Sophie Ellis-Bextor

As Sophie gears up for the exciting release of her new album, she popped by for a chat to talk about what she's been up to.

Check out the first instalment below and come back next week for more from your favourite lady.

Hello Sophie, how are you?
I've had a busy morning. Lots of workmen have been turning up.

What are you having done?
Some of them were trimming these quite tall trees we've got at the bottom of our garden, and then the others were repairing some massive cracks in our walls and doors.

Could you not have DIYed it?
Not really. Some of them are quite significant cracks and I'm not really up to that. Although I did successfully put up a flatpack yesterday. I went to Ikea in the morning. Oh God. I always start off thinking "This is great, I love it", then by the end I'm ready to kill somebody.

There's something in the air at that place.
There really is. I was in a foul mood. The journey home was awful too. We'd got too much stuff and we had the buggy with us, so I was sat in the passenger seat with the buggy wheels up against me and the seat pushed right forward to fit in all these boxes behind it. It just wasn't worth it.

Is it bad even on a weekday morning?
Well that's the thing. I was like, "Well, I know why I'm not working right now - cos I'm a pop star and I don't have normal hours! But why are the rest of you here?!" Who are all those people? It was hellish.

Aside from Ikea hell, how are things with you?
Really good, thanks. The album's all done, which is a nice position to be in.

So, what's the timeline from here?
I'm hoping to get my first lot of video treatments in today and I will be filming a video at the beginning of February. And then the scheduled release for the single is the beginning of April. We're just choosing photographers for the artwork and doing a brief for the direction and that sort of thing. Fun stuff.

Will the album come shortly after the single?
No, I think we're going to do two singles and then the album, actually. In fact, it'll be almost three, because I've got Heartbreak on there as well.

Did the album get finished without too much drama?
Yeah, this has been the easiest one by far. Definitely. And the most fun. With the least pressure. It's been a very pleasant experience. My theory is that the third album is the hardest.

Why so?
Because the first album introduces you and you've got that thing of being a new person. And everybody likes new things. Then the second album you think you know what you're doing, and the record probably is more cohesive, but it tends to not do as well as the first one. So that's a bit of a bump back down to earth. Then for the third one, you're really aware of what you had and what's at stake. But I think if you make it through your third album you've got a career. That's the really tough bit.

So, after four albums, you're the godmother of the current wave of synth-pop ladies.
Yeah! This is my tenth year with my label.

Do you get a special anniversary gift?
Um, no, I don't think so.

My brother works on the railway and just got £100 of M&S vouchers for reaching ten years service.
Really?! Wow. I'll drop the boss a line and ask for mine.

Head back here next Wednesday 3rd February for more!