Look up off in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Off or OFF may refer to:

• OFF! (band), American hardcore punk band
• OFF (acronym for Organization for Fun) pseudonym for German DJ and singer Sven Väth
• Off (album), an album by Ciwan Haco
• OFF!, an insect repellent
• Off side, one half of the cricket field
• Open Font Format
• Owner free filing system, a P2P-network which breaks up files into blocks
• Oil-for-Food Programme, the United Nations arrangement with Iraq from 1995 to 2003
• Our Favorite Family, a nickname for the eponymous family in the animated television series The Simpsons

See also[link]

• Offside

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Trey Songz
Background information
Birth name	Tremaine Aldon Neverson
Born	(1984-11-28) November 28, 1984 (age 27) Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Genres	R&B, hip hop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, sampler
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Atlantic, Songbook
Associated acts	Drake, Troy Taylor, Twista, Juvenile, Bun B, Rick Ross, Plies
Website	www.treysongz.com

Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005, while his second album, Trey Day, was released in 2007. His third album, Ready, was released in 2009 while his fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, was released on September 14, 2010.

Life and career[link]

1984–2004: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Songz was born Tremaine Aldon Neverson on November 28, 1984, in Petersburg, Virginia.^[1] Raised as a military brat, Songz did not have aspirations to have a musical career as a child due to his shyness, saying "Singing wasn't a reality for me, until other people started noticing I sounded good."^[2] He recognized his vocal abilities at the age of 14.^[2] Reluctant to sing, he began performing with encouragement by friends and family in high school. Record producer Troy Taylor discovered Songz during a talent show in 2000, which led him to signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 2002.^[2] After graduating from high school in 2002, Songz moved to New Jersey to begin recording his debut album, though recording didn't actually begin until 2003.^[1]

[edit] 2004–2008I Gotta Make It and Trey Day

While recording his debut album in 2004, Songz released multiple mixtapes under the alias Prince of Virginia.^[1] One of the mixtapes featured an "answer track" to R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet", entitled "Open the Closet". The song gave Trey some notoriety.^[3] His debut album, I Gotta Make It was released on July 26, 2005.^[4] It debuted at #20 on the Billboard 200, selling 40,000 copies in its first week of sales.^[5] It has sold 300,000 records in the US, but was never certified by the RIAA. Songz's debut single, Gotta Make It, featuring Twista, was released in March 2005 and reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It garnered success in the R&B/urban community but failed to make a mark in mainstream music. The album's second and final single, Gotta Go, was released in July 2005 and reached #67 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming even more successful than his debut single in the R&B/urban community and in the mainstream community. After promotion for his debut concluded, he was featured on the lead single from Twista's fifth album, The Day After. The single, "Girl Tonite", reached #14 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming a huge hit.

Trey Songz performing in 2007.

In mid-2006, Songz began work on a follow-up album to his debut with longtime collaborator Troy Taylor and also employed hitmakers Bryan-Michael Cox, Danja, Stargate (production team) and R. Kelly to help create the album. Trey aimed for the album to be more mainstream-oriented than his debut album. His second studio album, Trey Day, was released on October 2, 2007. The album reached #11 on the Billboard 200,^[6] selling 73,000 copies in its first week. It has since sold 400,000 records in the US, becoming his second album not to be certified by the RIAA. The album was going to be released on May 8, 2007, but was continually delayed in order for a successful single to precede the album, as the lead single failed to impact charts.

