Not Giving Up On Love untagged video

Sophierazzi finally has a youtube account of it's own - http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSophierazzi.

Not Giving Up On Love (untagged, HQ) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ5HjZ-aXj4

More to come...Make sure you subscribe or keep an eye on it.

a little bit about the Sophie/Armin video

1. The video is being filmed in Ibiza. And Sophie posted a picture (left) of herself by a pool. My guess is that there's going to be a party by the pool and Sophie will be swimming and stuff.
2. Sophie and Armin approached Sophie Muller to do the video for them
3. There's going to be a boat in the video
4. This (right) was a picture taken during soundcheck for the video. My guess is Armin wants a couple of live scenes at the club with Sophie singing and him DJing at the background or something like that. It makes sense though - many of his videos have him doing a live set. Something else to take note of - Sophie's new hairstyle. I'd be okay if the video was something like.
5. Sophie posted a picture of herself swimming. Music Get's The Best Of Me part two, anyone? I'd love to see another video with Sophie having fun.

PS - totally love that outfit that she's wearing in the first picture - H-O-doubleT!!

Jacques Townhouse + album and single news

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/aug/01/sophie-ellis-bextor-sexy-hotel

If any fantasy realm ever needed an ice queen, it's Jacques Townhouse, a pop-up hotel-cum-beauty parlour "soirée" venue in central London that looks like Alice's Wonderland on a sugar high, all candy-floss trees and frosted pink cupcakes. Enter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who curated the project with hotelier David Carter and should be able to shake up this lavish fairytale with a blast of her trademark froideur.

If previous interviews are to be believed, talking to the west London pop star is like conversing with a cool breeze. So it's a relief when Ellis-Bextor, 31, turns out to be warm, chatty and animated by her surroundings.

"It appeals to my girly side," she says, surveying a landscape of powder-blue cakes. "And I think pop-ups are quite sexy." Does the promotional aspect bother her? (Jacques Townhouse is run by a cider company.) "I do find it a bit disconcerting when your name becomes a brand," she admits. "Some people are really good at packaging themselves, but that's not really me. I don't lie awake at night asking myself: 'Who is Sophie and what does she mean?'"

Right now, "Sophie" means a string of dancefloor hits since "Groovejet" early last decade, with a fourth album, Straight to the Heart, due in October. "I've been working with a lot more DJs, so it's very dance-y."

After the last album, Ellis-Bextor took time out to give birth to her second son. The only really difficult thing about juggling motherhood and pop stardom, she says, is lack of sleep. But she doesn't seem fazed. "You need to have a life outside your career. Overall, it's kept me enjoying it more," she says, contemplating a cupcake. "I don't take what I do for granted."

If you missed one important bit in that article, i'll repeat it for you. Album out in October. Sophie and Armin have the second (or third, whatever) single coming out soon. They are shooting the video in Ibiza with Sophie Muller.

Sophie's new hair colour has received a lot of good feedback. I think it's great. Maybe she got it dyed for the video. Remember her red hair in Music Gets The Best Of Me? *fingers crossed we get an amazing video*

Here are some recent pictures of Sophie from here and there

Sophie EB + Sophie Muller + Boat + Ibiza = wow!

So, Churno (BANG Showbiz) from PopJustice informed us first that Sophie Muller will be filming the video for Not Giving Up On Love. Contact Music just confirmed this:

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/sophie-ellisbextor-heading-to-ibiza-for-video_1155748

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Heading To Ibiza For Video

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is set to try and break into the trance scene and is recording a video for her dance track with DJ Armin Van Buuren in Ibiza.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will film her next video in Ibiza.

The 31-year-old singer has recorded a trance track, 'Not Giving Up', with DJ Armin Van Buuren and the pair are heading to the clubber's paradise to shoot the promo and will also perform at legendary club Amnesia.

Speaking at the launch of the Jacques pop-up Townhouse earlier in the week, Sophie told BANG Showbiz: "I'm filming the video for 'Not Giving Up' in Ibiza this weekend.

"We've got a really beautiful location. And we'll be on a boat. It's going to be directed by Sophie Muller. And then I'm going to perform with Armin at the Amnesia club, where he has a residency.

