Cast your mind back to the early 2000s, the era of low-rise jeans, Juicy Couture tracksuits, chunky highlights and the sophisticated pop of a pale-skinned, dark-haired chanteuse who taught us all how to handle a dance- floor dispute.
With a string of hits like Groovejet (Is This Ain’t Love) and Get Over You, Sophie Ellis-Bextor became an instant icon of cool Britannia. Fast-forward two decades and the singer is enjoying what can only be described as a spectacular global second act. Thanks to a starring role in the film Saltburn, her signature chart-topper Murder On The Dancefloor has found a whole new generation of fans, proving that true pop magic never goes out of style.
And now, on Kiwi soil for her Perimenopop Tour, the singer and mum of five, 46, sits down to talk ageing, second chances and why she’s more confident than ever.
“This is the first time I’ve done a tour with my full band as a headline tour, so this is definitely significant,” she beams.
“I’m very excited. We’ve got a really lovely show to share.”
While many stars might find the vast distances of a Down Under concert series daunting, Sophie gets a sense of reassurance in foreign fans.
Music that connects us all
“Whenever I tour, I often get asked if crowds are different in different places,” she notes.
“Actually, no matter where I am in the world, people are generally pretty similar. “It’s so crazy that people can be living all kinds of different lives, different cultures and in different landscapes, but when you hear songs, they invoke the same emotions. I find that really reassuring and exciting.”
Glitter, catharsis and pure joy
The energy Sophie brings to the stage is something she describes as “pure glitter-soaked catharsis” and she insists the joy is a two-way street.
“At heart, I’m being very self-centred with my shows in that the music does for me what I want it to do for other people,” she laughs.
“No matter what mood I’m in beforehand, when I get on stage, the energy of the crowd and the music just takes me to my happy place. “Because I’m having so much fun, it ripples back and forth. It’s a really soul-satisfying thing to have that exchange.”
The Saltburn effect
It’s impossible to avoid the Saltburn-shaped elephant in the room. The film’s viral success catapulted her 2001 hit back to the top of the charts, but Sophie has a refreshingly grounded take on the madness.
She explains, “One of my favourite things about my career is that it’s always had the ability to surprise me and that I never really know what’s around the corner.”
It’s a unique thrill seeing a 20-year-old song find a new life, she says.
How a viral moment shaped her album
“It really informed my new album Perimenopop and my relationship with music. I could really feel and enjoy it with no expectation – just purely for the pleasure of it.”
Sophie’s always been fond of Murder On The Dancefloor and the global resurgence has only deepened her love for the song.
“Murder On The Dancefloor and I have been good friends for years now,” she says.
Rewriting the story
The title of her new album Perimenopop is about challenging the narrative of how we view different chapters of our lives.
Sophie enthuses, “I want to encourage the positivity because some aspects of middle age, particularly for women, can appear a little gloomy and like you should ‘dial yourself down a little bit’. But I don’t feel like that at all – I feel bolder than ever, I’m afraid!”
More than halfway through her forties, the singer is embracing what she calls her “sod-it era”– a time of total liberation from the self-doubt that often plagues younger performers.
“I’m not ageing – I’m getting older. Getting older is just a natural progression of what we should all expect and embrace. There’s so much good that comes with experience.”
Sophie’s Perimenopop Tour comes to Hamilton on Tuesday and Christchurch on Wednesday. For tickets, visit sophieellisbextor.net.
