Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Born to Blue Peter and Jigsaw presenter Janet Ellis and film producer and director Robin Bextor in April 1979, Sophie Ellis-Bextor first delved into the world of music in the mid-'90s as the lead singer of Britpop outfit Theaudience. The band released one studio album in 1998, reaching No.22 on the official UK albums chart and housing two UK top 40 singles. Following the departure of guitarist and former Congregation member Billy Reeves, Theaudience disbanded in 1999, shortly after which Sophie Eillis-Bextor teamed up with Venetian DJ Spiller on the summer anthem Groovejet (If This Ain't Love). The success of the single and Ellis-Bextor's standing in the UK scene led to her debut solo single Take Me Home in 2001.

That same year, Sophie Ellis-Bextor released Murder On The Dancefloor, the second song taken from her debut full-length Read My Lips. The album celebrated global success, declared twice Platinum in the UK and securing Platinum status in Australia. Its follow-up arrived just two years later in the form of Shoot From The Hip, featuring the top ten singles Mixed Up World and I Won't Change You.

Taking time away from the limelight to raise her first child, it would be another four years until Bextor's third studio album dropped in the shape of Trip The Light Fantastic. Following lead single Catch You, Sophie released Me And My Imagination, a song that would secure a place on leading music publication Pitchfork's top 100 songs of 2007 list.

Continuing a prolific release schedule, Sophie Ellis-Bextor's next album – Make A Scene – followed in 2011, before she teamed up with British singer and songwriter Ed Harcourt for production duties on 2014's Wanderlust. The album marked her most commercially successful since 2003's Shoot From The Hip, and laid the way for 2016's Familia – also produced by Harcourt.

In 2019, Sophie Ellis-Bextor released The Song Diaries, a retrospective of her career to date compiling orchestral versions of her catalogue, including Groovejet, Murder On The Dancefloor and Catch You.

The following year, Sophie announced the release of her seventh studio album Songs From The Kitchen Disco, inspired by her weekly Instagram Live performances during the UK's quarantine of 2020. The celebrated live streams saw Ellis-Bextor joined by her family, encouraging digital audiences to join their regular singalongs. "It made me feel connected to everyone who joined us and I can honestly say the music was a real tonic which brought sparkly joy to my soul every Friday," she later said of the performances.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor also announced a series of live shows in May 2021 in support of the record, promising an upbeat blend of her biggest hits and disco favourites in line with her kitchen performances.