Sophie Ellis-Bextor reveals powerful way gay fans have inspired her: ‘It’s an incredible thing’

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Sophie Ellis-Bextor has revealed how her gay fans have helped her be “bold” and “accepting” while performing at her first Brighton Pride.

The “Murder on the Dancefloor” singer dedicated her performance to her audience on Sunday (7 August), saying that: “All of my most significant performances have been in gay clubs or at Prides, and they’ve just sort of helped me… I don’t know… become more accepting of who I am as well. And that’s an incredible thing.”

Speaking with Yahoo Life UK, Ellis-Bextor said that she first realised her music resonated with the LGBTQ+ community while performing at G-A-Y’s original venue, the Astoria, in London.

“It made me go further than I expected to on stage. It was a real turning point for me… before then, there’s always been a bit of a gap between my off-stage and my on-stage persona, and that’s when I stopped to drop that and think, ‘Actually, it’s fine to just be me.’”

Sophie Ellis-Bextor performing at Wembley Stadium, 6 Aug. (WireImage/Joseph Okpako)

Ellis-Bextor, who reached new levels of public adoration due to her ‘kitchen disco’ videos over various COVID-19 lockdowns, also took aim at gendered products.

Speaking about her first child, she said: “When I had my first baby, who happened to be a boy, I’ve always been like, well, I’m going to shop from all the different shelves and the different rails in the clothing department.

“I’m not going to make an assumption about what he’s into just because he’s got a willy.”

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The mum-of-five revealed that she thinks we’re going backwards in some aspects: “I feel like [toys] are more binary now than when I was a kid in the Eighties in some ways.”

I think we could all do with a change of scenery so here’s my invitation to a virtual trip… away we go! Get your passport, and your bikini