Sophie Ellis-Bextor says her song Murder On The Dancefloor being given a new lease of life after being included in the movie Saltburn has reaffirmed her love for making music.
The track, which was originally released in 2001, went viral towards the end of last year after featuring in the unforgettable final scene of the film which sees actor Barry Keoghan dance naked. It inspired a TikTok trend and saw the song re-enter the UK Top 10 for the first time since January 2002.
While she still can’t fully process what has happened, the London-born singer is fully enjoying the ride, describing it as “pretty magical”.
Speaking to the Standard, Ellis-Bextor said: “Murder On The Dancefloor is like a really good old friend of mine and we’ve always been on very good terms and I’ve always happily sung it. Having this other adventure I think my main thing throughout has been to really enjoy it because if you’re not enjoying, it’s kind of wasted on you really.
“It’s not just what has happened with Murder, I think that’s kind of my perspective with all of it really. It’s about getting the most out of all of it and really enjoying each thing for what it is with no expectation attached, just solely for the experience of doing it.”
She’s feeling creatively charged and is currently back in the recording studio working on her eighth studio album and follow-up to 2023’s Hana.
She said: “I’ve been songwriting. I turned 45 recently and I spent the day in Abbey Road with Nile Rodgers so I’m a very happy girl and making lots of nice happy disco music and I’m feeling very light in my step. It’s such a pleasure to make new music and I’m with some incredible people so that is my focus at the moment.”
As for when fans will get to hear it, she’s playing coy.
“I don’t know, whenever it’s ready. It has got to be the right music, you can’t rush these things but that being said, there’s a lot of really positive momentum. I’m in the right mood for songwriting basically so I feel like it won’t be too long.”
This weekend will see Ellis-Baxtor take the pitch at Twickenham to perform the half-time show for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations rugby match between England and Ireland.
While she says recognition for women in sport is “long overdue”, she fully intends to leave it to the professionals on the day.
“I don’t think I really started a proper relationship with sports until I was in my early 20s. Sports at school I didn’t really feel like it was my thing and sort of disengaged. I think that things are so radically different now, especially for like young girls,” she reflected.
“No-one ever asked me to play football or rugby as a kid but now there are so many girls that adore it from as young as primary school. It’s about keeping girls engaged throughout their teenage years, that’s when it becomes something where it can sort of shift or it can disengage a bit but I mean if you’ve got sport, that’s so good for everything not least your mental health.
“I think women have probably always been pretty incredible, but the way that they are being perceived, spoken about and given respect, that’s different. I think women and sport is probably an age-old story, but having the spotlight and the moment with people talking about it andappreciating it is long overdue and even then, the conversation around it continues.”