His second album was preceded by the lead single, "Wonder Woman", which was released in February 2007. It reached #54 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but failed to impact the Hot 100. Because of the single's failure, his second album was delayed from May 2007 to October 2007. The album's second single, "Can't Help but Wait", was released in August 2007 and was released to promote his second album and the film Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack as a single for it. The single reached #14 on the Hot 100, and #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It became Songz's first Top 20 hit on the Hot 100, and helped to boost his second album's sales. The single was also nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 50th Grammy Awards. The third single from the album, "Last Time", was released in January 2008 and reached #69 on the Hot 100, and #9 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The fourth and final single from the album, "Missin' You", was released in May 2008, but failed to chart completely. In mid-2008, Songz was nominated for a BET Award for Best Male R&B Artist but did not win the award.^[7]

[edit] 2009–2011: Ready and Passion, Pain & Pleasure

In late 2008, Trey began work on his third studio album with Bryan-Michael Cox, Sean Garrett, Stargate and Troy Taylor and aimed for the record to be more mature than his first two. Before releasing his third album, Songz released a mixtape titled Anticipation in June 2009 through his blog, which featured songs from his third album.^[8] Another mixtape from Trey was released in the summer of 2009, called Genesis. Genesis was a collection of Trey Songz's first recordings when he was fifteen years old and was released to show his fans the dedication that he had to making a record when he was young.^[9] Trey released his third studio album, Ready, on August 31, 2009. The album reached #3 on the Billboard 200, selling 131,000 copies in its first week.^[10] These are his best first week sales to date and the album was his first to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. The album has since sold over 800,000 records in the US, earning a Gold certification from the RIAA in February 2010, becoming his first album to be certified by the RIAA.

Trey Songz performing at Summer Jam on June 5, 2010.

The lead single from the album, "I Need a Girl", was released in April 2009 and reached #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and #59 on the Hot 100, becoming an R&B/urban hit but not a mainstream hit. A promotional single, "Successful", featuring rapper Drake, was released in June 2009 and reached #17 on the Hot 100, becoming Songz's third Top 20 hit. The single also served as the second and final single from Drake's EP, So Far Gone. The second official single from his third album, "LOL Smiley Face", featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em and Gucci Mane, was released in August 2009 and reached #51 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single from the album, "I Invented Sex", featuring Drake, was released in October 2009 and reached #42 on the Hot 100 but #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first single to top that chart. Like the first two singles from the album, it achieved success in the R&B/urban community but only some mainstream success. charted within the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the R&B chart. The fourth single from the album, "Say Aah", featuring rapper Fabolous, was released in January 2010 and reached #9 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single has become Trey's highest charting single on the Hot 100 and one of his most successful singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The fifth and final single from the album, "Neighbors Know My Name", was released in February 2010 and reached #43 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A sixth single, "Yo Side of the Bed", was going to be released in June 2010, but its release was canceled due to unknown reasons. A music video, featuring singer Keri Hilson, was filmed and released, however. Songz was also the opening act for Jay-Z on his Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010, but lost to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce. On April 1, 2010, he recorded an episode of MTV Unplugged, which aired on April 26, 2010.^[11] A documentary-series about Trey, Trey Songz: My Moment, began in June 2010 to positive reviews and high ratings. The 10-part series will end in August 2010 and follows Trey during his time as opening act on Jay-Z's Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009.

Songz's fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, was released on September 14, 2010.^[12] Trey began work on the album in early 2010 with Sean Garrett, Troy Taylor and Stargate and has stated that the album will be his most personal to date. The album was completed in July 2010. The album's lead single, "Bottoms Up", featuring female rapper Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010 and has reached number twenty-four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and was shared enough on Facebook to appear as a trending video on ItsTrending. Its video was filmed on July 31, 2010 and is pending release.^[13] Trey also filmed the video for the album's second single, "Can't Be Friends", on August 1, 2010.^[13] "Can't Be Friends" was released as the album's second single in August 2010.^[13] Songz embarked on the Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour on August 6, 2010 with singer Monica. The tour is his first headlining tour to date and consists of shows in venues that seat 3,000 to 5,000 people. Songz also contributed the song "Already Taken" to the Step Up 3D soundtrack, which was released on July 27, 2010. He filmed a video for the song, which was released in July 2010. The leading lady in the video is former girlfriend and professional dancer Helen Gedlu. Songz appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.^[14] Songz performed at BET Awards 2011 which broadcasted on June 26, 2011.^[15]

In July 2011, he was cast in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D as Ryan, the male lead role.^[16]

