Sophie Ellis-Bextor began her career as a rocker in the band theaudience, but soon after she was voted ‘Sexiest Rocker’, she qualified for a solo career. And she didn’t disappoint.
Her disco songs ‘Groovejet’ and ‘Murder On The Dance Floor’ reached # 1 in the UK and took her to the big leagues. This year she has released a single named ‘Heartbreaker’ and will release her fourth solo album. In this interview, she speaks of the single, collaborating with the dance band the Freemasons, and her album.
The song ‘Heartbreaker’ was written by dance band Freemasons. Sophie reveals how the single came about. “I was working on some new material with a guy called Biff (Stannard), who's good friends with the Freemasons. They sent over the instrumental to 'Heartbreak' and we wrote the lyrics. The single remix has changed a bit from the original demo, but it was always their song to start with."
Sophie says the best thing about the Freemasons is that they understand what it takes to make a hit. She says, “The thing I love about them is that whilst they've got a lot of dance sensibilities, they've also got pop sensibilities. With them there's always an appeal from a melodic point of view as well as just the basic four-to-the-floor beat. Their songs feel like they've got a bit more texture and shape to them. I think they respect the fact that people want a song to tell a story as well as make them boogie.”
The fruitful first partnership isn’t going to be their last. The band and Sophie are already working on another song. She says, “We will be doing a bit more, definitely. There's another song we're working on at the moment. I think if something works then it's worth persevering with."
Sophie’s forthcoming album was supposed to be released in the summer, but she couldn’t complete it in time after giving birth to a baby boy in February. "The album's pretty much done – we've got about three quarters of the way through it. I was supposed to have finished it earlier in the year but then I had my baby so my schedule changed somewhat," she says.
