00s chart-topping pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor has had a truly stellar 2024, with a massive comeback kicked off thanks to the explicit and off-beat thriller Saltburn.
Saltburn was released on Prime Video on December 22 last year after a limited run in cinemas and was quickly devoured by viewers over the holiday period.
Eventually going on to become one of the platform’s most streamed title ever, the film also propelled Ellis-Bextor, 45, right into the social media conversation thanks to an ingenious use of one of her biggest hits.
Her song Murder on the Dancefloor was used in the final scene, where Barry Keoghan’s Oliver triumphantly dances fully naked through the halls of stately home Saltburn to the track, immediately cementing the scene in cinema history and seeing Ellis-Bextor soar back into the charts.
And let’s not forget this was just one of several eyebrow-raising scenes, including one set in a cemetery and that bathwater drinking…
‘It was over Christmas last year, we were at home, and just seeing the numbers going crazy for people interacting with the song on streaming and TikTok,’ the star recalled of first noticing that something with happening with her 23-year-old song.
‘The year started with an old friend Murder on the Dancefloor taking me for another twirl,’ she told the BBC, adding: ‘To be honest, at that time it was all quite abstract, and I think this year has been about turning it into an actuality.’
And that actuality has been quite something with the outlet pointing out Ellis-Bextor’s 110th show of the year – the most she’s ever done – will broadcast tonight as she hosts a New Year’s Eve Disco on BBC One.
To put it in context, Taylor Swift performed 83 shows this year on her mammoth worldwide Eras Tour.
The Groovejet singer is happy to acknowledge the power of Saltburn and the part it played in her comeback.
Murder on the Dancefloor was originally released in December 2001, peaking at number two before enjoying a 16-week run in the top 100.
Following Saltburn, she surged back into the charts with the song – a now twice-certified banger – reaching number eight and then the second spot again the following week, where it hovered around that mark for a further five weeks.
All in all, her second chart run, over 20 years later, was even longer as it lasted a (slightly interrupted) 21 weeks until June.
She also performed at the Baftas and on The Tonight Show in the US, hosted by Jimmy Fallon.
Describing going viral on TikTok in an interview with AnOther in October, Ellis-Bextor said it was ‘like a bit of magic lightning striking’.
‘You know, it’s a pretty glorious thing to happen, especially with an old friend like Murder on the Dancefloor. It’s like having a second honeymoon.’
She added: ‘When [it]first came out, I had to wait ‘til I went on tour to see people’s reactions. But now, with TikTok, you get to see an immediate insight into people having fun with your music, and that lends even more energy to what you’re doing.’
And she remains loyal to the Oscar-nominated Keoghan, 32, for the power of his committed performance.
When asked to pick between him and co-star Jacob Elordi, she responded: ‘Well, I have to go for Barry. I mean, if it wasn’t him and his naked dancing…’
Saltburn, written and directed by Emerald Fennell, was nominated for two Golden Globes and five Bafta Film Awards.
It also starred Rosamund Pike, Richard E Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe and Carey Mulligan.
While Fennell herself revealed to Metro that she and the cast did ‘go to places that are quite extreme’ ahead of its release, many fans enjoyed the film’s unexpected nature labelling it ‘freaky and weird’ as well as ‘twisted and dark’.
‘Perfectly uncomfortable watch,’ praised Rio M on Rotten Tomatoes, while Marianella B quipped: ‘I don’t get offended easily, so this movie was for me.’
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s New Year’s Eve Disco airs tonight at 11:30pm on BBC One. Saltburn is available to stream on Prime Video.
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