SOPHIE Ellis Bextor is the British songstress whose hit track Murder on the Dancefloor has become a club classic.
The star, who made an incredible comeback thanks to the 2023 film Saltburn, will be singing at the Royal Variety Performance in November 2024.
Famous parents
Sophie was born on April 10, 1979, and grew up in Hounslow, London.
Her dad Robin Bexter was a TV director and her mum Janet Ellis who was a Blue Peter presenter.
Sophie would often appear alongside her mum on the children’s TV show.
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She became the lead vocalist of the indie band Theaudience, who had four UK Top 40 hits including I Know Enough (I don’t get enough).
The band split in 1999, but Sophie found a second chance at fame when she worked with DJ Spiller.
Sophie and the Italian DJ recorded a smash hit named Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) which entered the UK charts at No.1.
Murder on the Dancefloor
Sophie became famous across the UK in 2001, after her single Murder on the Dancefloor stayed on the charts for twenty-three weeks.
The beloved track became the singer’s first ever US singles entry in 2023, after it was used in the erotic thriller Saltburn.
Murder on the Dancefloor sparked a TikTok trend which saw people dance around their family homes, in a similar way to one of the film’s characters (though he dances in the nude).
Sophie has several hits beyond Murder on the Dancefloor though.
Several of her albums, including Read My Lips, Shot from the Hip and Make a Scene, reached top 10 spots on the UK charts.
Love at first sight
Sophie met her future husband Richard Jones when he auditioned for her tour band in 2002.
Richard was the bassist of a band named The Feeling who eventually supported Sophie on her tour that year.
The bassist opened up about the moment that he and Sophie met and revealed that it was love at first sight.
He said: “Something kind of smacked us in the face.
“The chemistry was incredible—it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”
Mum-of-five
Sophie and Richard have five children together, all of which are sons.
The pair welcomed their first son, Sonny, just eight months after meeting.
They went on to have Kit, Ray and Jesse before having their youngest son Mickey.
Sophie keeps her children out of the public eye but occasionally opens up about family life.
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Sophie told MailOnline: “Five of anything is a lot.
“I love the chaos of big family life, luckily.
“There are always things happening.
“One is running, another has brought four friends over.”
The Royal Variety Performance
Sophie will be singing at the Royal Variety Performance 2024 in front of His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla.
There are several other huge stars performing at the event, including Britain’s Got Talent Winner Sydnie Christmas and Strictly Come Dancing composer Dave Arch.
The show will be held on November 22, 2024, but fans without tickets will have to wait until December to watch it on TV.
