Sophie Ellis-Bextor
British singer (born 1979)
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and achieved success beginning in the early 2000s. Her music is mainstream pop and dance with influences of disco, nu-disco, and 1980s electronic music.
In 2000, Ellis-Bextor collaborated with Italian DJ Spiller on "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)", which reached number one in the United Kingdom and in 2015 became the UK's biggest-selling vinyl single of the millennium so far. Her debut solo studio album, "Read My Lips", was released in 2001 and peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified double platinum by the BPI, and sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. Three of its four singles—the Cher cover "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor", and double A-side "Get Over You" / "Move This Mountain"—reached top three in the UK. Its follow-up "Shoot from the Hip" (2003) reached number 19 in the UK and spawned two top ten singles, "Mixed Up World" and "I Won't Change You".
Ellis-Bextor's third studio album, "Trip the Light Fantastic" (2007), peaked at number seven in the UK and its lead single "Catch You" reached the top ten. Her fourth studio album, "Make a Scene" (2011), and its third single "Bittersweet" achieved top 40 positions in the UK. Her fifth studio album, "Wanderlust" (2014), peaked at number four. In 2016, she released a Latin-inspired sixth studio album, "Familia", to critical acclaim.
Early life.
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor was born on 10 April 1979 in Hounslow, London to Janet Ellis, who was a presenter on BBC's children's television programmes "Blue Peter" and "Jigsaw", and Robin Bextor, a film producer and director. They separated when she was four. As a child, Ellis-Bextor occasionally appeared on "Blue Peter" alongside her mother, who co-presented the programme.
She attended St Stephen's School, Twickenham and later the independent Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith. Among her earliest public performances were some with the W11 Opera children's opera beginning at age 13, and she is now a patron of the organisation.
Ellis-Bextor has said, "I didn't see myself as a good-looking girl and that was good, because I didn't rely on it.(...) I've now found lots of like-minded weirdos, so it's OK."
Career.
1996–1999: Theaudience.
Ellis-Bextor began her professional musical career in 1996 while singing lead vocals in indie band Theaudience. The band released four singles, including the UK Top 40 hits "I Know Enough (I Don't Get Enough)" and "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed", and one self-titled album ("theaudience" (1998)). Videos for the band's singles were directed by her father, Robin Bextor. While in Theaudience, readers of "Melody Maker" voted Ellis-Bextor number five in a poll of 'most sexy people in rock'.
The band split in 1999 after demos for a planned second album were rejected by their label Mercury Records, who then dropped the band. Ellis-Bextor recorded a duet with Manic Street Preachers — "Black Holes for the Young" — as a B-side for their 1998 single "The Everlasting", and in 1999, made an appearance on the Departure Lounge album "Out of Here".
2000–2006: "Read My Lips" and "Shoot from the Hip".
After Theaudience split, Ellis-Bextor collaborated with Italian DJ Spiller, in 2000, adding vocals to his track "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)". It entered the UK charts at number one, just beating former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham on her first solo track. "Groovejet" won several awards: No. 1, Pop Top 20; No. 1, ILR; No. 1, Radio 1; No. 8, top dance track of 2000 and single of the year in "Melody Maker". In the "Metro" newspaper, it received ninth place in the contest for the Greatest No. 1 of all time. In 2000, it was a finalist in "The Record of the Year". In that same year, it won the awards for Best Single and Best Ibiza Tune at the Ericsson Muzik Awards.
In 2001, Ellis-Bextor released her début album, "Read My Lips". It reached number two on the UK charts and spawned four top-twenty hit singles. Her rework of Cher's "Take Me Home" reached number two, as did "Murder on the Dancefloor", which became Ellis-Bextor's biggest single and was on charts for twenty-three weeks. "Murder on the Dancefloor" became Europe's most played song of 2002. In 2002, "Read My Lips" was re-released with two new songs (and a live version of "Groovejet") and Ellis-Bextor won the Recording Artist Award at that year's Showbusiness Awards. Her third single, "Get Over You / Move This Mountain", was released in June 2002 and reached number three. The fourth single, "Music Gets the Best of Me", rose to number fourteen in December. At the beginning of 2002, Ellis-Bextor was nominated for the "British Female Solo Artist" BRIT Award, going on to be nominated for a further two consecutive years.