"I can't wait. It's going to be so much fun. I like Ibiza, it's really beautiful. San Antonio is not really my cup of tea but the rest of the island is gorgeous."

Discussing upcoming album 'Straight to the Heart', Sophie revealed the LP is now finished ahead of its release in the autumn.

She said: "My album is all done. It will be out in the autumn. Although that's as far as I've got in my head. I'm not very good at planning ahead, it's sort of one thing at a time."

Making of Bittersweet video

Watch the making of Bittersweet video here (click)
(thanks to Robbietoxic who posted the link on the PJ forums)

It's amazing how Chris turned something like that into the video we all have seen. AMAZING! Sophie explains the concept of the video, Chris says he's tried to portray two sides of Sophie. No one filmed the paint though, but hey - it was still worth watching.

Oh and they're using flower petals and bubbles, not just pieces of paper. Very neat. I barely observed all that in the video. *watches the video again*.. Oh, now i notice the leaves at the very end of the video.. neat!

Oh, and SEB.net finally confirmed the tracklist (but we already knew it, lol). They don' mention a vinyl release on the official site - only the CD Single and the iTunes pack. Looking forward to Sophia Loren now.

CD Single

1. Bittersweet

2. Sophia Loren

Digital EP

1. Bittersweet

2. Bittersweet (Freemasons Club Mix)

3. Bittersweet (Jodie Harsh Extended Remix)

4. Bittersweet (Freemasons Radio Mix)

5. Bittersweet (Freemasons Extended Club Mix) *exclusive to iTunes*

(thanks to Fran for the heads-up)

Can't Fight This Feeling - video

http://www.alloclips.com/video/Junior_Caldera/Video_Clip_Cant_Fight_This_Feeling-(Feat._Sophie_Ellis-Bextor - scroll down for the video
Someone please put the damn thing on youtube. That site takes forever to load.

PLOT:
Sophie arrives in a car to a party where the paparazzi blind her with the lights. She looks around to find her love interest, finds him abd smiles.

Begin Love story - A little girl who poses while her mother takes a picture of her on a polaroid. It's her birthday, and there's this little boy who gifts her a necklace with what i assume is a supposed to be a disco-ball-pendant.

All this is happening while Sophie is sitting on the sofa reminiscing about the past. Then the chorus kicks in, Sophie enters the club, meets Junior, who is at the deck. And the camera focuses on the crowd dancing. There are snippets of Sophie singing on the sofa.

The second verse sees the little girl who is a teenager now. They're at party again, and they're looking into each others eyes. Somewhere towards the end of the verse, its all flash-back again where the little girl hands a vinyl to a little boy who is DJing at the birthday party. And she karaokes along. The scene shifts to the teenager who is now doing the same thing at her party. And then to Sophie who is doing the same thing at Junior's party. More dancing and some scenes with Sophie on the sofa follow.

As the middle 8 kicks in, Sophie begins to cry. The little girl goes away, so does the teenager and Sophie's already in another room. The little boy now goes in search of the little girl, the teenage boy does the same and finally Sophie's love interest in the video does the same.

Finally, the guy finds Sophie and the video ends.

THEME:
I think its supposed to be the story of a girl and guy who have liked each other since they were kids, but it took the guy so many years to finally propose. I like the little girl in the video, she can play Sophie at a young age. But the teenager looks nothing like Sophie.

Overall, its a decent video. So much better than what i expected.

More importantly, i'm just amazed that we've had two Sophie videos in the same week. This is what heaven feels like, i suppose!

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.

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*

more about the Bittersweet video

Sophie tweeted saying "video shoot great. a lot of trampolining, a spot of hula hooping, a ton of wind machines and a bucket of paint over the head to end the day."
Not sure if i should get excited about this or not. I don't want to jump to conclusions. Hoping the video will turn out to be totally amazing!
I just hope its a video where Sophie is enjoying herself, something like Music Gets The Best Of Me. Cos somehow i can't put the song and trampolines and hoops together, it doesn't make any sense in my head. I do hope the dance routines are interesting..... *prays for more hip thrusting actions*

A teaser picture from the video for Bittersweet

1. It isn't a very clear picture, but that dress looks just alright. I was hoping for something very chic.
2. Seems like she's going with the long hair again.
3. And my god is that a trampoline? This video is going to be a shocker - hula hooping, trampoline etc.,
Looking forward to the video!

