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In 2024 Sophie Ellis-Bextor played more shows than she ever has before – 110. To put this into context, Taylor Swift’s total for the year (albeit on a bigger scale) was 83.
The singer is clear as to the reason – the film Saltburn. Or more specifically, the scene in Emerald Fennell’s black comedy about class and privilege, where Barry Keoghan dances triumphantly, and completely naked, through a country house, to her track Murder on the Dancefloor.
On 22 December 2023, Saltburn was released on Amazon Prime. By 5 January 2024, Murder on the Dancefloor was back in the top 10 and would spend five weeks at number two, only kept off the top spot by Noah Kahan’s Stick Season.
To be honest, at that time it was all quite abstract, and I think this year has been about turning it into an actuality.
In 2024, at the age of 45, Ellis-Bextor had her debut hit single on the Billboard Top 100, made her live US TV debut as the musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and embarked on her first ever headlining tour of the States.
Murder on the Dancefloor was also her ticket to singing at the Bafta Film Awards, making a guest appearance during the DJ Peggy Gou’s headlining set on the Park stage at Glastonbury, and even performing in front of King Charles at the Royal Variety Show.
There is so much to reflect on. It’s an extraordinary thing to get to my stage in my career and still be doing new things, new excitement. So, I really wanted to grab hold of that.
To make the show even more special, Ellis-Bextor has enlisted some of her musical mates. I’ve got Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters, their album came out not too long after my first album, so we used to do a lot of stuff together. We’ve had some nights out, but it’s actually the first time we’ve sung together.
They will be duetting on two of Scissor Sisters’ best-known tracks, including Take Your Mama, which will feature what Ellis-Bexter describes as “an epic guitar solo” by Emily Roberts, from the Brit-winning group The Last Dinner Party.
I’m a massive fan of their band, having covered their song Nothing Matters for the Radio One Live Lounge back in February.
Indeed, indie music is where Ellis-Bexter started out. She first made the charts in 1998 as lead singer of theaudience, a band who made up for their lack of capital letters and use of the space bar with a couple of rather catchy Smiths influenced post-Britpop top 40 hits.
Also on Tuesday evening’s team sheet is her friend and fellow pop singer podcaster, Jessie Ware, for a stomp through the disco classic Yes Sir, I Can Boogie. I didn’t even need to tell her to bring the sequins. She just brought it.
As for New Year’s resolutions, Ellis-Bextor believes in making fun ones and managed to keep her 2024 pledge to “wear more kaftans”. For 2025 she has challenged herself to buy more disco balls: I’ve only got one in my house and I think this is a great look.
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