Her second album, "Shoot from the Hip", was released in October 2003 and yielded two further top-ten singles, "Mixed Up World" and "I Won't Change You". The album reached number 19 on the UK charts and was certified silver by the BPI for shipments of 60,000. Ellis-Bextor described the album as "more emotionally direct" and "a little more left-of-centre at times" than "Read My Lips"—"It has more of a live feel [...] It's still a pop album—with elements of disco, indie and rock." She opted to step back from promotion of the album after becoming pregnant.
In 2005, Ellis-Bextor was featured on the Busface single "Circles (Just My Good Time)" under the alias Mademoiselle E.B.
2007–2011: "Trip the Light Fantastic" and "Make a Scene".
"Trip the Light Fantastic", Ellis-Bextor's third album, was released in May 2007 and reached number seven in the UK. The album produced three singles: "Catch You" (number 8 in the UK), "Me and My Imagination" (number 23), and "Today the Sun's on Us" (number 64). The song "If I Can't Dance" was announced as a single but later retracted.
Ellis-Bextor supported George Michael on his UK tour leg in June 2007. Her own UK tour, the Trip the Light Fantastic Tour, was due to start in August 2007, but it was postponed after Ellis-Bextor was invited to be the "special guest" on Take That's Beautiful World Tour, which commenced in October 2007. She stated that her tour would be rescheduled for March 2008, with all tickets purchased being valid for the rescheduled concerts. The tour was never rescheduled and Ellis-Bextor has refused to discuss the issue in interviews. In October 2008, she sang at the Keep the Promise Rally in Trafalgar Square to end Child Poverty.
In June 2009, Ellis-Bextor was featured on the Freemasons single "Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)", which reached number 13 in the UK. In July, she performed alongside girl groups the Saturdays and Girls Can't Catch at the iTunes Festival, held at the Roundhouse in London. A recording of her performance was released, "", which was the singer's first extended play. "Bittersweet" (co-written by Freemasons and Hannah Robinson), the first single from Ellis-Bextor's fourth album, was released in May 2010 and reached 25 on the UK Singles Chart. Ellis-Bextor's collaboration with DJ Armin van Buuren, "Not Giving Up on Love", was released as a single in August 2010 in Europe. Also in 2010, she was featured on the Junior Caldera single "Can't Fight This Feeling".
The singer's fourth album, "Make a Scene", was released in June 2011 following a year-long delay during which she left her label Universal Music Group to establish her own label, EBGBs. She said that her decision to leave Universal was spurred on by the departure of the head of Fascination Records, the sub-label to which she was signed following the release of "Bittersweet". She described "Make a Scene" as "very much [a dance album]—more so than any of my other albums." She said she was planning an "album that's really different [...] but I think this album ["Make a Scene"] is a good way to bow out of the dance sound for now. I think it's finishing on a high." She supported Pet Shop Boys on the UK leg of their Pandemonium Tour in July 2010. She worked with Calvin Harris, Richard X, Dimitri Tikovoi, Hannah Robinson, Metronomy, and Liam Howe from the Sneaker Pimps. "Off & On" preceded the release of the album in continental Europe and Russia, where the album was released by Universal Music Russia. The single "Starlight" was released in the UK ahead of the album in May 2011.
Ellis-Bextor supported synth-pop band Erasure on their Total Pop! Forest tour of woodland locations in the UK in June 2011. She resumed touring internationally in 2011, playing venues such as Jakarta's SoulNation festival, as well as returning to Australia by performing in Sydney and Melbourne. She collaborated with French DJ Bob Sinclar on a track titled "F__ with You" (released in November 2011); it was included on his album "Disco Crash" and was a huge club hit in Continental Europe. Ellis-Bextor's collaboration with French DJ Mathieu Bouthier, "Beautiful", was released in July 2012 in France.
2012–2014: "Wanderlust" and collaborations.
In May 2011, she revealed that she had begun work on her fifth album. Beginning in 2012, Ellis-Bextor worked with British singer and producer Ed Harcourt on a "more concept driven record", and possibly having as few as eight tracks. Her performance at a London charity gala in November 2012 including a new song, "Young Blood"; a demo of the song was released in March 2013 as a complimentary digital download from her website, as a thank you gift to her fans. Also in 2013, she performed outdoors at Old Republic Square in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Ellis-Bextor confirmed completion of the album in May and revealed its title, "Wanderlust", and cover art in October.
"Young Blood" was released as the lead single from "Wanderlust" in November 2013, peaking at number three on the UK Indie Chart and at number 34 on the UK Singles Chart. The album was released in January 2014 and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart and at number one on the UK Independent Albums Chart. "Wanderlust" also debuted inside the Scottish Top 10 Albums Chart. Ellis-Bextor performed a headline sold-out show to support "Wanderlust"'s release in January 2014 at Bush Hall, London, and also performed at Union Chapel, London in April. Ellis-Bextor then announced a 10-date UK tour, which finished in Glasgow in April 2014.