Also to clear out the confusion about the radio edit. The radio edit hasn't leaked. Everyone who are judging Bittersweet by the Freemasons Remix Edit should stop doing so. I doubt if the Freemasons Remix Edit is an official edit in the first place. It's very rough and it seems more like a the work of a fan.




The video and the song will be on TV and radio soon, so please be patient. Enjoy the Freemasons and Jodie Harsh Mix for now.

And just so you don't forget, this is what the Can't Fight This Feeling video is going to look like. The picture to your right is Junior Caldera with Sophie on a couch. That dress she's wearing here in the Can't Fight This Feeling video is probably far better than the one she is wearing for Bittersweet. Or maybe its just the quality of the picture...

Can't Fight This Feeling - video idea, pictures etc.,

First of all, thank you Charlie for the heads-up. All information borrowed from the La Bextor blog. I do not own any pictures and i take no credit for any information.

Apparently, the idea for the video is very simple - partying, retro, love. Junior is featuring DJing, there's a little dancing too. And Sophie is doing what she does best - looking absolutely fantastic!! Watch out for March 26th, that is when the video premeires on the telly. (French fans, are you reading??)

You will find the pictures on the La Bextor blog. Here's the link: http://labextor.blogspot.com/2010/03/mas-fotos-de-cftf.html

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.

The latest catch-up + Tweet confusion

So the latest tweet left us in confusion. Sophie recently confirmed that the album would be called "Make A Scene" but now she wants to change it? Personally, i love the title. I hope it's just some idiot who hacked into her account. Anyway, here are her recent tweets (and one by Sophie HQ)

1. just come out of a shop where 'i like the way you move' was playing...surely the creepiest song ever.
2. Anyone got a question for Sophie? We're doing our latest Q&A for the official site at lunchtime today, so bang 'em over... SophieHQ
   (tweet your questions - http://twitter.com/SophieEB)
3. busy time starting... off to dublin to dj, back for album photos then two videos to film next week. lordy. no rest for wicked etc.
4. the two video are: Can't Fight this Feeling in Paris with dj caldera and Bittersweet in blighty. x
5. Changing the album title. Make A Scene not good enough! Will get back to you...
   

And now for the official catch-up

Hello Sophie, how are you?
Not too bad, thank you.

Are you busy today?
Not really, actually. It's the quiet before the storm, because next week is pretty absurd. It's all good, but it's all coming in one week.

What are you doing?
Well, Richard and I are going off to Ireland on Friday to DJ on Friday and Saturday night. We come back on Sunday and then on Monday I'm doing all the photos for the single and album cover. Then Tuesday I'm doing press photos. Then Wednesday I'm in Paris cos there's this dance record that I've done with a French DJ. It's the fourth single from his album and it's doing quite well, so I'm filming a video there.
Then Thursday, back in London, I've got a dance rehearsal, because on Friday I'm filming my video for Bittersweet. Then I go to Meribel on Saturday for The Feeling's Little World festival.

Blimey. That really is busy.
I know, it's a bit ridiculous. This week has been quite quiet, but I feel like I've got a lot of nervous energy, cos I'm waiting to get started. But I think I'll just need to get my head down, work hard and then get to Meribel and have lots of cheese, red wine and fun.

So, you're making two videos in three days?
That's right! It's good that I've got a day inbetween - they were originally going to be back to back. So I'll probably just go into the dance rehearsal on the Thursday for a couple of hours and take it quite easy. And because I'm just "featuring" in the French track, I don't feel the responsibility is so much on my shoulders.

Are you happy with the album cover photos you've done before?
Actually, with the album covers, I think I've been incredibly spoilt, because I've used the same company for everything I've done. It's a design company called Michael Nash. And I just completely trust them.
They've always managed to pick these photographers that are on their way up. We've been very lucky. The first album was done by these photographers called Mert & Marcus and they've gone on to great things. So, yeah, I feel like I've always landed on my feet with photographers. Next week we're working with a young photographer called Ben Weller whose work is lovely. I have a good feeling about it.

SOURCE: SEB.net

Sophie MAY be shooting not one, but two videos!

