole album will be just as good. Word all over the computer box is that Sophie is also working on new tracks with Calvin Harris, Groove Armada and the Sneaker Pimps. Damn-it, now I'm gonna need to go to the dentist.

PJ's song of the day - Bittersweet Radio edit (with an audio snippet)

So.. erm.. as anticipated, the radio edit is similar to the club mix that premeired on Gaydar Radio. But...

Kau: Is that out-of-this-world Eurythmics meets Depeche Mode synth on the radio edit too?
Mr. PJ: Hello. It's there, sort of, but in the background of the verses rather than as a 'prominent riff'.

However, you can hear prominent whispering in the chorus now, which i find quite sexy in a song. I can only compare it to the "ooooh"'s in New York City Lights somewhere towards the end of the song.

After being on the PJ Almighty for what seemed like forever, it has finally become the song of the day! Yay! Listen to the clip on PopJustice:
http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4509&Itemid=279
Thank you Mr. PJ!

Oh and here's what he had to say about the song:
This is a song so completely above-average that just thirty seconds will leave you holding your head in your hands while softly sobbing "why? WHY? WHY IS THIS SONG SO AMAZING? HOW, HAVING BEEN GRANTED THIS SMALL GLIMPSE INTO THE WORLD OF THE NEARLY-PERFECT POP TUNE, WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO ANOTHER SONG EVER AGAIN? DAMN YOU SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR. DAMN YOU 'BIFF AND THE FREEMASONS'. DAMN YOU FASCINATION RECORDS. DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL'.
And then, of course, you'll have a bit of a cup of tea, maybe listen to 'Bad Romance' a few times and gradually you'll start to calm down but let's be honest here, 'Bittersweet' is pretty much the complete opposite of a crap pop record.
WELCOME BACK SOPHIE.

It so totally beats Bad Romance, but whatever!

March 10th, PJ Almighty, Music Week Playlist

Junior Caldera posted on his facebook page saying that he will be filming the video for his new single Can't Fight This Feeling on the 10th of March. Sophie will be in Paris to shoot the video with him.

In a previous interview with Digital Spy Sophie said she would be filming the video for her single shortly. Maybe the lack of updates from Sophie is because she is busy with the video, organising the final tracklist and deciding the promo work.

(thanks to Egalite for posting this on the PopJustice forums)
This week's Music Week playlist had this to say about Bittersweet:
Sounding like something straight out of the Stock, Aitken & Waterman songbook, Bittersweet is a classic, synth-charged pop song that puts Ellis-Bextor in her element. It bodes well for the new album.
This could mean that promo CDs are being sent out. We're not too far away from a radio premeire now!! *excited*

Also, not sure if anyone is keeping track, but Sophie has been on top of the PJ Almighty for several weeks now. Maybe even months. That has to mean something right?! Here's wishing Sophie all the success for her new single. Hope it goes #1. Also hoping for Can't Fight This Feeling to chart somewhere inside the top 10.

Lorenzo Agius Photoshoot (sophie looks so much like Madonna)

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

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

Love the blue campaign. Very electric.

Photos by Lorenzo Agius.

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

the hype continues...Bittersweet

I'm going to copy-paste a post i found on PopJustice. I got a little excited, jumped around a little bit, but i'm going to keep calm until i hear a snippet of the song.

Hi All, OK, just got a VERY reliable tweet from someone very much in the know... The single has indeed been chosen and a pre-lim date was set for early April'10.... HOWEVER!!!! A certain Ellis-Bextor has only gone and dropped one mother-****** of a killer track to record exec that the commercial music scene is raving about.... 'Bittersweet'.... again ft Freemasons Record exec's (and prob Camp Kylie is the truth is told) do not want a re-run of Ellis -vs- whoever. Plans are now underway to either push the release forward (making my tweeter very much busier, which was the subject of our chat) .... or at worst the album is pushed right back till the end of summer, in which case will the current vibe/trend of the new material be over??? 'Bittersweet' is already being predicted to be the unforgetable song of the '10's (i.e 2010 - 2020... maybe the CGYOOMH for this new decade). Just though I'd share..... ....And this is VERY reliable, be sure of that!

Oh and BiffCo tweeted:

"Blasting Freemasons Remix of Sophies 'Bittersweet'. It's Heartbreaks bigger louder Brother!" and "Your Love is Bittersweet"

New tweet confusion.