[edit] 2011–present: Inevitable and Chapter 5

On August 18, 2011, it was announced Songz will be working on his fifth studio titled Chapter 5.^[17] In an interview Trey said the album, which will act as the follow-up to Passion, Pain & Pleasure, is said to be nearing completion. He also carried on to say "It’s my sixth year in the game so I’ve been here for a while now. You can expect the best me you’ve ever heard. I don’t have any release dates in mind right now but I’m just making music and enjoying myself in the studio and having fun. When I get to a place where I feel comfortable saying a date or all of that, people will definitely know. I have a few dream collaborations on that album that I want, but they say if you blow out your candle and make a wish you can’t tell people what you ask for or it won’t come true."^[18]

On November 28, 2011, on his birthday, Songz released his Inevitable EP to prepare for the release of his album. In February 2012, Songz will embark on his Anticipation 2our to promote his mixtape Anticipation 2 and to raise awareness of his new album.

Discography[link]

• I Gotta Make It (2005)
• Trey Day (2007)
• Ready (2009)
• Passion, Pain & Pleasure (2010)
• Chapter V (2012)

Tours[link]

• Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour (headliner) (2010)
• OMG Tour (opening for Usher) (2010)
• Anticipation 2our (headliner) (2012)

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Trey Songz

• Official website
• Trey Songz at the Internet Movie Database

Baba Brinkman
Baba Brinkman performing at the CUSP Conference, 2010, Chicago, IL
Background information
Birth name	Dirk Murray Brinkman
Born	(1978-10-22) 22 October 1978 (age 33) Riondel, Canada
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Canadian hip hop
Occupations	poet, rapper, playwright
Years active	2004–present
Website	bababrinkman.com

"Baba" Dirk Murray Brinkman Jr (born October 22, 1978) is a Canadian rapper and playwright best known for recordings and performances that combine hip hop music with literature, theatre and science.

Biography[link]

Born in the remote community of Riondel, British Columbia, in a log cabin built by his parents,^[1] Brinkman is the eldest of three children of Joyce Murray, a Member of the Parliament of Canada, and Dirk Brinkman Sr, who is notable for having founded a company responsible for planting one billion trees.^[2] Dirk Sr gave Brinkman the honorific nickname "Baba" at birth, because of his son's contemplative, Buddha-like expression.^[3] Brinkman's childhood was divided between Vancouver and the Kootenay region of British Columbia. He attended Crawford Bay School and Relevant High, a democratic school.

Brinkman spent his early summers in remote tree planting camps,^[4], and began planting trees himself at the age of 15. He worked for his parents' business, Brinkman & Associates Reforestation, for twelve seasons in British Columbia and Alberta, personally planting more than one million trees.^[5] During this period he also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Arts degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Victoria, Canada. He studied human evolution and primatology with the orangutan researcher Biruté Galdikas and wrote his thesis comparing modern Hip hop freestyle battling with The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.^[6]

Literature Rap[link]

Brinkman first gained widespread media attention for his one-man show "The Rap Canterbury Tales",^{[7][8][9][10]} devised as a means of re-telling Chaucer's iconic stories for a modern audience. The show premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2004, and the following year Brinkman was sponsored by Cambridge University to perform the show in British secondary schools.^[11] The Rap Canterbury Tales was published as an illustrated paperback by Talon Books in 2006.^[12]

Brinkman's 2010 follow-up show, Rapconteur, premiered at the Edinburgh Free Fringe and features hip hop adaptations of Beowulf, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Finnish Kalevala.^[13][14][15] Because of his interest in merging hip hop and classic literature, Brinkman has referred to his style of rap as "Lit hop", which was also the title of his 2006 solo rap album.^[16]

Science Rap[link]

In 2008, Brinkman was commissioned to write a new rap show about evolution by Professor Mark Pallen, a Birmingham University microbiologist and author of The Rough Guide to Evolution. The result was "The Rap Guide to Evolution," a hip hop homage to Charles Darwin which Brinkman first performed in Britain for the Darwin bicentennial in February 2009.^[17] Because the lyrics were fact-checked for scientific accuracy, Professor. Pallen calls it "the first peer-reviewed rap".^[18] Brinkman cites Richard Dawkins, David Sloan Wilson, Jared Diamond, Geoffrey Miller, and E. O. Wilson as his influences in writing the show.

