Sophie Ellis- Bexter performed her hit brought back to life, “Murder On The Dance Floor” At WeHo Pride 2024. She shares how the LGBTQ+ community has supported her throughout her career, her tour in America, a new album in the making and more!
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MusicTranscript
00:00 I know that there'll be some young people that will only ever know me as the Murder on the Dancefloor lady,
00:04 but to be honest, that's absolutely fine with me.
00:06 Murder on the Dancefloor is very much the sort of thing I do.
00:11 I've been doing pop disco since I started.
00:14 So if you're intrigued and you want to find more, there's plenty of it.
00:16 Are we upright?
00:19 This is pretty glorious.
00:22 I can kind of credit pretty much everything about how I perform
00:25 to my relationship with my LGBTQ+ audience,
00:29 because it's been those shows that I've done that have really kind of crystallised
00:34 and helped me feel safe on stage, excited and relaxed.
00:39 But I do think if you are able to perform and feel safe,
00:42 it's an amazing gift when you're performing.
00:44 So yeah, my lack of inhibition is completely down to them.
00:47 My kids are thrilled.
00:49 Alright, take it away, let me hear you.
00:52 It's the Murder on the Dancefloor.
00:55 You better not kill the groove, DJ.
00:58 What I love about Pride is that it links you to the past and the present and the future.
01:04 I really believe the message of it is still so relevant.
01:07 It's a very inclusive, supportive, warm audience.
01:12 I know we talk a lot about being your authentic self
01:15 to the point where we don't really think about what that means,
01:18 but actually being able to just feel comfortable in your own skin
01:22 is one of the biggest things you can do for someone, isn't it, to make them feel good.
01:25 So I think the fact that you get that in a very pure form at events like Pride
01:29 is just a really joyous thing.
01:32 I think I've only been to Pride when I'm performing
01:34 because I've been lucky enough to have them as part of my life for, oh my gosh,
01:38 I mean I'm thinking like 20 years or something.
01:40 I've done them everywhere from Sydney to London
01:43 and I just think they're incredible.
01:46 And actually, particularly after the pandemic, I found them particularly moving
01:50 because I know how significant that made family is for that community.
01:58 And so the fact that people, teenagers, might have been at home,
02:01 not able to see their friends, that's a really significant loss for them at that time.
02:06 So when we were all back together and I was looking at this sea
02:09 of what suddenly looked like very young faces, yeah, it made me feel quite emotional.
02:13 [Music]
02:18 What's happened to Murder and Dance War is bonkers, but lots of fun.
02:21 I mean, it's a really good friend of mine.
02:23 I've been singing it very happily for 20 years.
02:25 So yeah, it's been glorious.
02:27 And actually, the whole reason I'm here in LA today
02:30 is because it will happen with Murder and Saltburn
02:33 because that's what gave me the opportunity to tour here.
02:36 So it's been amazing, yeah, really lovely.
02:38 It's very special to me to be here.
02:40 This is the first time I've ever played in LA.
02:43 Ever, ever.
02:46 I never thought I'd get the opportunity to tour America.
02:48 It was always something I thought would be incredible,
02:50 but I go where the energy is,
02:52 and I wasn't sure that was something that was destined for me.
02:55 Actually, we built a tour around being booked by this Pride.
02:59 And so I've already done a couple of dates on my tour.
03:01 I was in San Diego last night and San Francisco the night before,
03:04 and it's been incredible.
03:06 And what's extraordinary is seeing all these people
03:09 that aren't just waiting for Murder and Dance War.
03:12 They actually seem to have been supporting me
03:14 through lots of chapters of my career,
03:17 and that's felt incredible.
03:19 # Stand on the borderline
03:22 # Crying at the disco time... #
03:25 Pop disco has long been a staple of the LGBTQ+ community
03:31 because its roots are so grounded in, you know,
03:35 the necessity for catharsis and escapism and freedom
03:41 and singing all those songs and being able to just have that escapism
03:45 of that night where you could just be yourself
03:48 and be with people and love who you want to love.
03:50 Its roots literally came from all of that.
03:52 So anybody that does modern-day disco
03:54 has to know that's where it came from,
03:56 and what a glorious thing to be part of.
03:58 I mean, that's such a wonderful history.
04:01 # I'm in heaven
04:03 # Show you heaven
04:05 # So much heaven... #
04:07 I had my seventh album out last year, Hannah,
04:10 and I was already making a start on a new album,
04:12 so that's where I'm up to.
04:14 I'm actually quite far into it now,
04:16 so hopefully there'll be some new music
04:18 in the next couple of months, actually.
04:20 Quite soon, yeah.
04:22 I've been beavering away and really enjoying myself
04:24 writing some good stuff, so, yeah.
04:26 I'm going to have more fun.
04:28 [SWOOSH]