"tomorrow in the studio to record live strings. lush."

This was Sophie's recent tweet which sparked confusion among fans again. Sophie recently announced in some interview that the album was done. And while rumours about the new single hit the internet, this tweet left fans worried about another push-back in the album. (read here)

Sophie has not said anywhere that the album will be pushed back again. The new single "Your Love Is Bittersweet" will be out soon.

I have faith in you Sophie! Wishing the best for you

GMTV & PopJustice! Interview with Sophie...

(GMTV in blue, PopJustice! in red, by the way, the PJ interview had an amazing picture of Sophie, thanks for the beautiful pic, i'm borrowing it lol)
GMTV Direct Link - http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=35618&articleaction=sendformemail#message
PopJustice! Ditect Link - http://popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3757&Itemid=9

Katie: How much harder is it having two babies than one?
It's a lot more tiring and I think the whole thing of going from nought babies to one and you think 'oh what did I do with that spare time I had before I had children?' and when you have two you think 'what did I do with that spare five minutes I had before I had two children?' I do want more children though. Three or four I think. Well, I'll have one more and see how I feel.

Sara: Has it been tough leaving the little one this morning?
It wasn't too bad this morning as I knew he was with his daddy. I was annoyed with myself as I wanted to say a big hello to them during my interview on the sofa but it just flew by! Richard did the night feed for me so I managed to get four hours sleep! He usually sleeps for six hours though, which is great for such a tiny baby! And his big brother loves him at the moment. He's a bit besotted. Don't know how long that will last! Once Kit starts moving around he might find him annoying.

Mark: Will it be some time before you tour again?
I want to tour with this album I'm working on at the moment so if everything goes really smoothly, I'll finish the album in the next couple of months and hopefully tour this autumn but I always get in trouble because I say on my fan sites that I'll be touring at so and so stage but things come up and everything takes longer than I think! But my album's three quarters done so the final quarter could be really brilliant and quick. Or I might want to change a few things and keep going.

Ray: Who worked on your album with you?
Loads of folk! Obviously the Freemasons, Calvin Harris, a Leftfield dance act called Matronomy and the guy from the Sneakerpimps. Lots of dance folk actually!

Penny: Were you really into dance music and clubbing when you were younger?
Not really actually. I was more of an indie kid. But I got the taste for it with Grooverider!

Rachel: How was turning 30 last month?
Fine, no trouble! I think I went through that transition at about 27, 28. I don't really think of 30 as being such a big thing. It's more just letting go of the early bit of your 20s. I guess I have two kids as well, so that you get grown-up in terms of responsibility but I had Sonny when I was just 25 and in some ways part of you sticks at that age and you don't lose that immaturity, which isn't a bad thing!

Charlie: Can you describe the sound of your new single? And how has it been collaborating with the Freemasons?
Contemporary disco.
They're very sweet and really funny and quick-witted, which is vital. Writing songs without humour is horrid. Pop music should have a sense of fun. Singing songs is actually a slightly absurd medium, when you think of it. It's ridiculously camp! I find when I'm songwriting it's important to keep things fresh and if you're working with people who are really serious and introspective it can almost suck the air out of the room a little. It doesn't mean you can't write a song that hasn't got meaning or soul to it. It's quite a private thing so it needs that easy atmosphere. I love it!

Stevie: Which is the friendliest city in the world you've performed in?
I have to say London is one of the friendliest places, despite its bad reputation. You get these little pockets in London that are so community-based and people do say hello and are lovely. Copenhagen's really great too and I absolutely love practically anywhere in Italy.

Alice: You look fab in the Rimmel ads! Was it hard following in Kate Moss' shoes?
I didn't really think of it like that – if I'd thought of it that way I'd have gone crazy. She's one of the most iconic faces of our generation. She's still doing Rimmel so I like to think of it as my interpretation.

Harriet: How do i get your look? Your make up's amazing!
I've worked with the same hair and make-up people for nine years and I've had a lot fun. I don't really like to repeat things and I love bright colours and to try stuff out. I like to change my lipstick and eye shadow colour as much as possible. Although I've got a couple of things I like to keep, such as my 1950s eyeliner tick.


Now Sophie. You’re back on popstar duties now.
I know.