The Rap Guide to Evolution premiered at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning a Fringe First Award from The Scotsman for best new theatre writing.^[19] In 2010 the UK's largest biomedical charity, the Wellcome Trust, provided grant funding for Brinkman to make a series of educational music videos based on the show, as a resource for biology teachers.^[20] The Rap Guide to Evolution began an Off-Broadway run in New York City in June 2011.^[21]

Brinkman followed up his Darwin-tribute with a sequel show specifically about evolutionary psychology, The Rap Guide to Human Nature, which also premiered at the Fringe in 2010.^[22]

Controversy[link]

The Rap Guide to Evolution has been viewed unfavourably for a variety of reasons. A science writer for The Scientist Magazine called the project "misguided" and accused Brinkman of "if not misogyny, then at least sexism" for his use of "scantily clad women" in the Wellcome Trust music videos.^[23]

When asked what other subjects he intends to explore through rap, Brinkman responded: "Global warming, health care policy, religion, gender politics. As long as it’s controversial I’m interested."^[24]

Works[link]

Theatre[link]

2004: The Rap Canterbury Tales

2008: The Rebel Cell (co-written with MC Dizraeli)

2009: The Rap Guide to Evolution

2010: Rapconteur

2010: The Rap Guide to Human Nature

Discography[link]

2004: Swordplay

2004: The Rap Canterbury Tales

2005: Pandemonium

2006: Lit-Hop

2009: The Rap Guide to Evolution

2009: Apocalyptic Utopian Dreams in the Western Wilderness

2010: Rapconteur

2010: The Rap Guide to Human Nature

2011: The Rap Guide to Evolution: Revised

2011: The Rap Guide to Business

Writings[link]

The Rap Canterbury Tales, Talon Books 2006

"The Speciation of Rap" The Evolutionary Review, Volume 2, March 2011

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28rap.html
2. ^ http://walrusmagazine.com/articles/2011.09-profile-the-money-tree/
3. ^ http://skepchick.se/2011/05/24/intervju-med-baba-brinkman/
4. ^ http://www.vanmag.com/News_and_Features/Fresh_Prince_of_East_Van?page=0%2C1
5. ^ http://www.plantingtheplanet.com/the-millionaires/
6. ^ http://www.bababrinkman.com/doc/rct/prologue.pdf
7. ^ http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts-reviews/the-rap-canterbury-tales/2007/10/04/1191091243627.html
8. ^ http://articles.latimes.com/2006/dec/25/entertainment/et-chaucer25
9. ^ http://www.timeout.com.hk/stage/features/22687/review-rap-canterbury-tales.html
10. ^ http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/arts/story.html?id=20cefb15-7b19-49c6-9f2d-d6bdf8c080eb
11. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4721073.stm
12. ^ http://talonbooks.com/books/the-rap-canterbury-tales
13. ^ http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/viewreview.aspx?id=1994
14. ^ http://www.broadwaybaby.com/edinburgh-fringe-archive/7296
15. ^ http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/edinburgh/E8831282146316/Rapconteur.html
16. ^ http://thetyee.ca/Music/2007/03/01/MusicPicks/
17. ^ http://blogs.sciencemag.org/origins/2009/02/rapping-with-darwin-and-dawkin.html
18. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28rap.html?_r=2
19. ^ http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/viewpreview.aspx?id=670
20. ^ http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2011/News/WTVM051468.htm
21. ^ http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/theater/reviews/baba-brinkman-in-rap-guide-at-soho-playhouse-review.html
22. ^ http://www.chortle.co.uk/shows/edinburgh_fringe_2010/r/18278/the_rap_guide_to_human_nature/review
23. ^ http://blog.the-scientist.com/2011/06/03/the-rap-guide-to-evolution/
24. ^ http://www.musicomh.com/theatre/features/baba-brinkman_0910.htm