Ellis-Bextor collaborated with Guéna LG and Amir Afargan on the track "Back 2 Paradise", which was released in June 2014. The single was the number-one "breakout" in October 2014 on the US "Billboard" Dance/Club Chart, later reaching number 25 on the Dance/Club Chart. Ellis-Bextor then featured on the song "Only Child", produced by electronic music project DedRekoning, which was released in September 2014. The track was remixed by Paul Oakenfold, Roddy Reynaert and Pearson and Hirst.
2015–2019: "Familia" and "The Song Diaries".
In January 2015, Ellis-Bextor said that she had begun working on her sixth studio album, once again with Ed Harcourt. In January 2016, Ellis-Bextor posted an image on Instagram captioned "Last song written. Next stop – rehearsals! "#album6 #whatthehellshouldicallit"." She also posted a YouTube video of the making of the album.
According to Ellis-Bextor, the album, titled "Familia", was inspired by a recent visit to North America, particularly Mexico. "Familia" is the Spanish word for "family" (a tattoo Ellis-Bextor wears in her arm since her first child's birth) and Ellis-Bextor described the album's sound as closer to that of her earlier albums. She explained that she "wanted something with a Spanish or Italian feel" and that it continued some stories from "Wanderlust". "Familia" was released in September 2016 and reached number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. It spawned four singles, but none of them made it into any major chart. After taking time off for the birth of her child in late 2015, she resumed touring in 2017, mostly at small venues in the UK.
In November 2017, she announced via Facebook a selection of her greatest hits reworked with an orchestra. In February 2018, she announced the album's title, "The Song Diaries", and pointed out that it would consist of re-recorded tracks spanning her career from theaudience to "Familia"'s "Wild Forever", plus a new track. The album's artwork was drawn by David Downtown. "The Song Diaries" first single "Love Is You", a disco track originally performed by Carol Williams, which is sampled on her early hit "Groovejet", was released in August 2018. "The Song Diaries" was released in March 2019 and peaked at number 14 in the UK.
2020–2023: "Songs from the Kitchen Disco".
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the UK, Ellis-Bextor performed live weekly "Kitchen Disco" concerts featuring herself and her family, streamed live from their kitchen on Instagram. Beginning 24 June 2020, Ellis-Bextor started a weekly podcast titled "Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor" on which she interviews working mothers. Guests have included Fearne Cotton, Caitlin Moran, Myleene Klass, Róisin Murphy, and her own mother Janet Ellis.
On 16 July 2020, Ellis-Bextor announced the greatest hits album "Songs from the Kitchen Disco". The album was preceded by the release of a single, "Crying at the Discoteque", a cover version of the Alcazar song, which she had performed during her lockdown concerts in September 2020. She performed the single on "The Graham Norton Show" on New Year's Eve. In March 2022, she embarked on her "Songs from the Kitchen Disco" tour of the U.K. In July 2022, the singer revealed a new single, "Hypnotized", a collaboration with electronic artist Wuh Oh.
A live album was released in November 2022 entitled "Kitchen Disco – Live at the London Palladium".
2023–present: "Hana", resurgence, and eighth album.
In January 2023, Ellis-Bextor collaborated with Japanese/Australian duo Rhyme So on a cover of the Malcolm McLaren track "Deep in Vogue". On 8 February 2023, Ellis-Bextor revealed a new track, "Breaking the Circle", the lead single from her seventh studio album, "Hana", which was released on 2 June 2023. The title of the album was taken from the Japanese word for "blossom" or "flower". Ellis-Bextor said the album was inspired by a trip to Japan, taken before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Ellis-Bextor said of the album: "Because I hadn't been before, I had lots of ideas about what [Japan] might be like. The [album's] soundscape is like someone's idea of what a place might be like before they get there. That trip also became significant in a wider sense because it was the last bit of travel I did before everything shut down." "Hana" marks the third collaboration with producer/musician Ed Harcourt. Ellis-Bextor said "There are themes of optimism, new starts, adventures and reflections...This is our third record together after Wanderlust and Familia. The first songs written were really inspired by the upcoming trip to Japan. In the end, the album ended up being inspired by that trip and so much more."
