Sophie in The Sunday Times, 13/02/2011

Time and place: Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Blue Peter and the Beatles gave the singer a taste for performance while being
raised by divorced parents in west London

Interview by Sarah Ewing
Published: 13 February 2011

I was four years old and an only child when my mum, the TV presenter Janet Ellis, and dad, the director Robin Bextor, divorced in 1983. We’d been living in Hampton, Middlesex, in a house they’d bought when I was born. Mum soon remarried a lovely man, John. My stepbrother, Jackson, came along in 1987, followed by Martha in 1991.

Mum’s post-divorce home was in Ravenscourt Park, west London. It’s a big old Victorian house, where we each had our own rooms. I plastered the walls of my wardrobe with black-and-white shots of Hollywood hunks like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix.

I was just starting my second year at school when we moved in; Jackson, who’s now 23, has graduated to my big room, the lucky bloke. The house was perfectly situated beside the park, Jackson’s nursery and the local primary. We walked through the park to get to school; adjacent are the arches where I’d hang out as a teenager, and under which I remember opening my A-level results.

Over the years, Mum and John have commissioned some unique pieces of art, which are dotted aroundthe house. Two years ago, Mum appeared on Cash in the Attic, and blanched when she was told what some of them were now worth.

The house was always teeming with people because of Mum’s open-door policy. I loved that it was full of life and laughter, as I hope my new home nearby will be. The kitchen was the hub: I once came home from school and found Mum and Nerys Hughes filming a cookery segment for Blue Peter. I just barged in and said, “Excuse me, Nerys, I’m trying to get to the tuna.” As special time for just the two of us, Mum used to take me to a local cafe for hot chocolate and cake.

I now live 10 minutes away, in a five-bedroom detached house in Chiswick, with my husband, Richard Jones, guitarist in the Feeling, and our two boys, Sonny, 6, and Kit, 18 months. Sonny has just started at the primary school nearby, where Jackson and Martha went, and I take Kit to the park where I played as a child. It’s as if I’d never left home.

Dad moved around a fair bit after the divorce, mostly in west London, but he eventually settled in a beautiful 16th-century thatched cottage in a Sussex village. When I was growing up, he always had music playing in his house, like the Beatles and the Doors, and his love was a great influence on my career choice. His passion was infectious — even though he was tone deaf. We’d get really excited when new albums came out, and listened to them while playing Sorry or Cluedo.

He’s been in his latest cottage for five years with his new wife, the TV producer Polly Mockford, and their children, Dulce, 13, and the twins, Maisie and Bertie, 12. It’s been a fresh start, precipitated by his purchase of a restaurant, Moonrakers, in Alfriston. My best friend is from there, so I felt like I knew it before Dad moved in.

Because I travel so much, doing gigs and DJing, my free time is erratic. I try to visit Dad with the boys once every two months. His cottage is wonderful: you can get there easily from London, but it feels like proper countryside. I love all the green space on our visits, and the sea is nearby in Brighton.

Divorce is never easy on a child, but my parents made me feel loved and welcome no matter where they were.

Sophie supports the baby charity Tommy’s; www.tommys.org. Thanks to an Asda Foundation grant, midwives give free advice on the Pregnancy Line; 0800 014 7800

Have you seen the new Rimmel pictures?

The one with the red streak on her hair looks amazing. The bronzed look makes her look sort of Dannii Minogue-ish, no? I like her pale skin look better than this bronze tan.

Both pictures are gorgeous as ever.

Sophie @ The Elle Style Awards & BRIT Awards

Sophie in SHE MAG

thanks to Paul for the scans.

'IT HASN'T ALL BEEN PERFECT - BUT IT'S BEEN WORTH IT'

Music career, modelling contract, husband and family - at 31 Sophie Ellis-Bextor sure has got it all. If you're talking about things to juggle, that is. She tells Louise Gannon why she wouldn't have it any other way.