External links[link]

• http://www.bababrinkman.com/
• http://www.rapguide.com/
• http://www.rapguidetoevolution.co.uk
• Presenting at Cusp Conference 2010 (video)

Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Background information
Birth name	Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor
Also known as	Mademoiselle EB
Born	(1979-04-10) 10 April 1979 (age 33)
Origin	Hounslow, London, England
Genres	Electropop, dance, disco, house, alternative, pop rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, model
Instruments	Guitar, piano, bass guitar, voice
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Polydor, Fascination
Associated acts	Theaudience, Manic Street Preachers, Spiller, The Freemasons,
Website	sophieellisbextor.net
Notable instruments
Guitar, piano

Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s. Her music is a mixture of mainstream pop, disco, nu-disco, and 1980s electronic influences.

Her solo debut album, Read My Lips, was released in September 2001. The album reached number two on the UK albums chart and was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).^[1][2] The record experienced international success, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide.^[3] It produced four singles, three of which reached the top three in the UK.^[1] In 2003, Read My Lips won the Edison Award for "Best Dance Album".^[4] Ellis-Bextor's second album, Shoot from the Hip, was released in October 2003. The album reached number nineteen in the UK and produced two top ten singles.^[1] Trip the Light Fantastic, her third album, was released in May 2007 and reached number seven in the UK.^[1] The album produced three singles, one of which reached the top ten in the UK.^[1]

In 2009, Ellis-Bextor released the Freemasons collaboration "Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)" and her first extended play, Sophie Ellis-Bextor: iTunes Live in London. Her fourth studio album, Make a Scene, was released in April 2011.

History[link]

[edit] 1994–99: Early career and Theaudience

Ellis-Bextor appeared with her mother Janet Ellis along in a children's DVD compilation songs video entitled 'a day full of songs' which was released by retailer Marks & Spencer. She began her musical career in 1997, with an indie band called Theaudience. Ellis-Bextor sang the lead vocal in the band. While she was a band member, readers of Melody Maker elected her to the number-one position among the 'most sexy people in rock'. She recorded a duet with Manic Street Preachers—"Black Holes for the Young"—as a B-side for their 1998 single "The Everlasting". Several songs released by Theaudience are "I Got the Wherewithal", "If You Can't Do It When You're Young; When Can You Do It?", "I Know Enough (I Don't Get Enough)", and "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" (perhaps their best-known single). The band split in December 1998. In 1999, Ellis-Bextor made an appearance on the Departure Lounge album Out of Here.

[edit] 2000–03: Read My Lips

After Theaudience split, Ellis-Bextor took a year off from singing. In 2000, Ellis-Bextor collaborated with Italian DJ Spiller on adding vocals to his then-instrumental club track "Groovejet", her first recorded work since that with Theaudience. "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" entered the UK charts at number one, just beating former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham on her first solo outing to the top spot. Since then, the two have been described as rivals. Both women deny, however, that there is any rivalry between the two of them. "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.^[5] 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.^[6]

In 2001, Ellis-Bextor released her debut 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.^[7] "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.^[8][9][10]

[edit] 2003–06: Shoot from the Hip

Her second album, Shoot from the Hip, was released in October 2003. Although it was not as commercially successful as her previous material, it held two further top-ten singles. The album reached no higher than number fourteen on the UK charts; its two singles were "Mixed Up World", which reached number seven, and "I Won't Change You", reaching number nine. Around this time, rivalry against Victoria Beckham was suggested again; Beckham's single "This Groove"/"Let Your Head Go" reached number three, a higher position in the charts than "I Won't Change You". During this time Ellis-Bextor became pregnant and plans for a third and fourth single from the album, as well as the Shoot from the Hip Tour, were scrapped. After that, Ellis-Bextor took a break from her musical career to take care of her first child.In early 2005, she performed on a track by the duo Busface, entitled "Circles (Just My Good Time)"; she was credited as "Mademoiselle E.B." to not have this be mistaken for a single from her next album.

