In an interview with Clash magazine, Ellis-Bextor said of the track:
"Initially it was a lot more flirty. But like every song on Perimenopop, I wanted it to ring true to my life. And look – I’ve just had my 20th wedding anniversary (to Richard, bassist from The Feeling) – so I thought the song should be about the beauty of a long romance. About going out, but still having that feeling of “I think you’re brilliant – I’m so glad you’re coming home with me.”"[9]
The song was released on 11 September 2025, one day ahead of the album release. "Stay on Me" debuted at number thirty-five on Global's Official Big Top 40 Singles chart.[10]
Music video
It was released alongside an accompanying music video, which was directed by longtime collaborator Sophie Muller.[11] It marks their nineteenth music video together.[12] The music video was shot in the county Kerry of Ireland, with Oscar nominee cinematographer Robbie Ryan, serving as the director of photography, making it his second collaboration with Ellis-Bextor since "Hypnotized" in 2022.[12]
"The music video for ‘Stay On Me’ is out now I had an incredible two days in Co. Kerry in the south west of Ireland filming this with the incredible @darlingangel6, Robbie Ryan as DOP and brilliant @lisalaudat1 for my glam, This is my 19th music video with Sophie Muller and we always have so much fun - I really trust her. It’s our first video involving donkeys though. The landscape was so beautiful - honestly one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been, and it felt like the perfect location to make a video for ‘Stay On Me’"[13]
Cory Gourley of Music Is To Blame wrote that the track "proves that Ellis-Bextor has the ability to play with the nuances of disco-pop and can offer much-needed light and shade to her listeners."[14] Gourley continued praising the song for showcasing Ellis-Bextor's "vocal talent, maturity, and [her] ability to genre-bend with ease."[14] Yotam Dov of We Rave You dubbed the track as "shimmering".[15]OUTinPerth included the song on their list "The Latest Tunes Worth Checking-Out" on its week of release.[16]
↑ Dov, Yotam (2025-09-12). "Sophie Ellis-Bextor releases new album and single". We Rave You. Retrieved 2025-09-21. Sophie dropped her shimmering new single 'Stay On Me' with an accompanying video, co-written by Selena Gomez, Julia Michaels, Kid Harpoon, and Caroline Ailin.
↑ "Album reviews: JADE – That's Showbiz Baby, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Perimenopop". The Independent. 2025-09-12. Retrieved 2025-09-21. You can hear a whisper of Selena Gomez in "Stay on Me", the track the US pop star co-wrote with Julia Michaels and Kid Harpoon. But Ellis-Bextor makes it her own, flipping the tone from its original jealousy to one of borderline smugness, knowing her man is too devoted to stray.
1 2 "The Renaissance Of Sophie Ellis-Bextor Continues With 80's Coded Disco Album 'Perimenopop'". Music Is To Blame. 2025-09-17. Retrieved 2025-09-21. The album has a bit of a gear change, with the more refined 'Stay On Me'. This proves that Ellis-Bextor has the ability to play with the nuances of disco-pop and can offer much-needed light and shade to her listeners. The vocals feel particularly raspy yet silky and well-crafted throughout the track. The tempo is slower compared to the first three songs we hear, but it doesn't cause the album to lose momentum. Instead, it allows for breathing space; a second to appreciate Ellis-Bextor's vocal talent, maturity, and ability to genre-bend with ease.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