When Sophie Ellis-Bextor tips up at the south London studio for our shoot, looking fresh-faced and gorgeous in a vintage tea dress, it would be easy to think 'why Sophie - and why SHE?' After all, on the face of it, she has little in common with your average working woman. Her porcelain beauty and coltish figure show no signs of having. But Sophie has fitted a lifetime into the past 12 years - career, marriage, family - and within minutes of her arrival, she's embroiled in a passionate discussion about work/life effectiveness and talking like an old soul. Busy and loving it? You betcha.

What's more, Sophie is refreshingly unstarry, batting off the attentions of the hair stylist and laughing uproariously at the idea that she has any sort of a master plan for her life. 'Oh Lord!' she says, 'I am the woman with absolutely no plan. I have no idea what the future is going to bring; all I know is it's up to me to be ready for whatever happens. If life has taught me anything, it's that there is never any point in thinking you can control what's going to happen to you. You just have to be prepared to take it on, whatever it is, and make the best of it. If I have any motto, it's just "keep on keeping on going".' Which is intriguing, coming as it does from a woman who seems to have actually managed to have it all... fame, a critically acclaimed career, a modelling contract with Rimmel, a happy marriage to rock star Richard Jones (bassist in The Feeling), two cute little boys... Surely, you don't get all of this without knowing what you're doing? She shrugs. 'I don't think there's any point in having a life that isn't as full and rich as you can make it. But I believe a lot of that is to do with not having a plan and just taking everything that comes along and running with it. I tend to do what feels right, rather that what people think is the right thing for me to do.'

Sophie certainly took an unconventional route when it came to starting a family. 'People were surprised when I got pregnant with Sonny (now seven) when I was 24. Richard and I had been together for six weeks, we both had our careers and then, bang, I was pregnant! That definitely wasn't planned, but I was thrilled because I always wanted to have children, and we were in love and so happy. I wasn't thinking about what was best for my career, I was just focused on becoming a mother. I know a lot of women who want to wait for the right time, but what if that right time never comes?'

Despite her apparently gilded exterior, Sophie has faced tough moments over the past few years. During her pregnancy with Sonny, she suffered from pre-eclampsia and went into labour eight weeks early. At four months, Sonny then contracted life-threatening meningitis. Then when Sophie got pregnant two years ago, she suffered from pre-eclampsia again and baby Kit was born by emergency caesarean 12 weeks early, weighing just three pounds. Once more, her first weeks of motherhood were spent unable to cuddle her son but gently touching him through tubes and wires in a neonatal unit. She's not one to dwell on the bad times, though. 'What I think about is what we have now. Kit is amazing - a big sturdy boy who is full of energy. When he was born, he was so tiny with this enormous head - I called him "my beautiful little alien". I'm incredibly proud of my family, we went through a lot to get what we have and I never for a moment forget that. If everything went tomorrow - if no one wanted to see me perform, or my phone stopped ringing - I'd still be happy, because I'd have Richard and the boys.'

There's something genuinely warm and wise about Sophie. Make-up artist Lisa Laudat, who has worked with Sophie for a decade, describes her as being 'a really special girl. We've been all over the world together and she is happy to hang out and have a laugh. Sophie is always lovely company.' She has a super-loyal fanbase spanning the globe (particularly Russia), and she's constantly in demand for live performances and tours.

Sophie has been famous for a long time. Her mother, the former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis, scandalised the television industry in the Eighties by becoming pregnant (with her second child after she split from Sophie's father Robin Bextor), despite not being married. Sophie remains very close to her stepbrother and stepsister (Jack, 22, and Martha, 19) and both parents. On the top of her right arm is tattoo of the word 'family' written across a large sailor-style heart. 'I had it done for my wedding. I thought it pretty much summed up everything that was important to me,' she smiles. 'For me, it means relatives and friends who have become my family.'

Sophie was just 18 when she signed her first record deal with her band Theaudience. 'I sat my A-levels, then went out of my school, got a bus to my record company and signed a contract.' Theaudience was an instant hit. Her face was on the cover of every credible music magazine and their debut album received nothing but rave reviews. 'It was a hell of a learning curve,' she says. 'You think it's wonderful to be this instant success, but within 18 months it all went wrong; the label lost interest, everyone lost interest. By the time I was 20, it was all over - no label, no band, nothing. It was a good lesson to learn straight away though; don't get fooled by the hype, and take everything with a pinch of salt. It also taught me to take responsibility for myself and just try to keep on keeping on.'

