Sophie Ellis-Bextor faces competition from another iconic noughties song storming the charts-Robert Oliver-Entertainment – Metro

Is Natasha Bedingfield on her way back to the top of the charts? (Picture: Getty)

Sophie Ellis-Bextor might have stormed back up the charts recently, but she’s not the only 2000s pop superstar making a fresh bid for number one.

The London singer’s hit Murder on the Dancefloor reached number two way back in 2001, and raced back up to the same heights in January 2024 after its inclusion on the Saltburn soundtrack.

But, unbelievably, she’s not the only 00s pop sensation being given another go at the charts in the first weeks of the new year, as Natasha Bedingfield has found out this week.

Her song Unwritten, which first reached the UK top 10 in 2004, has re-entered the top 20 on the Official Singles Chart after its prominent use in Anyone But You, the rom-com starring Sydney Sweeney.

Almost two decades on from its original release, the song has spread far and wide on TikTok, giving Natasha Bedingfield her first big hit in the UK since Love Like This – a collaboration with Sean Kingston that reached number 20.

It’s news that has pleased the I Bruise Easily singer immensely: ‘I’ve had songs in movies before but this time I really love the way it’s been used in such a special way that it makes you feel joyful.’

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has been back in the top 5 in January 2024 (Picture: Redferns)

Clips posted onto the video-sharing app have shown people leaving movie theatres while singing the song, with millions of views also being racked up by users posting dance routines to the 20-year-old song.

Natasha continued: ‘People are actually singing it as they leave the theatre! Over the years Unwritten has somehow become an anthem to sing at the top of your lungs. This makes me the happiest girl in the world.’

If Unwritten were to get all the way to the top of the chart in the next few weeks, it wouldn’t be the first time Natasha has landed a UK number one.

These Words, released as her second single overall, managed two weeks at number one in 2004 when the likes of Busted, The Streets, and Avril Lavigne were at the height of their fame.

It’s Natasha’s first top 20 hit in the UK for more than a decade (Picture: Shutterstock)

Anyone But You stars Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney (Picture: Sony Pictures)

Ironically, it was Natasha’s brother Daniel Bedingfield who kept Murder on the Dancefloor off number one during its original run in 2001, with his song Gotta Get Thru This topping the charts at the time.

Speaking about the resurgence of Murder of the Dancefloor, Sophie told Metro.co.uk: ‘There has been a lot of crazy stuff. The way the world is, we get so much every day, every day there’s like a new development.

‘But I did slightly freak out when Oprah Winfrey used Murder [in a new video]. I’m not going to lie. I was like, “Oh my God. Oprah Winfrey! Is using Murder on the Dancefloor!

‘I think [my son] finds it slightly baffling,’ she admitted. ‘Not like, horrified or anything, but he’s definitely a little bit perplexed – like, “Why is mum doing things in what is normally just my world?’”

‘But I reassured him it’s going to pass – it’ll be a safe space again soon.’

As for Natasha, it’s not the first time one of her hits has been given a new lease of life after being included in a popular movie, with Pocketful of Sunshine eventually being certified Silver in the UK after its inclusion on the soundtrack to Easy A.

If Natasha is to claim her second number one in UK chart history, she will have to go some to overhaul Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, currently in its third week at number one, and Yes, And?, the brand new single from Ariana Grande.

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