In 2006, her track "Dear Jimmy" was released on the Popjustice compilation album 100% Solid Pop Music.

[edit] 2007–08: Trip the Light Fantastic

Her third album, Trip the Light Fantastic, was released in May 2007 and debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart. Fred Schneider of The B-52s, Richard Barone (formerly of The Bongos), Shelly Poole (formerly of Alisha's Attic), Cathy Dennis and Kerin Smith (formerly of Theaudience) contributed to produce an album of disco-pop music. Before the album, two singles were released: "Catch You", which charted in the UK at number eight, and "Me and My Imagination (number twenty-three). Trip the Light Fantastic was certified Gold in July 2008, for selling 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.^[11] The third single, "Today the Sun's on Us", debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number sixty-four.

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.^[12] Ellis-Bextor stated that her tour would be re-scheduled for March 2008, with all tickets purchased being valid for the rescheduled concerts. The tour was never re-scheduled, and Ellis-Bextor subsequently refused to discuss the issue in interviews.^[13] In September 2007, Ellis-Bextor took part in Sopot Festival 2007 in Poland, representing the UK.

The song "If I Can't Dance" was announced as a single but later retracted,^[12][14] as was "Love Is Here"; Ellis-Bextor was supposed to release a single in late November to promote a greatest hits album, but the release date was pushed back to March 2008, and subsequently cancelled. However, "If I Can't Dance" has appeared on several compilations in Spain such as Supermodelo 2008 CD and Disco Estrella 2008.^[15][16][17]

[edit] 2009–11: Make a Scene

According to Ellis-Bextor in April 2008, recording sessions for her scrapped greatest hits collection proved fruitful, so she decided to release a fourth studio album.^{[citation needed]} In October 2008, Ellis-Bextor covered the Dolly Parton song "Jolene"; the track was released on the soundtrack to the BBC2 sitcom Beautiful People. In early November 2008, Ellis-Bextor recorded a track with the French DJ Junior Caldera, "Can't Fight This Feeling", for his 2009 album Début. Released as a single in February 2010, it reached the top twenty in France.

In November 2008, Ellis-Bextor confirmed her next single would be "Sophia Loren", which was used in a Rimmel ad campaign in which she also starred, but a single release never materialised.^{[citation needed]} In August 2009, she released a five-track live EP from the 2009 iTunes Festival, during which she performed previous singles of hers and a new track, "Starlight" (not included on the EP). Freemasons worked with Ellis-Bextor for their album Shakedown 2 on "Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)", which was released as a single in June 2009 and peaked at number thirteen in the UK. Ellis-Bextor performed at Birmingham's Nightingale Club in January 2010.

Ellis-Bextor's fourth album, Make a Scene, was released in June 2011.^[18] She described it as "very much [a dance album]—more so than any of my other albums. What I'm planning next though is an album that's really different. I think I need to do something different now and move on from the dance stuff. I might come back to it, but I think this album is a good way to bow out of the dance sound for now. I think it's finishing on a high."^[19] She worked with Calvin Harris, Armin van Buuren,^[20] Richard X, Dimitri Tikovoi, Hannah Robinson, Metronomy,^[21] and Liam Howe from the Sneaker Pimps. The first single from the album, "Bittersweet" (co-written by Freemasons and Hannah Robinson^[22]), was released in May 2010 and reached number twenty-five on the UK Singles Chart. "Not Giving Up on Love" was released as the second single from the album, in August 2010 in Europe,^[23] followed by "Starlight" as the third single in May 2011. "Off & On" was the fourth and final single.