Within a year, she'd hooked up with Italian DJ Spiller for the dance hit Groovejet (If This Ain't Love). Sophie was pitted against Victoria Beckham as the 'real Posh' (by dint of having grown up in the royal borough of Richmond) and beat her to the top of the charts. 'It was an insane time,' Sophie recalls. 'I was in every paper with Victoria Beckham - even on the Six O'clock News! I just kept thinking, "This is amazing publicity, bring it on!" Of course, I also thought it was hilarious that there was supposed to be this huge feud between me and Victoria, when we'd never even met. The second time round, I realised you just had to sit back and enjoy the ride and take it all for what it is.'

Fame, she says, has not changed her life. It was love that did that, when she finally fell for her friend Richard Jones. On paper, it just shouldn't have worked. They began dating, she got pregnant within a matter of weeks, but seven years on, there is no sign of any itch. 'I never believed in that whole "we were friends first" idea,' she admits. 'But I knew Richard because he was in my band for a year and a half before The Feeling got together. We'd always talk and I honestly never thought of him in any romantic way. But he was the one I'd confide in with all my relationship problems. When I split from my boyfriend [her former manager Andy Bond], he was the one I wanted to talk to. Then a few months passed and he split from his girlfriend and we started spending time together. I just happened. Richard wanted to do things properly, he didn't want to drift into a relationship. He wanted to go out on dates; on our first date he arrived at my door with flowers and took me to a restaurant. We managed to keep it secret for six weeks and then I found out I was pregnant. I remember being shocked but also knowing deep down that it was right. My mum told me it may not be the right time but it was definitely the right baby, and she was right,' she smiles.

Her own parents divorced when she was four and Sophie says she'll do anything to make sure she and Richard remain together. 'Divorce is just crap for kids. My gift to my own is that I don't ever want them to have to go through that. My mum also told me that your kids have to come first, but never forget your husband. I don't. You have to invest in your marriage. Richard and I do date nights, we go out, we eat, we laugh. We remember we're still young and we're in love.'

'Richard has definitely changed me. He supports me and encourages me, and he doesn't have a jealous bone in his body, which I love. We've been through some big traumas and he's been by my side every step of the way, and I know that both of us share the same values. We have our family and we love what we do - music is a huge part of our lives and whether or not anyone wants to come and listen, it's still something we both have to do.'

Sophie has just finished her latest album, Make A scene. For the past few months, she's been in Russia, Indonesia and Europe promoting it, and she took Sonny on tour. 'He's not fazed by what I do,' she says. 'It's just normal to him. What he loved was being with me in hotels, ordering room service, and seeing different countries. I felt so privileged to be able to do that with him.'

On top of everything, Sophie continues to model (she has fronted a campaign for Monsoon and is the face of Rimmel) but, for some reason, she still thinks she's a bit of a slacker. 'There are people out there who do the whole branding thing - look at Dannii Minogue doing The X Factor, you have to hand it to her. There's a part of me that's a bit lazy, I don't push myself that much... If Simon Cowell asked me to join his panel, I'd definitely say 'yes', but I don't seem to have that extra muscle to put myself out there. Maybe I'm a bit too English,' she laughs.

It's more likely that she doesn't see herself as anything special. 'I do a lot of juggling, like millions of other mums,' she says. 'I give myself crazy schedules - dates in Russia followed by coming home and rushing out to a housewarming, then cooking for 18... Something has to give; for me, it's sleep. I generally manage on very few hours. I'm not a great sight in the morning, but luckily I'm with a man who always knows the right thing to say.'

She is, however, in remarkable shape. 'I'm thinner than I was before I had kids. I don't know why. I think it's genetic. I know what I'm going to look like when I'm older because I'm pretty much identical to my granny Sybil [on her father's side]. I get my long shins and pale skin from her - I missed out on her bigger boobs, though. Apart from that, I'm pretty happy.'