In June 2023, Ellis-Bextor appeared on "Grilled!", a podcast by the Staff Canteen, where she was interviewed by Aaron Middleton and the Staff Canteen's Cara Houchen. During the podcast, Ellis-Bextor discussed her book, her favourite London restaurants, and the similarities between music and food. In July 2023, it was announced that Ellis-Bextor will collaborate with film composer David Arnold and lyricist Don Black for the track to Channel 4 and Universal Pictures film, "Mog's Christmas", based upon the children's book series by Judith Kerr. The track, titled "As Long As I Belong", is about "the importance of belonging". Ellis-Bextor also collaborated with Robbie Williams and his electronic music project 'Lufthaus' on the track "Immortal", which is taken off of the group's debut album, ""Visions, Volume 1"." The album was released on 6 October 2023.
Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dancefloor" was featured in the last scene of the 2023 film "Saltburn". As a result, the song re-entered the UK singles chart, peaking at number two and garnered its most-ever global streams on Spotify, receiving more than 1.4 million streams on New Year's Eve. It also gave Ellis-Bextor her first ever US singles chart entry, reaching #51. As well as this, 2024 became Ellis-Bextor's most successful year in terms of performances, playing more shows than she had ever before – a total of 110 in the calendar year.
On 1 February 2024, it was revealed that Ellis-Bextor will be performing at "Valley Fest 2024" in Chew Magna in August 2024. The same month, Ellis-Bextor announced her first-ever North American headlining tour, scheduled for May and June 2024. The initial seven-date tour included stops in San Francisco, San Diego, Washington D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, and Toronto. In June 2024, she announced a second North American tour leg for September given the first leg's success, adding shows in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.
Following the resurgence of "Murder on the Dancefloor", Ellis-Bextor reportedly signed with Universal Music Group and began working on her eighth studio album. Her first major-label single in 14 years, "Freedom of the Night", was released under Decca Records on October 18, 2024. On 25 October 2024, it was announced that Ellis-Bextor's forthcoming eighth studio album would be released in the summer of 2025. She released the single "Relentless Love” on 28 March 2025.
Other projects.
In 2001 Ellis-Bextor auditioned for the 2001 film "Moulin Rouge!" for the character Satine. In 2007, she appeared at Christmas in the "Robbie the Reindeer" episode "Close Encounters of the Herd Kind". She was depicted as a female alien at the closure of the story singing the song "Supersonic", the last track on her third solo studio album "Trip the Light Fantastic". In November of the same year, she also launched the npower Greener Schools Programme, which aims to give schools in the UK a "green makeover" by providing free energy audits, implementing tailor-made energy efficiency measures to reduce their carbon footprint, and educating children on how to be greener. She launched Capital Radio's Capital 95.8 "Lights Out London" campaign, which asks Londoners to switch off their lights for one hour in a bid to save 750 MWh and send a message to the world on the importance of climate change.
In 2008 she featured in the short musical film "The Town that Boars Me" by photographer Ben Charles Edwards. The film also features Jodie Harsh, Kelly Osbourne and Zandra Rhodes. The film was produced by Glass Loves and Shoot to Kill Productions and was set to début at the Portobello Film Festival. The same year she fronted a campaign for The Children's Society encouraging people to log onto the "Hundreds and Thousands of Childhood Memories" website to donate their favourite childhood memory. In May 2008 she was hired by cosmetics brand Rimmel to be one of their new faces. A song of hers, "Sophia Loren", was featured in one of the Rimmel London television adverts for the line "Sexy Curves". She appeared as an advocate for Verdi on BBC World News classical music programme "Visionaries". She was a contestant in the eleventh series of the televised dance competition "Strictly Come Dancing" in late 2013. She was partnered with Brendan Cole and reached the final, placing fourth.
In September 2014 the Pretty Polly hosiery company announced that Ellis-Bextor was their latest "face and legs", and would be designing and modelling for them. In March 2019 Ellis-Bextor appeared as an extra in "Game of Thrones", Season 8, Episode 3 "The Long Night". In July 2020 she started a podcast called "Spinning Plates" which focuses on mothers and their careers. In the same year she competed in the second series of "The Masked Singer" as Alien. She was the first celebrity to be unmasked.
In 2021, Ellis-Bextor wrote the memoir "Music, Men, Motherhood and Me".
It was announced in October 2021 that she would make an appearance in the Australian soap opera "Neighbours" in 2022, during a storyline set in London. On the morning of 16 November 2021 Ellis-Bextor embarked upon a 24-hour "Kitchen Disco Danceathon", in aid of Children in Need. She raised over £1,000,000 for the cause. In December 2022, Ellis-Bextor partnered with Vodafone to unveil its Pro II Broadband during a special Christmas concert in London.
