Sophie Ellis-Bextor has paid tribute to the victims of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, before singing Murder On The Dancefloor at the Bataclan concert hall where 90 people were killed.
One-hundred and thirty people died and hundreds more were injured in coordinated attacks across the capital on the night of 13 November 2015.
By far the deadliest element of the IS-backed plot was the assault on the Bataclan when terrorists opened fire on the crowd who were watching the American band Eagles of Death Metal play.
Performing at the 1,500-capacity venue on Tuesday night as part of her European tour, Ellis-Bextor acknowledged the sensitivity around the lyrics of the song with past events in mind.
She told the crowd: “It didn’t feel right to me to just waltz into a song called Murder On The Dancefloor without noting and paying tribute to the history.
“All I want to say is that ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ is not a song with any evil in its heart.
“The whole intention of that song, like this venue, is to bring joy and music on to the dancefloor.
“So, in tribute to that spirit, and in tribute to everybody who has ever danced right here at the Bataclan, this is Murder On The Dancefloor.”
Murder On The Dance Floor has had a huge surge in popularity after being featured in the closing scene of Emerald Fennell’s movie Saltburn – a dark satire about the super-rich.
Some of the film’s more extreme scenes – featuring death, nudity and sex – have gone viral on social media propelling the track back into the top 10, fully 23 years after its release, and breaking into the Billboard 100 in the US for the first time.
Sky News has contacted Ellis-Bextor’s representatives for comment.