Sophie's new single with Armin Van Buuren, 'Not Giving Up On Love' is released on 7 March.

Sophie on the radio + new tweets

Dear @SophieEB if #MakeAScene #StraightToTheHeart or whatever u finally decide to name ur album isn't out by summer, i'll stop being ur fan
@carlosiberri well thanks for the threat ;-) but the album WILL be out by summer.

Has Sophie used CAPITAL LETTERS in her tweets before?
Has she used a smiley before? :o

And a treat for her Latin American fans:

• i hear you, latin american fans. i will come and see you. x
• woah that opened the floodgates! ok ok i will come to see all of you. have passport, will travel. x

Sophie is finally promoting the song on the radio. And the good thing is some stations are playing her song. Gaydar has A-listed the song as well. You can still keep voting for Sophie on Gaydar and MTV Dance. The links are in my previous post.

Here are some radio interviews:
Many thanks to Paul and Renzo for these interviews.

Interview on The Extra Big One (KMFM Extra)
Interview on The Extra Big One (KMFM Extra) by RenzoMV

Interview on Total Access
Interview on Total Access by RenzoMV

Interview on BBC Radio 2
Interview on BBC Radio 2 by RenzoMV

Sophie & Armin are #2 on MTV Dance.

So i have been voting religiously, and i hope everyone else have been voting as well. Sophie & Armin FINALLY entered MTV Dance at #2. Please keep voting for them so they stay at #1 for a long time. Help promote Sophie's new UK Single - "Not Giving Up On Love"

VOTE FOR SOPHIE:
@ Gaydar - http://www.gaydarradio.com/
@ MTV Dance - http://www.mtv.co.uk/channels/mtv-dance/chart

Sophie interviewed by Gaydar Radio

(thanks to Paul)
Sophie was interviewed by Phil Marriott on Gaydar Radio, 27 January 2011.

Are you a "morning person"?
No I'm not. Left to my own devices I'd go to sleep quite late - probably about 1 or 2, and sleep in. But I don't really have much choice in it often.

Yes, because we know you have been doing a lot of club dates and you have been DJ-ing too. But you were touring last month as well.
Yes I was. For the first time in ages - and I loved it! It was brilliant and I plan to do lots more of it this year.

This collaboration. We've got to talk about this because it is amazing. Everyone's talking about the album which is coming out in March, I believe?
Well, the single is coming out in March, and the album will follow in the spring.

Brilliant! Because people are saying, and I told everyone here and on FaceBook - "When is the album coming out?" - that's the big question on everyone's lips. Is that starting to annoy you now?
No. I just wish I could give a really specific answer. But the album is all mastered and it will be coming out. I think it's looking like May. So that's why I say "spring" because it's kind of all-encompassing for that time of year.

Not so specific like you're naming a date exactly, or a week.
No. That's what I've done in the past, and I end up getting myself rather unpopular.

Tell us about the collaboration, because this is fascinating. We love it, we stuck it straight on the A-list. Armin van Buuren is the guy behind it that you've got your vocals on there. We know it's not the first collaboration you've done with dance producers because you've worked with Spiller, Junior Caldera, Freemasons.... Why Armin?
When I was writing the last record I worked with these lovely girls called The Nervo Sisters. Very enthusiastic, talented Australian songwriters. They wrote When Love Takes Over with David Guetta.

Ah, that's Mim and Liv, isn't it.
Yes, Mim and Liv. They know everybody in the dance scene. They were talking a lot about Armin. I must confess I didn't know that much about him, and I was intrigued by what they were saying. They had these tracks, and they said, " We'll play them to you". I just loved one of them - it had something inherent that just appealed to me. I've always been a person who doesn't mind what genre something comes from; if it resonates with me then it's worthwhile doing it. I was quite intrigued by doing a Trance track, because I've done a lot of House, Electo and Disco. Trance has always been this other genre of dance I've never really explored. I'm not sure if it's a typical example of Trance in a lot of ways because I actually think Not Giving Up On Love has a lot of pop sensibilities. But that being said, when I've been singing at some of Armin's concerts we do a remix of it which is definitely a lot more like the authentic Trance sound. It's really different for me, and it's massive - he's massive! In fact the number one DJ in the world, four times in a row now.