In October 2023 Ellis-Bextor was a guest celebrity judge in the episode "Club Bangers" of the British reality television series "RuPaul's Drag Race UK" broadcast on BBC Three.
On 3 August 2024, Ellis-Bextor opened the set for Brighton Pride's Fabuloso concert in Preston Park. She played a number of her hits including "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor" and "Get Over You".
Personal life.
Ellis-Bextor met her future husband, the Feeling bassist Richard Jones, when he auditioned for her tour band in 2002. Jones has said, "Something kind of smacked us in the face. The chemistry was incredible—it was like nothing I've ever experienced." Their first child was born two months early, only eight months after the start of their relationship. Fourteen months later, in 2005, the couple married. They have five children, all sons.
Ellis-Bextor suffered from pre-eclampsia (the onset of high blood pressure) during her first two pregnancies, resulting in both deliveries being premature. She is an ambassador for Borne, a medical research charity looking into the causes of premature birth. She is also an ambassador for the children's charity Lumos which promotes an end to the institutionalisation of children worldwide.
In the 2019 European Parliament election, Ellis-Bextor endorsed Change UK. Her father, Robin Bextor, was a candidate for the South East Region.
Discography.
Studio albums
References.
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Read My Lips (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album)
2001 studio album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Read My Lips is the debut studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 3 September 2001 by Polydor Records. After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience, for which Ellis-Bextor served as lead vocalist, she was signed to Polydor. Prior to the LP's completion, the singer collaborated with several musicians, including band Blur's bassist Alex James, Moby and New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The record was described as a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco music.
Critical response to "Read My Lips" was polarised, with music critics denouncing its content that was, according to one magazine, Q, of lesser quality than "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)"—the singer's collaboration with Italian DJ Spiller and according to others, inherently malign simply on account of being chart pop. The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and has since been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It spawned four singles: "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor", double A-side single "Get Over You"/"Move This Mountain" and "Music Gets the Best of Me".
Background.
Following the disbandment of Britpop group Theaudience, Ellis-Bextor provided vocals for the song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Italian DJ Spiller. The song was a commercial success, and Ellis-Bextor signed to Polydor. She was contacted by director Baz Luhrmann, who offered her a role in the 2001 film "Moulin Rouge!", but the singer refused in order to focus on her career as a recording artist. The success of "Groovejet" also prompted American musician Moby to notice Ellis-Bextor, and revealed interest in working with her due to her "amazing" voice, as he described it. He instructed his record company to "track" Ellis-Bextor "down" so they could start working as soon as Moby finished his tour. The two ultimately wrote five songs in New York City, which did not make the final cut of "Read My Lips". Furthermore, she also recorded with Blur bassist Alex James, as well as former frontman of the New Radicals, Gregg Alexander, while Damian LeGassick was recruited for his programming and keyboard work.
The album's title was chosen due to the strong lipstick Ellis-Bextor used for the album artwork, the "Take Me Home" music video and "Read My Lips" is sung in the opening verse of the album track "The Universe Is You". The album photography was shot by Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggot.
Composition.
An "eclectic" album, "Read My Lips", is a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco. The album opener and first single is a cover version of Cher's 1979 song "Take Me Home", described as a "disco groove". Betty Clarke from "The Guardian" observed that her voice in the song is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle (in the film "My Fair Lady"). "Move This Mountain", co-written by Alex James, is a "vibrant" ballad with a trip hop-influenced sound. Following track and second single, "Murder on the Dancefloor", is a dance-pop and disco record, that utilises bass guitar and piano in its instrumental. "Sparkle" has "speeding beats and equally speeding keyboards", while "Final Move" contains "tinny beats" and "electro swirls". The latter was deemed a "subdued version" of "Murder on the Dancefloor" with "similar kaleidoscope synth". "I Believe" was described as "funky" and "live-sounding", while "Leave the Others Alone" involves "cold beats" and "big, full-throttle keyboards". "By Chance" was particularly noted for showcasing Ellis-Bextor's accent. Re-release new song "Get Over You" is a "polite" Euro disco take on "I Will Survive".
Singles and promotion.
