Saltburn resulted in 110 gigs in 2024

In 2024 Sophie Ellis-Bextor performed extra displays than she ever has sooner than – 110.

To position this into context, Taylor Swift’s overall for the 12 months (albeit on a larger scale) used to be 83.

The singer is apparent as to the rationale – the movie Saltburn. Or extra in particular, the scene in Emerald Fennell’s black comedy about elegance and privilege, the place Barry Keoghan dances triumphantly, and fully bare, via a rustic area, to her observe Homicide at the Dancefloor.

“It used to be over Christmas ultimate 12 months, we had been at house, and simply seeing the numbers going loopy for other people interacting with the tune on streaming and TikTok,” she says, remembering when she first spotted one thing strange used to be taking place with a tune that used to be greater than twenty years previous.

On 22 December 2023, Saltburn used to be launched on Amazon Top. By means of 5 January 2024, Homicide at the Dancefloor used to be again within the best 10 and would spend 5 weeks at quantity two, most effective stored off the highest spot by means of Noah Kahan’s Stick Season.

“The 12 months began with an previous buddy Homicide at the Dancefloor taking me for every other twirl,” is how she sums it up.

“To be truthful, at the moment it used to be all relatively summary, and I believe this 12 months has been about turning it into an reality.”

In 2024, on the age of 45, Ellis-Bextor had her debut hit unmarried at the Billboard Best 100, made her are living US TV debut because the musical visitor on The This night Display with Jimmy Fallon and launched into her first ever headlining excursion of the States.

Homicide at the Dancefloor used to be additionally her price ticket to making a song on the Bafta Movie Awards, creating a visitor look all the way through the DJ Peggy Gou’s headlining set at the Park degree at Glastonbury, or even acting in entrance of King Charles on the Royal Selection Display.

“There’s such a lot to mirror on. It is an odd factor to get to my degree in my profession and nonetheless be doing new issues, new pleasure. So, I truly sought after to take hold of grasp of that.”

Her 12 months is finishing with every other huge milestone, as a result of on Tuesday evening, TV audiences will see her a hundred and tenth display of 2024, one she describes as a “profession spotlight”.

Status in London’s Hammersmith Studios, underneath what a manufacturing supervisor says is the “largest disco ball within the nation”, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is rehearsing for the BBC One New 12 months’s Eve live performance, broadcast both sides of the nighttime fireworks.

“That is the cherry on best,” she enthuses about being selected by means of BBC Studios to apply the likes of Robbie Williams, Alicia Keys and Craig David, who’ve carried out this gig previously.

Final 12 months greater than seven million other people had been gazing as Rick Astley passed over to Giant Ben.

Ellis-Bextor says that for the ultimate two months, and while on excursion supporting the Human League, she has been the usage of down time to devise widely for the display, along with her husband and musical director, Richard Jones, who may be the bass participant for The Feeling.

“New 12 months’s Eve is this type of large deal, and I do not take it calmly if individuals are opting for to spend it with us,” she confides.

“So, I need to be sure that we attempt and create without equal New 12 months’s Eve birthday celebration. I simply need to give this ultimate spice up of escapist a laugh. I imply, take a look at what number of disco balls now we have were given right here. We now have were given all of them. A monopoly.”

Her largest hits will all characteristic; Take Me House, Tune Will get the Best possible of Me and the observe which famously beat Victoria Beckham to primary and can have fun its twenty fifth anniversary in 2025, Groovejet. (“It used to be an odd time, however roughly foolish.”)

And 2025 will, after all, get started with Homicide at the Dancefloor, “however after a bit little bit of Auld Lang Syne,” she clarifies.

To make the display much more particular, Ellis-Bextor has enlisted a few of her musical buddies.

“I have were given Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters,” she confirms with relish.

“Their album got here out now not too lengthy after my first album, so we used to do a large number of stuff in combination. We now have had some nights out, however it is in fact the primary time now we have sung in combination.”

They’ll be duetting on two of Scissor Sisters’ best-known tracks, together with Take Your Mama, which can characteristic what Ellis-Bexter describes as “an epic guitar solo” by means of Emily Roberts, from the Brit-winning crew The Final Dinner Birthday celebration.

“I am an enormous fan in their band,” she says, having coated their tune Not anything Issues for the Radio One Are living Living room again in February.

Certainly, indie tune is the place Ellis-Bexter began out. She first made the charts in 1998 as lead singer of theaudience, a band who made up for his or her loss of capital letters and use of the gap bar with a few reasonably catchy Smiths influenced post-Britpop best 40 hits.

Andy Gill within the Unbiased known as their eponymous debut album “the overall cherry at the Britpop cake”.

She carried out their unmarried A Pessimist is By no means Dissatisfied as an a capella encore in this 12 months’s US excursion.

Additionally on Tuesday night time’s group sheet is her buddy and fellow pop singer podcaster, Jessie Ware, for a stomp during the disco vintage Sure Sir, I Can Boogie. (“I did not even wish to inform her to convey the sequins. She simply introduced it.”)

I indicate how widespread this might be in Scotland, the tune having change into a Tartan Military anthem, and he or she laughs, remembering the primary time she performed it north of the border, sooner than the hyperlink used to be defined to her.

“They went so nuts for it. I simply idea they had been huge Baccara enthusiasts,” she laughs.

“Even supposing I’ve to mention, there needs to be slightly of labor performed at the verses. Everyone is aware of all of the phrases to the refrain, but if it will get to the verse it is ‘mmmm mmmmm.'”

As for New 12 months’s resolutions, Ellis-Bextor believes in making a laugh ones and controlled to stay her 2024 pledge to “put on extra kaftans”.

For 2025 she has challenged herself to shop for extra disco balls: “I have most effective were given one in my area and I believe this can be a nice glance,” she says, gesturing against the degree and the United Kingdom’s intended largest disco ball.

I specific my hope that the glitter ball is safely hooked up, as a result of if it fell when she used to be beneath it, then the identify of the tune that modified her 2024 would change into reasonably apt.

“Once I die, they’re going to make that funny story it doesn’t matter what,” she laughs, sooner than concluding, “The excellent news is I nonetheless love making a song it. Believe if I did not.”

Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s New 12 months’s Eve Disco, is on BBC1 from 23:30, apart from in Scotland, the place the Hogmany protection will characteristic musical visitors Marti Pellow and the people band Skipinnish.