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

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

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

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

Heartbreak: Video Review

Here's the video in HQ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWkP-mt_bOk

My Review:

The beginning, which i thought was lame initially is actually brilliant. It gives you the feeling that you've just stepped into a disco. And then there's Sophie in front of bright light, which is like they're trying to unveil Sophie. And then you have Sophie's face closed in, with the bright light behind her, highlighting her lovely cheekbones and her beautiful skin.. not to mention her eyebrows which constantly tease the camera.

The camera then focusses on Sophie in a place with no light, with the mic in front of her... subtle make up, hair neatly brushed and a white dress, which i think is very classy.. Sophie starts to do her hand movements, while her eyes do most of the acting job. I think Sophie is a brilliant actress, she can say so much just with her eyes. Man she's gorgeous!!

Here and there you have these random lights, which i think is supposed to portray the laser beams in a disco. Nicely done. I never liked them in the beginning, but now after watching the video in HQ, i think the video would look terribly incomplete without it.

Then as the chorus starts approaching, you have Sophie. The chorus has Sophie doing a bit of a routine, she's moving her body, her hands, her hips.. i only wish she'd move her feet as well. The backup dancers are doing a great job there with the footwork. But compared to the Sophie who never used to dance, this is such an improvement!! I love this Sophie.

Anyone think this move is something like the Green Light thing.. i mean, its a simple hip move, but so lovely to watch. Even when Beyonce did the hip movement thing on Green Light, i loved it.. Anyway..

Now you have more of the lights randomly passing by every now and then. But watch the white light carefully. Everytime the white light goes across, you see Sophie doing a different thing..and the backup dancers as well. Observe carefully..

Coming to the hair and make up, both wild. Make up is very Sophie signature, bright lips, bright eyes. Hair looks wild, its brushed back forming this lump and the sides are neatly set, curling inwards.. The dress is sexy. Kudos to whoever chose that dress for her. I don't know why people made such a fuss about the tatoo. It looks perfectly fine. I mean, i've comletely forgotten Sophie's hand without the tatoo. I love it..

As the second verse comes in, you have Sophie solo again, moving her hands and the mic, and lights randomly going around.. I love the close-ups.. They are brilliant. Sophie looks breath-taking..

The second chorus sees the bright colourful lights forming a pattern. Now this is nice. I like this chorus better than the previous.. And if you pause and observe carefully at various places, you will see how cleverly the video has been overlapped, one bit at a time. Chris Sweeny has actually done a wonderful job with this. Poor fellow must have been heartbroken when he got the initial reviews from fans.. the video is actually brilliant..

As the middle 8 comes in, you have Sophie in the James bond style silhouette thingy. Very nicely done. And wow, Sophie's figure is so perfect.. She's a pussycat, isn't she?? You have this hip thrusting move which she's doing, which i think is so sexy.

The last chorus is the most colourful of all.. Very nicely done.. Again, observe it in bits, you'll see how much effort is put into this video..

The end is quite simple, the camera closing in with Sophie posing confidently with the mic and the backup dancers bending, ending their routine..

BRILLIANT VIDEO!!
i give it a complete 10/10!!

Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer - my review

"HEARTBREAK (MAKE ME A DANCER)" has probably been on of the most highly anticipated collaborations of the year. It brought together posh pop Sexy Ellis-Bextor and the new sensation Freemasons, the production team whih previously worked their magic on Kylie's "The One", Kelly Rowlands "Work" and Beyonce's "Green Light", "Ring The Alarm", "Déjà Vu" and "Beautiful Liar". Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) seems to be a sum of it all, the best from all their previous work put into one song.

The song comes with a great new video from Chris Sweeny, with an electrifying performance from Sophie. As if looking simply like a goddess was not enough, Sophie has bit of a dance routine which she pulls off with style. If those James Bond movie makers are watching this video, they know who the next "bond girl" is.. The special effects in the video are worth watching over a million times. Its a simple yet effective affair which finds Lady Bextor teasing the camera and throwing sleek, chic shapes. Its the perfect accompaniment to this stomper of a song.

Sophie will be doing a live public appearance at G-A-Y, Heaven in London on the 20th of June. The song is out digitally on the 21st and physically on the 22nd.