You don’t sound very happy about that.
I quite like juggling it all. It’s alright.

That’s the spirit. It seems people are quite interested in your new single this time, though. Less of a struggle, perhaps, than usual…
Yeah everything seems to be going alright. It’s strange for me because whilst I am still working, it’s not really where my head is at. I’m still in a slightly hormonal bubble with the baby. It all seems to be looking after itself very nicely, actually…

Good. After this many years ‘on the job’…
(Sound of Sophie guffawing)

Oh dear, is that the right phrase? That might be a very wrong phrase actually. Now thoughts are drifting to the phrase ‘on the game’ but that’s wrong as well. Let’s start that again. After this many years ‘in the game’, can you tell when you’re about to have a hit record and, by the same token, when you’re not?
You can definitely tell when things aren’t going to plan and I’ve had a couple of those experiences but that’s alright as hardly anyone has an unblemished record. So it’s okay. But I think we’ve deserved a bit of a break this time and it seems to be going alright.

There seems to be a certain amount of natural enthusiasm for the single this time round… In a way that perhaps there wasn’t the last time you were on ‘the comeback trail’.
Firstly I don’t ever see myself as a comeback kind of person – it’s just that I have a life where sometimes I’m doing one thing, and sometimes I’m doing another. Even when I did my third album it wasn’t like ‘the comeback’ kind of thing. Fashions have changed loads – there was a time when there were lots of bands and boys with guitars and I’m just proud that I’ve weathered that really. It hasn’t always been easy putting out the records that I like to put out but I just stuck to my guns and now hopefully I can enjoy coming back into vogue again.

This does seems to be the year where a lot of female solo artists are making quite diverse music, but music that’s similar at least in the sense that it doesn’t sound like it’s been recorded by four blokes called something like ‘The View’.
Completely. And it seems like the dance thing has come back a lot with people like Lady Gaga and La Roux - eighties influenced electro and dance. I think it’s all good really. The wheel is turning again.

This may be tempting fate in a quite horrible way but one can’t help but feel that if you can’t make it in this climate, Sophie, you might as well pack up and go home.
(Laughter) I don’t want to do a Lisa Scott-Lee ‘if it’s not top ten I’ll quit’ speech but I think you’re right - if my next album doesn’t do well in this climate then I am a bit buggered really. Having said that, you should always feel that there’s a lot of good stuff out there and that you need to keep raising the bar. You should never feel you are entitled to be successful.

It must be tempting for you to knock it all on the head, as there are other things you are good at and that people could like you for...Are there?
I’m not so sure actually. (Laughter) I think my bow’s only got one or two strings to it really.

What strings have we got? First off: warbling.
(Laughter) Yes, warbling. And the other one… (Pauses for thought) Well, wearing make-up I think, probably.

So basically modelling, singing or maybe being on Loose Women.
Eurgh! Oh God. (High pitched squeal) Haven’t I got to wait another couple of decades before I’m that annoyed with the world?

You see what they’ve got to do is like a junior version of it. ‘Loose Girls’. But then I think we’re back to you being accused of being ‘on the game’ again. And now the interview’s all gone wrong.
Hm…

So it’s good that the new single is gearing up to sort of ‘do a ‘Groovejet’’, crow-barring you into the public consciousness before you go ‘actually while I’m here, I happen to have an album up my sleeve’. Very crafty. Some would say devious Sophie.
Devious? Don’t credit with me so much! I’ve got to finish the album first!

How close are you to finishing?
I’m about three quarters done, I’ve got a little bit more work to do.

What’s the big idea for the album?
I haven’t got a title or anything like that. It’s more genre-specific than the other albums - it’s more of a dance-pop and electro album than the other ones. With songs like ‘Heartbreak’ and ‘Off & On’, which Calvin did, they kind of set a bit of scene for the album and from that point I worked with Joe from Metronomy and the other songs needed to follow suit. I’ve also been working with Ed Harcourt, who’s an amazing songwriter, and Alison Clarkson, who’s so lovely…

You’ve said that this album doesn’t have the indie sound which you may have explored in the past, but by working with people like Ed Harcourt who are writing for it if not producing, then it seems that kind of influence is still in it somewhere. Indie-influenced dancefloor pop.
Exactly, yes. Plus artists like that quite like working on stuff takes them out of the genre that they do. So they bring those sensibilities to it but kind of take it off on a different tangent. I think that’s quite healthy and that’s kind of what happened when I did ‘Groovejet’, actually, as I’d never done anything like that before.

