The queen of 'sophisticated pop' was born in West London to mum Janet Ellis, a former Blue Peterpresenter, and filmmaker Robin Bextor, on April 10, 1979. Although her parents divorced when she was four and had re-married other people by the time she was nine, she enjoyed a happy childhood. As a teen, Sophie who attended St Stephen's school in Twickenham followed by Godolphin and Latymer in Hammersmith - became passionate about Britpop. "My schoolbooks were covered with montages of Blur and Pulp," she says. 

She began singing with indie rock band Theaudience and secured a record deal while still studying for her A-levels. The group split after one album, however, and Sophie took a year out to try her hand at modelling. Her big break came when she met Italian DJ Spiller. She added lyrics and vocals to his instrumental track Groovejet, which he had been playing for two years, and it became an instant hit, particularly on the club scene.