Name: Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Nationality: British
Current release: Sophie Ellis-Bextor's HANA is out via Cooking Vinyl.

If you enjoyed this Sophie Ellis-Bextor interview and would like to find out more about her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.  



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I can get ideas anywhere and everywhere. I think the impulse comes from an instinctive feeling that I need to express a pent up emotion. When I make new music, I feel better. Lighter.

With my lastest albums my collaborator Ed Harcourt and I have been inspired by imaginary landscapes. Our 3rd record together, HANA, took us to Japan. Not literally Japan, but a dreamlike kaleidoscopic version. Fun!

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

Erm no ... I’m more a ‘go with your gut’ gal. It’s not super organised.

I just start chipping away with ideas and themes and keep going until I feel like it’s done.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

No I’m pretty rough and ready. All I like is a studio, a co-writer as I writer better when I have someone I trust to bounce ideas off, and ideally that person can do all the tech side. Or we need someone who can.

If I write alone it’s with an iPhone voice recorder and me singing into it! Possibly badly accompanying myself on piano.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Cup of tea please. I’m british. And something to eat at mealtimes. I can’t be hungry or I’ll get distracted.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Not tricky. Don’t over think it. I’ve been songwriting over 20 years so no embarrassment left!

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

Mostly the melody is first but occasionally it’s the other way round.

The words need to fit the melody and usually once I have a tune, I get an idea of the topic and the attitude the song needs.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Good lyrics should lift off the page and feel like a real sentiment.

You shouldn’t think about the writing process when you hear a song, just what it makes you feel.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

I’m quite a quick writer once the mood is right. It should come naturally so if you’re spending ages trying to make it ‘click’ then I tend to think it’s not right.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

If you’re writing with the right people it shouldn’t feel like that but definitely you can go down a rabbit hole with an idea and loose track of the initial good thought.

I think that’s part of the magic though ... it should be a bit of luck to get it right or it would get boring.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

That sounds like part of the fun to me. Creating something new is all in the moment and a little bit of problem solving.

But ultimately if it makes you feel how you think you’re supposed to feel when you hear it back, you’re on the right track.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

I suppose there’s a bit of ‘flow’. I work best when I’m walking or doing something else without the pressure of finishing a song or coming up with a new idea. Then it can just pop into my head! I love that,

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

Hard to explain, but I just know when it’s done. I think that’s actually a good thing as if you’re too much of a perfectionist you’ll never sign it off. You’ve got to know when to walk away.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

I don’t tend to over think it. I go with my gut. If it sounds good, it’s good.

My husband is more meticulous so I love hearing his opinion and he’s been a brilliant support with getting things over the line.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I can mix and produce with my ears and instinct but I can’t tell you what the buttons do.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I don’t feel empty. I feel excited! It’s part of the process. I’ve never had the feeling of emptiness after release.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Music is definitely more than coffee. It’s a chance to explain the human condition. To unite. To feel less alone. To articulate what it is to be alive. It’s the best.

I do love a great cup of coffee too though.