Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Spark Is Charli XCX's Brat

Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Spark Is Charli XCX's Brat

Author: Adam Unze - Music & Film Interviews November 12, 2025 Duration: 29:24

Sophie Ellis-Bextor joins Adam to talk about her Spark: Charli XCX’s bold and boundary-pushing album Brat.


They share the story of how the album’s daring production and confessional lyrics sparked Sophie’s creative inspiration just before it exploded into the mainstream. From its genre-blurring sound to its cross-generational appeal, they explore how Brat embodies the fearless honesty and queer cultural vibrancy shaping today’s pop music landscape.


If you love innovative pop, authentic songwriting or insights into the evolving music industry, this episode is your gateway to a fascinating conversation.


What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Sophie’s first encounter with Charli XCX’s Brat and family connections
  • How Brat’s bold, minimalistic sound challenged pop conventions
  • The importance of honesty and vulnerability in modern songwriting
  • Brat’s impact across different generations and queer communities
  • Sophie’s reflections on her own career reinvention and classic hits like “Murder on the Dancefloor”




The Spark Parade is a podcast that dives deep into the films and albums that have inspired today’s creative icons. Hosted by Adam Unze, each episode features a unique conversation with an artist about their chosen film or album, and how it sparked their artistic journey.


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What single piece of art-an album, a film, a television show-fundamentally altered your creative path? That's the central question of The Spark Parade, a podcast hosted by Adam Unze. This isn't a standard interview format; it's a focused excavation of a singular, transformative work. Each conversation with an actor, musician, or cultural icon revolves entirely around that one catalytic piece of culture that ignited their journey. The discussion delves into the personal history and emotional resonance of the work, whether it's a cult classic or a mainstream hit, tracing how its influence continues to echo through their life and career. Listeners are invited into these intimate reflections, hearing stories from artists like Margaret Cho and Maya about the moments of inspiration that sparked everything. The podcast operates at the intersection of music, film, and personal narrative, offering a unique lens on the creative process. By concentrating on a single artifact, each episode provides a deep, nuanced portrait of both the artist and the art that made them. You'll come away from the podcast not just with a recommendation, but with an understanding of how art shapes identity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Spark Parade
Podcast Episodes
JJ Perry's Spark Is Jackie Chan's Armor Of God [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:32
The Killer's Game director JJ Perry has idolized Jackie Chan's work throughout his adult life, but it was Chan's career defining film Armor Of God that cemented Perry's devotion to his work. Chan's dedication to his craf…
Ashe's Spark Is Carole King's Tapestry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:34
Singer/songwriter Ashe sits down with Adam to talk about her Spark, Carole King's record breaking, earth shattering, emotionally devastating masterpiece Tapestry. Ashe talks about the direct impact Tapestry had on her so…
FOALS' Yannis Philippakis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:40
FOALS and Yannis & The Yaw front man Yannis Philippakis was hooked on the singular sounds of Pixies legendary debut album Surfer Rosa from the first time he heard it. Since becoming a musician himself, Surfer Rosa has in…
Sam Evian's Spark Is The Beatles: Get Back [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:56
Singer, songwriter, producer and engineer Sam Evian has always loved The Beatles music, but seeing Peter Jackson's epic Beatles documentary had a profound effect on the way he makes music. The live to tape recording styl…
Medium Build's Spark Is Weird Al Yankovic's Running With Scissors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:41
Nick Carpenter, better known as Medium Build, has been a huge Weird Al Yankovic fan since childhood and he clearly remembers getting Yankovic's tenth album Running With Scissors as soon as it was released. Carpenter love…
Sarah Hester Ross' Spark Is School Of Rock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:55
Musical comedian Sarah Hester Ross loves School Of Rock's... music and comedy, which has (perhaps obviously) had a huge impact on her career path. She really admires Jack Black's warm, funny performance, but also recogni…
Bethenny Frankel's Spark Is The Handmaid's Tale [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:29
Bethenny Frankel doesn't really watch much TV, but she found The Handmaid's Tale during the pandemic and was so drawn to its compelling performances and topical themes that she breezed through the entire series. Bethenny…
Judith Hill's Spark Is Captain EO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:15
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Judith Hill has loved Captain EO, the Michael Jackson starring short film that accompanied an attraction at Disney's theme parks, since she was a small child. She loves it's m…