Yes, he's big business. Voted Number One DJ four years in a row in DJ Mag. It's quite an emotional track. I think in a lot of ways it is very trancy because it tugs on the old heart-strings, doesn't it!
Yes, It's got that thing that I always love in any music. A bit of wistfulness. I'm a big fan of that. A bit of melancholy, please.

Me too. I'm a soppy old queen
[both laugh] I love that! A little tug, as you say.

How does he compare to working with producers like The Freemasons, whom you've worked with in the past? Is he different in many ways?
Well, with track we did, I would say not so much, because he also does the thing that I believe makes The Freemasons so celebrated. They're really good at letting the melody do what it's supposed to do. I think when you produce a vocal track as a DJ, it should not be about your ego; it should be about letting the song do what it's supposed to do. I think Armin's very good at that, and that's probably one of the reasons why he's so popular. And The Freemasons have definitely got that sensibility.

I've got to tell you that months and months ago, when it [Not Giving Up On Love] was big around the world, because it's been big in Europe already last year, everyone was asking us to play it - and we didn't have it!
Oh really??

It wasn't out in the UK, or wasn't even being promo'd in the UK. And it was one of the most requested songs.
Oh well, that's exciting! That's encouraging.

They love it here at Gaydar. The Gayers love it. But they love you, don't they.
Well, as I have said before, if it wasn't for my gay audience I probably would not have a career. The've been so brilliant and hugely loyal. I 'm a very happy girl, especially when I perform at gay clubs, it's just brilliant. And I'm a sure a lot of straight women would agree with me that it's actually a very comfortable environment to be in. I'd pick a gay club over a straight club any time.

Now we know you're in demand, Sophie, because we had a message from Garry of Hoxton Whores. He said he wants you sing for them, he wants your vocal - and I will quote, "Let me get my hands on her vocal!".
How can I say no! [laughs]

He added a bit. He said he lost your phone number eight years ago, that's why he couldn't call you.
Eight years ago!

Yes, sounds like an excuse, doesn't it.
Love it!

Are you going to set off for that though?
Yes, sure. Why not! I always think when you write with people or work with people, the worst that can happen is you'll do a song that nothing happens to. But you might just do something that changes the course of what you're up to. How exciting is that!

Now you're the face of the cosmetic brand Rimmel. Luciano in London wants to know what the lipstick was in the advert, because she was thinking it's a hot look.
Oh, thank you very much. I'm trying to remember the name of it. I know that my favourite of the Moisture Renew lipsticks is Coral Queen

Coral Queen! We can identify with that.
But I think that one was more of a berry kind of tone, but I can't remember what it's called now. I generally wear more pinks and corals and oranges.

I was out with Sarah, the singer from Dubstar. She is a massive fan of yours and she wants to know how you get your eye-liner so even on your eyes.
Well that is really nice coming from her because she always has phenomenal eye make-up.

Yeah, the eyelashes as well.
That was the real signature look. I remember that very well. Well I'm sure I do what a lot of people do - I put it on and just keep on taking off the bits that have gone wrong. I get through a lot of those little cotton buds - I get through a ton of those.

But you always look great when you're out. Are there ever any nights when you're maybe a bit knackered and you think, "God! I'm not looking my best". Because you do look great when you go out.
Well, yes there's tons of times when I haven't really gone to town. It depends on what I'm doing. If I'm going to a proper event where I know I'll be seen I'll probably spend an extra ten minutes. I think by-and-large I like to be quite quick, and I'm normally ready before Richard, my husband.

There's a lot of women breathing a sigh of relief now - "Oh, she is human...."
Oh God, yeah, absolutely! I've got two little boys. I mean, come on!