Lyrically, is there a theme that pulls everything on the album together? Or is it just a load of ‘woo I’m a carefree teenager going out dancing all the time’?
(Laughter) I’ve just turned thirty, I can’t sing about that any more!

Well that’s the problem, isn’t it – dancefloor pop tends, quite often, to resort of songs about actually being on dancefloors, and it isn’t always very convincing.
Let me think. (Thinks) I suppose they’re quite assertive, ‘you can’t mess with me’ sort of songs. Or sexy dance tracks, I guess. But sometimes I don’t notice any lyrical themes until I step back from it.

Are there any personal songs on the album to go along with the ‘I’m going out to have a sexy dance’ kind of stuff?
I haven’t written any songs about having babies, if that’s what you mean.

Well it doesn’t have to be a total ‘Ray Of Light’ kind of moment, but it’s just that on the last album, tracks like ‘The Distance Between Us’ did seem quite personal and were properly brilliant. And it comes back to this misconception that if you make a dance record the lyrics just have to be about going out and dancing.
Oh no that’s boring. Really boring. One of the really dancey songs is all about a stalker I had. He sends me texts now and then, sometimes late at night. They put the whole lyrics to one of my songs in a text which was pretty unnerving and quite annoying as well. So there’s a song about that.

How bad would a text message from your stalker need to be before you changed your number?
I think if they knew where I lived and started making comments like “I saw you leave you’re house at 9:59”. That would unnerve me. I do also get phone calls with a load of drunk people laughing in the background and then they hang up. That’s pretty annoying as well.

That’s the price you have to pay for being an international warbling celebrity Sophie.
(Laughter) It is a very small price to pay. I don’t feel too encumbered.

The plan moving forward now, then: the single’s out shortly. Then another single in the autumn perhaps? And then a nice album?
That is the plan. Another single and then the album. I just hope I’ve got enough time to do it. I was supposed to have finished the album in February but then I had my baby. But I’m a hard worker and I’ll get on with it. Well, I’m not a really hard worker. I’m a moderate worker.

What new music would you like to recommend to Popjustice readers?
Erm, well apart from the people I’ve been working with...? Er… (Pause) I’ll go home and think, ‘why didn’t I say that, that and that?’. The last album I remember really getting into is Vampire Weekend but that’s really old now. I genuinely have been listening to the people I’ve been working with but I can’t say that. I’m really failing here.

You are failing the most basic pop test.
My mind has gone blank. I can’t think of a single thing.

Moving on from this slightly awkward flailing around in search of recommendations, have you been keeping an eye on the chart development of La Roux?
Yes, partly because she had that song that did well and it wasn’t on Radio 1. Is that right?

Yes.
And then they had to play it.

Yes.
Good for her.

She seems a bit similar to you in a couple of respects, firstly in that she has a slightly eccentric voice that seems to divide people, but secondly in that you both have a kind of authentic spirit which you’re using to make pop music.
It’s hard for me to be objective, I suppose, but I like that song and I’m glad she’s around.

It’s hard to get a feel of where you fit in with the charts, and with your fans – you seem to fit in with the older, more old fashioned idea of pop music but you also have a foot in the newer parts of it...
I’ve never been someone who’s good at knowing their public perception and that in some ways is why I’ve steered clear of some of those celebrity reality shows. I also don’t really like the idea of entering into a popularity contest and I quite like the ignorance of not really knowing, and just getting on with making music that I think is good quality. I care about pop music enough that I just want to make quality stuff that earns its right to be part of what’s going on. Ultimately, you can’t be too proud about it. You put the music out there and whatever will be will be. If it all goes really badly then it’s probably because it wasn’t very good.