In May 2011, she revealed that she has already began work on her fifth album.^[24] She returned to the international tour scene in 2011, playing venues such as Jakarta's SoulNation festival, as well as returning to Australia by playing gigs in Sydney and Melbourne.^[25] Ellis-Bextor collaborated with French DJ Bob Sinclar on a track titled "F*** with You", which will be included on his upcoming album, Disco Crash, due for release in early 2012. ^[26][27]

Other projects[link]

In 2007, Ellis-Bextor appeared at Christmas in the Robbie the Reindeer episode, "Close Encounters of the Herd Kind". Ellis-Bextor 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 this 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^[28] She also 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.^[29]

In 2008 she features 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 is set to debut in late summer at the Portobello Film Festival and is produced by Glass Loves and Shoot to Kill Productions.^[30][31]

An advocate for animal rights, she posed for PETA's anti–fur clothing advertisement.^[32] She is also currently fronting 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.^[33]

She auditioned for the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge! for the part of Satine.^[34]

In May 2008 Ellis-Bextor was hired by cosmetics brand Rimmel as one of their new faces. A new song performed by Ellis-Bextor is featured in one of the Rimmel London' spot for the line "Sexy Curves". Ellis-Bextor is appearing as an advocate for Verdi on BBC World News classical music programme Visionaries [2] in August 2008. Ellis-Bextor performed live at Manchester's Gay Pride, on 23 August 2008, having just arrived back from Moscow. On 24 August 2008, Ellis-Bextor performed a live cover version of Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" outside Buckingham Palace as part of the Visa London 2012 Handover Party in the Mall.

Ellis-Bextor and her husband Richard Jones launched a DJ club project, called "Modern Love" in London.^[35]

Ellis-Bextor and her mother Janet Ellis appeared on Channel 4's game show The Million Pound Drop Live playing for charity. Despite losing on the final question, £5000 was donated to their chosen charity.

Ellis-Bextor has made a cameo appearance in the BBC2 sitcom, Life's Too Short, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, which centers on an angry entertainment agency boss who exploits his fellow dwarf clients. The sitcom premiered on the 10th November 2011.^[36]

Personal life[link]

Ellis-Bextor was born in London on 10 April 1979, the daughter of Robin Bextor and former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis who separated when she was four. ^[37] As a young girl, she appeared on several Blue Peter items, with no indication given on-screen that she was Ellis's daughter.

She attended St. Stephen's School and later Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith. Among her earliest public performances were with the W11 Opera children's opera from the age of thirteen, and she is now a patron of the organisation.^[38]

In 2005, Ellis-Bextor married The Feeling bassist Richard Jones at Palazzo Terranova in Italy. Their first son Sonny was born in April 2004.^[39] Ellis-Bextor's second son Kit Jones was born on 7 February 2009 weighing 2 lb 10oz nine weeks premature. This was her second complicated birth; her first son was born eight weeks prematurely by emergency cesarean section in April 2004 after Ellis-Bextor developed pre-eclampsia. In October 2011, Ellis-Bextor announced she and Jones were expecting their third child.^[40] She gave birth to their third child also a son named Ray Holiday Jones on 25 April 2012.^[41]

Current band members[link]

• Drums: Jackson Ellis Leach
• Bass: James Ahwai
• Keyboards: Christian Gulino
• Guitar: Neil Jones

Tours[link]

• 2002–2003: "Read My Lips Tour" (United Kingdom and Europe)
• 2006: "25 Live" (Supporting George Michael on his tour leg around the United Kingdom and Ireland)
• 2007: "Beautiful World Live" (Supporting Take That on their tour in the United Kingdom and Ireland)
• 2009/2010: "Straight to the Heart 2010 Tour" (United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and USA)^[42]
• 2010: "The Pandemonium Tour" (Supporting Pet Shop Boys on their UK Leg]^[43]
• 2011: "Erasure Total Pop! Forest UK Tour" (Supporting Erasure)

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2001: Read My Lips
• 2003: Shoot From The Hip
• 2007: Trip the Light Fantastic
• 2011: Make a Scene

Extended plays[link]

• 2009: Sophie Ellis-Bextor: iTunes Live in London

DVD[link]

• 2002: Watch My Lips

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sophie Ellis-Bextor

• Ellis-Bextor's official website
• Sophie Ellis-Bextor at Allmusic
• Sophie Ellis-Bextor at the Internet Movie Database
• I am Sophie Ellis-Bextor... Heat World Interview (2009)