Is this going to take Sophie to whole new heights? Is this going to make the Freemasons finally worth all the hype. Is Sophie going to get her second #1 with this? Only you can tell... Make sure you get your copies, cos this time its doubly important - not just for Sophie, but for the Freemasons as well.

Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer: Video Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1wnAaIVvcs

When i first saw the video, my jaw dropped. I've already watched it over 50 times, and i'm crazy about the video. But here are my thoughts:

1. It had a stupid start, with the light effect on the walls.. lame. I would have preferred the name FREEMASONS in lights on a background and immediately changing to SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR and Sophie is in the shadow in front of the light, and when she begins saying "heartbreak heartbreak", the signboard should have read HEARTBREAK (MAKE ME A DANCER)... now that is what i call a beginning to a video which is like this

2. The whole "special effects" is crap. Why are the lights going on Sophie's face? I wish the lights were in the background, on the walls only, and Sophie and the back-up dancers were in the foreground. That said, the light effect during the second chorus is amazing. I wouldn't change anything there. The whole concept is to have the lights building up towards the end of the video. But i don't see why it should cover Sophie's face.

3. Sophie looks amazing as usual. And bravo for her acting skills. She portrays emotions so well. And i'm also glad she's dancing more than she did on her solo videos (apart from MOTD of course). Its definitely an improvement. Its a video which will get you watching it over and over again. Non-story, non-concept, random videos are the ones that get played the most

4. The silhouette look during the breakdown etc., is amazing. I've always wanted Sophie to do something like that and i'm really glad she finally did it! She looks awesome as a Silhouette. I wish she would do more of that in the future

5. The end is epic!!

6. The back-up dancers did a very good job.

7. Sophie's make up, clothes, hair are perfect for the video.

In all, i'd probably rate the video 7.5/10 and an extra 0.5 just for Sophie's determination to do the video just 2 months after her pregnancy.

A catch-up with Sophie

As the release of Sophie's new single with the Freemasons approaches, we gave her a call to chat about the track, as well as baby Kit and future album plans...

Hello Sophie, how's it going?
Really good thank you.

How's baby Kit?
He's very sweet and lovely. He's still tiny though. All his milestones are from his due date, rather than from when he was born. So even though he's nearly 12 weeks old, he's not smiling or anything like that, because he's still like a three week old really. It's quite good though, cos you get the cute tiny baby for longer!

And as well as a new baby, you've got a new single - Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer).
I know, it's funny. I was literally in my hospital bed when my manager was going, "So, it looks like the Freemasons thing is happening. Do you think you'd be able to do a video in April?" But I'd had to cancel a lot of things when I got ill and had Kit, so it was actually quite nice to have something to look forward to. And it felt like quite far off. Although it obviously came round very quickly!

There was some sort of talk in the papers that you'd jumped straight out of a hospital bed into a studio to record vocals for The Feeling. Presumably that wasn't quite the case.
No, not at all. We've got a little studio in our house and I was just pottering around in-between Kit's feeds and did a bit of singing for them. It was very easy and very quick.

So your work commitments aren't too heavy at this point?
No, they're really not. I've done a couple of days of press for the single and the video, but now it all goes quite quiet until nearer the release, which isn't until mid-June. Although having said, I do really want to get the album finished, so I might do some songwriting in May.
But it's all very gentle and I'm not going to work too hard. I'm still feeding Kit myself, so I'm never too far from him.

And making videos is presumably quite fun?
Absolutely! It was lots of fun. I love having Kit and Sonny, but sometimes it's nice to do something which stimulates a different side of your brain. I think it's quite healthy, to be honest.

Did the video go well?
Really well. It was a lovely team. The director was called Chris. I hadn't worked with him before, but he was really nice and very relaxed and knew exactly what he wanted to achieve, which is always very reassuring. And it was good to do a proper dance video, with proper dancers. I haven't done anything like that for ages. It was lots of fun.

Did you have to dance?
I'd say I was more moving than dancing! It wasn't full-on choreography for me.

When will the video be ready?
Well, I saw a rough version this morning. But they've got to do quite a lot of clever tricks with light on it. It's shaping up really well, though.

And it's already been on Radio One.
Yeah, they really like Freemasons. They are brilliant, though. I genuinely love what they do.