Do you really think that? That’s a very strange attitude for a musician to have – the idea that if something didn’t do well it was because it wasn’t any good. Usually it’s ‘the public didn’t understand me’ or ‘it was the label’s fault’ or something.
I’ll just continue to put out stuff that I think is genuinely worthy of being released. That’s the way you have to think. For example we’ve just sold our house and we had all these offers coming in that were much lower than the asking price because of the state of the market at the moment. So we ended up selling at a price which was probably not as good as we thought we would get. But that was obviously just what it was worth at that moment and you have to let go of all those things like ‘what could have been or should been’. It’s a bit like that with music as well in so far as you put out your music and it’s got its own destiny. Of course there are other factors as well and I do believe the good will out so if things are good enough they will find their way. I just want to put out stuff that I think is worthwhile. Remember when Oasis put out an album and someone asked Noel, ‘what’s it like?’ and he replied ‘oh, it’s the same old shit as the last one’. Well that obviously means that they don’t have a very high opinion of the people buying their music. And I don’t really like that attitude.

You were talking about the idea of people passing judgment on you. Have you ever seen any market research into what people think of Sophie Ellis-Bextor?
Funny you should say that - I once had a meeting with someone who does that kind of thing and she said ‘we could do all this for you’, just before the third album. She wanted some stupid sum for it and I just thought, I don’t really want to know. Maybe it would be beneficial but I’m hoping that the people who I’ve leant on for years, the people around me who have supported me like my manager, family and friends, I’m hoping they’ll help me out with that kind of stuff. I sometimes think too much self-awareness is not very healthy.

You can imagine Johnny Borrell, for example, sitting down for hours with all the graphs and pie charts relating to what people think of him…
I just don’t think it would suit my mindset. I’m not one of those people who would really benefit. Maybe I would look at it in ten years’ time and kick myself thinking ‘oh, if I’d known that!’ But no, I really hope that the people I go to for advice give me what I need rather than a big pile of market research where I can go “God that’s really startling! I never realized they loved that about me so much!” (Laughter)

The new Freemasons single

I feared this. The Freemasons mix is really really good, but now people are going to rant about how Sophie is trying for a Groovejet Part 2 entry, with a huge club song hitting the charts and bringing her own album with that... PopJustice already said it:

This is a bit complicated so pay attention: it's a song Sophie did with the Freemasons and Biff, and it was going to be a Sophie single (and she put one version on her MySpace), but then Real Life took over (by real life we mean babies and makeup advertisements) so now it's going to be a Freemasons single - coming out through their label, rather than Sophie's - featuring Sophie as the guest vocalist.

We suppose the idea would probably be for Sophie to have her vocals on a massive crossover club record and then, with the wind behind her, to launch her pop career off the back of it. Can't see that working etc etc etc.

I wanna stick up my middle finger to them (PJ). Sophie does NOT (repeat DOES NOT) require a huge hit with this song, her album will do fine even if this flops. Don't forget, its a Sophie song. Freemasons are only releasing it cos Sophie is going to take time and they probably don't have anything fresh and new to release so they are just mixing an old song.

Lets face facts:
FREEMASONS' TRACK RECORD:
1. Love On My Mind (#11)
2. Watchin (#19)
3. Rain Down Love (#12)
4. Nothing But Heartache (did not even chart)
5. Uninvited (#8)
6. When You Touch Me (#23)

SOPHIE'S TRACK RECORD:
1. Take Me Home (#2)
2. Murder On The Dancefloor (#2)
3. Get Over You / Move This Mountain (#3)
4. Music Gets The Best Of Me (#14)
5. Mixed Up World (#7)
6. I Won't Change You (#9)
7. Catch You (#8)
8. Me And My Imagination (#23)
9. Today The Sun's On Us (#64)

So if Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer would do really really well, like top 5 or top 3, it would only be because of Sophie (hands down!) Busface charted at #96 only because Sophie was featured on the song, none of their other singles charted!

The song (otherwise) is pretty good, from the 1 minute clip that i heard on PopJustice. I hope the radio edit is not so overdone. I still love the original to death. Sophie sounds brilliant on the original, the new mix on PopJustice has Sophie's vocals set behind all the instrumentation and sound effects, so thats what is making it sound overdone.

And like PopJustice said:

It does, of course, sound like quite a few other Freemasons tracks and mixes. In some sort of parallel World Of Wrong this might be seen as a bad thing: on Planet Popjustice it means we've got a track which sounds like EVERY AMAZING FREEMASONS SONG EVER. It's like a greatest hits album all in one song. 'Beautiful Liar'. 'Ring The Alarm'. 'Uninvited'. 'Some Of The Others Ones'. ALL IN ONE GO.

But they only missed Rain Down Love, that was one hell of a song.. You can listen to the clip on PopJustice. It's their "song of the week"