What's your take on the current female artists like Ke$ha, Lady GaGa, and Rihanna too? Are you quite competitive with these artists?
No. I don't think competition is a very good bed-fellow for being creative. It's quite negative, and there's loads of room. There are as many female artist around as the've ever been. And at every point in my career there's been a healthy amount of women around - you know, really brilliant women. And long may it continue! I think it's great. I'm always a music fan before I'm an artist. I like seeing people who are good, and I'd rather the bar be raised higher and there be good people around than have a kind of barren landscape where it's like tumbleweed, because I don't think anyone benefits from that.

Ah, what a lovely attitude to have!
It is sincere. I really mean it. I like other women, and a lot of my favourite artists are female.

And you're inspired by them probably?
Yes! I went to see Lady GaGa in concert not that long ago and it was brilliant! She really gives it her all. And I also went to see Beyonce not long ago as well, and she was fantastic. It's well worth seeing her, she puts everything into it.

Sophie, I can't believe it's ten years since Groovejet.
Yeah. It will be eleven this year.

My goodness! Where has that time gone! Does it shock you that it's been eleven years? It seems like yesterday to me.
I suppose I'm surprised and heartened that other people have noticed. Because I could see on the horizon that the ten-year anniversary was coming up, and I didn't know if anyone else would be that interested really. I'm quite glad people have noticed I've been around for a while.

I've got a great question from Nick, who does a guest mix for us here - a DJ. If you were going to murder someone on the dance floor, who would it be and how would you do it?
Ah, that is a good question! One of the really good things about doing that video was writing a list, me and the director (also called Sophie), of how we were going to get rid of people. Chloroform, someone's going to slip on butter, you're going to make that person think the've been having an affair... You know, we were coming up with really stupid ways of getting rid of people.

It's quite comedic - a Carry-On style of death!
Exactly. And I suppose when that song came out there was a lot of the more "shiny" pop, with very smiley-looking people. And I enjoyed presenting myself as someone you did not necessarily have to like.

You liked the dark edge.
Yeah! Definitely.

I think people get that, they kind of identify with it. Because it's a bit too predictable, having everything nice and smiley.
Well, I just thought it would look really cheesy, you know.

Tell us about what's going to be happening this year, because you did the tour in December. Are you going to be playing again?
Yes, definitely. That was quite a small tour. I didn't do hundreds of dates, and it was in relatively small venues, just to get back out there and to get the show really strong. The response was fantastic, and I feel quite embarrassed by how long I'd left it since my last solo tour. I was still gigging, but I was doing a lot of support tours and one-off dates and that kind of thing. The plan is to do as much as I can this year.

But do you know what, I think it's good to keep people hanging on a bit...
Umm, maybe. But it wasn't really intentional.

But you've been having babies, and being a mum.
Well there is that, but I have always been doing lots of shows. I think sometimes with pop and dance you're not necessarily expected to do the live thing that much - you know, it doesn't have to be one of your strong suits. But I have always felt [that I want to perform live]. You know, I've got a fantastic band. A lot of the songs may have started off obviously very produced with a lot of synth stuff in there, but live they can really pack a punch. A good example is Not Giving Up On Love, which as you say, is very emotional when done live. So I think it's worth going that extra mile and making the live show really important. But it hasn't always been something that other people have felt is that crucial. I think now is the time for it, and people are going to live shows more than ever.

The album sounds very "us", it sounds very Gaydar Radio. It's kind of like an endorsed product for us already because its kind of up-beat, positive and dancey. Is that true?
Yes, that's all true. All three adjectives.

Sounds like our kind of album.
I certainly am very happy with it, and it was the most fun to make out of all of them.

Well when the album comes out you've got to come and see us again. We would really love that. And we'd love to come and party with you as well because we've heard about your nights out! [laughter]
OK, I'll get my eye-liner ready.

Fabulous! Listen, good luck with the Armin van Buuren track, we love it. And we're going to continue to love it. It's out in March.
Thank you for your support. It means a lot to us.

Oh bless you Sophie, thank you so much for joining us.