But it was a co-write between all of you?
Yes, myself, the Freemasons and a guy called Biff who I've done songs with before. He used to write for the Spice Girls and I did a song called New York City Lights with him. I always like writing with him, cos he jumps around a lot and he's very enthusiastic. In a weird way, the song feels more relevant now than it did when it was written last year. Pop is dominating the charts again, so everything I'm working towards feels even more appropriate. So I'm pretty happy.

Are the Freemasons on the same label as you?
No, they're on their own label. But everything's been surprisingly easy to sort out. Well, unless I've just been kept in the dark about a lot of stuff! But, no, it all seems to have come together really naturally. With the third album, I spent three years working on it really hard, but this time everything's coming together a lot quicker.
I think sometimes it's quite helpful that my priority is Kit and Sonny and home life, so the work stuff has to fit around that. It seems to work more smoothly that way.

Your picture on the single artwork has a certain Betty Boo quality to it.
Do you think? I definitely take that as a compliment! I suppose she went through a similar '60s look with her second album. I liked that album, actually, particularly Love Hangover - very under-rated.

So, do you have a whole promo schedule lined up for the single?
Absolutely. There's talk of GMTV and suchlike. I'll be getting out of my bed early for that one...

Does Kit sleep well?
Not really. He goes anything from two to four hours between his feeds.
He's six pounds now, but he's still very little, so he's only got a tiny tummy.

We shouldn't forget Sonny, who's just turned five!
Yeah, he's all puffed up about that, it's really sweet. In fact, last night I noticed he hadn't gone to bed and his light was on, at about half past nine. So I went into his room and he was sat there on the edge of his bed putting on Spiderman aftershave! Obviously in his mind he's a man now.

Talking of birthdays, you turned 30 recently.
Yeah - and Richard did too. We're all grown up! We didn't really do anything too spectacular, because of the baby. But we're hoping to have a big thirty and a half party later in the year.

Are you making good progress on your new album?
Absolutely. I've got some really good stuff and we're nearly there, but I think I probably need another two or three songs. There are a couple of collaborations in the offing which might be quite good. We'll see. It's all a matter of people's diaries tallying up. I always get in trouble for saying when things are coming out, because then they change. But if everything goes to plan, I'm hoping to put out another single after Heartbreak, maybe in August and then have the album out later this year. That's the intention, anyway.

Can you give us any hints about those collaborations?
Both blokes. One an urban British male and the other a more sort of leftfield, indie American male. But we'll see. They both started the ball rolling from their side, so there's definitely a good chance of it happening.

Finally, you've got over 3,000 people following you on Twitter now.
I know! Why?! Actually, Richard's a bit jealous that I've got more followers than The Feeling. I think it's just because I'm more interesting. Well, that's what I tell him anyway!

The Freemasons/Sophie video update (Part three)

Here are a few pictures from the video shoot, in the form of a slideshow with the single backing it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZIDeJPbHLE

Sophie looks so fierce

more details on Heartbreak's release

I'm loving all this hype for the single. I don't think Freemasons or Sophie have ever done this in the past. Its nice to know they're taking the extra mile to ensure this hits the charts.

The song has already been added to the C-list this week on Galaxy, and hit #1 on the Cool Cuts chart.

But it isn't going to get a release anytime soon. The release date has been pushed back to 21st June. Here's what the Freemasons had to say on their MySpace blog:

"First of all apologies for not being in touch recently - we had such an amazing time in Australia at Mardi Gras and across the continent in some great clubs and ever since we got back it's been go go go to get the single ready, do the video (although that was mainly Sophie to be fair!), get cracking on our mix album 'Shakedown 2' and also start writing and producing for a very special lady (but we can't say who yet...). Anyway here is the sleeve for 'Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)' , how gorgeous does Sophie look? Believe us when we say she is exactly the same in person. The release date has had to be put back just a week, it's now 21st June, because the video is taking much longer than anticipated - there's loads of post-production special effects being done to make it look spectacular. Can't wait? Neither can we!"

They have also added a snippet of the song on their MySpace. I'm not too sure about the beginning of the song, its very brash. To be honest, i preferred the way the demo opened slowly with a beat. I hope the final radio edit has a good opening.

This is going to be massive! YAY!!