Promotion for "Read My Lips" launched with the release of "Take Me Home", a cover of the song by singer Cher, which was released on 13 August 2001. Although its production and Ellis-Bextor's vocal performance in the song were heavily criticised, the single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. After the release of the album, "Murder on the Dancefloor" was serviced as its second single on 3 December 2001. It peaked in the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. A double A-side single including new re-release song "Get Over You" and original album track "Move This Mountain" was released on 10 June 2002, in a set of two CD singles.
Ellis-Bextor, who had previously felt uncomfortable with the idea of touring, confirmed a UK-only tour in January 2002, which took place from April to May. Later, in July 2002, other dates of the tour were revealed for 2003.
Critical reception.
Toby Manning from "Q" cited "Take Me Home" and "Move This Mountain" as the album's highlights, but, overall, he thought that the record failed to live up to the standard set by the previous collaboration with Spiller. He also found that the album's music and the distinctive pronunciation of Ellis-Bextor's vocal delivery did not work to complimentary effect. Betty Clarke from "The Guardian" described the album as a "sophisticated package" but said "there's little to love and even less fun to be had". Kelvin Hayes from AllMusic dubbed it "a disappointing debut from Ellis-Bextor, fusing Human League synth with beats and cinematic strings", but described "Murder on the Dancefloor" as the "shimmering highlight" from the album. A critic from entertainment.ie said "the material on her debut solo album only rarely does justice to her distinctive upper-crust voice", and said that "most of the songs sound laboured and plod where they should swing".
In contrast to the previous reviews, Andrew Arora from Blue Coupe had a more positive response to the record. Arora said "it lands somewhere between Pet Shop Boys' synth-pop faculty and Blondie's "Parallel Lines" album", although he claimed that fans of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" "should not expect much from this album, but it does deliver a dynamic electro disco sound that is sometimes analogous to her breakthrough-hit single".
Commercial performance.
"Read My Lips" debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, selling 23,023 copies in its first week. Although the original ten-track edition dropped down and out of the charts over the next few weeks, a twelve-track UK edition, released in December 2001, peaked at number three in January 2002 following the chart success of "Murder on the Dancefloor". Finally, a fifteen-track edition with a considerably revised running order was released in summer 2002 and peaked at number two—41 weeks after the original edition first charted. The album was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 21 June 2002. As of December 2020, it had sold 842,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
Track listing.
Notes
Personnel.
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2002 UK reissue of "Read My Lips".
Musicians.
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Technical.
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Charts.
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Tour.
The Read My Lips Tour was the debut concert tour by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, in support of her debut studio album. Beginning January 2003, the tour visited the European continent. As of 2013, it is the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever headlined.
Background.
The Read My Lips Tour is the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever gone on, having 38 dates and two legs. The Shepherd's Bush Empire gig was recorded, later being released in Ellis-Bextor's first video album, "Watch My Lips".
Setlist.
This setlist was obtained from the concert held 3 May 2002 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, England. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.
References.
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Read My Lips (Ciara song)
"Read My Lips" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Ciara for her fifth studio album, "Ciara" (2013). It was written by Ciara, Livvi Franc, and co-written and produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. The song was set to be released as the third single from the album, but was cancelled. To promote the album, Ciara recorded "video shorts" for some songs, including one for "Read My Lips", which lasts for 1:30.
Musically, "Read My Lips" is an electropop song, with sunshine-y chords and bouncy, half-organic drums. Lyrically, the song features a lot of innuendos about cunnilingus, where Ciara uses a sweet vocal to talk about it. "Read My Lips" received favorable reviews from music critics who praised the song for being both ridiculously lubricious and kind of sweet. The song has charted at number 5 on the South Korea charts, selling over 890,000 copies.
Background and release.
In March 2013, "Body Party" was released as "Ciara"'s lead single. After "Body Party" success, the song "I'm Out" was released to radio stations, becoming a moderate success. In August 2013, Ciara announced in an interview with "Hollywood Life" that "Where You Go", featuring her boyfriend Future, will serve as the third official single from the album in the United States, while "Overdose" will serve as the next international single. However, in September 2013, Ciara confirmed in an interview and on her Twitter that "Read My Lips" was set to be the album's new single, but in the same month, the cover of "Overdose" was released and it was announced that the song would set to hit radio on October 14, 2013. As of November, "Read My Lips" has not been released as a single however, the song is available on iTunes.
Composition and lyrics.
"Read My Lips" was written by Ciara, Livvi Franc, while Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins co-wrote and produced it. "Darkchild" is responsible for producing several of Ciara's past songs, including the 2007 single "Can't Leave 'Em Alone" and "Make It