‘People need a bit of Steps sparkle in their lives’
Pop sensations Steps are getting back together – again. Alex Green finds out more.
Steps have a habit of popping up when things get tough. The 90s pop superstars reunited for the first time in 2017, just after the United Kingdom made its momentous decision to leave the European Union.
Now Claire Richards, Lee Latchford-evans, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian “H” Watkins are back again – this time amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s the right time for us and the right time for the world,” attests Lisa over video call.
“People need a bit of Steps sparkle in their lives after what has been a very tough time for everybody – all industries worldwide.
“It’s really been an unprecedented time.
“It is great we can be hopeful and look forward and just have that escapism through music – which is what Steps have always given our fans.”
Lisa and bandmates H and Lee are huddled around a laptop in a central London bar.
Steps are doing interviews, some in person but socially distanced, others virtually, ahead of the release of their sixth studio album, fittingly titled What The Future Holds.
Known for their catchy pop-dance tracks combined with easy-to-imitate routines, their 90s heyday saw them climb the charts with hits including Heartbeat, Tragedy, Deeper Shade Of Blue and Stomp.
This new chapter comes three years after their first comeback in 2017 spawned a number two album, Tears On The Dancefloor.
Launch day was originally planned for March but the band aborted, last moment, as the ramifications of coronavirus in the UK became clear.
“We were all ready to go,” recalls Lisa, who lives in Dubai where she runs a performing arts school.
“Everything was recorded. Suitcases were packed. I was about to fly on a plane to the UK. The rest of my bandmates were ready to start the campaign.
“And then literally the day before, we were told it wasn’t going to be possible because of the pandemic.
“It was disappointing… but safety comes first.
“In hindsight it has worked out really well. It feels like it is the right time for us.
“Because of the single being called What The Future Holds – a lot of people will relate to it.”
H, the band’s biggest personality, is hyperactive after being cooped up indoors all day. “We never take for granted what we do,” he says.
“Because we have been around for so long we have seen peaks and troughs in the music industry. The game has changed completely.
“We have a fantastic team around us that has their finger on the pulse. We have to trust them somewhat because I still don’t understand how streaming works – but they know exactly what they are doing. We can deliver our record. We can turn up to promote the record. But the rest is out of our hands,” he says.
“We’ve been biting our tongues and keeping everything under wraps,” adds Lee.
Lisa has spent lockdown providing virtual classes to her hundreds of students at the Dubai Performing Arts academy, six days a week over Zoom.
“The great thing was we were able to keep all the children in lockdown fit and active and healthy,” she says.
Lisa maintained this exhausting routine until the start of July, when they reopened.
“It kept us all fit,” she quips. Meanwhile, Lee, a qualified personal trainer, followed in the footsteps of Joe Wicks and began posting short workouts on his social media.
Steps’ big comeback single, which gives the album its title, was written by Sia, the Australian superstar behind hits like Chandelier and Elastic Heart.
“We’ve got some smashes on there and some ballads. It’s more like a rollercoaster”
A bona fide dance-pop anthem, the track features a suitably bombastic chorus and camp, futuristic music video.
“We’ve got some smashes on there,” says Lee of the album.
“There are some ballads on there. It’s more like a rollercoaster.
“This album takes you on a journey whereas Tears On The Dancefloor was more like a bullet train. It just went and did not stop.
“This is bit more sophisticated and also throws you back to the big ballads of the Steps days, which is really amazing.”
Steps have also recruited woman of the moment Sophie Ellis-bextor, who captured the nation’s hearts with her Kitchen Discos during lockdown, as their touring warm-up act.
“I loved them,” exclaims H when asked about those sessions, in which Ellis-bextor filmed herself performing her hits as well as classics from home.
“She was literally multitasking. That was a masterclass. It’s the perfect marriage.”
Of the five members,
H has commanded the most attention since their last reunion, competing on Dancing On Ice with professional skater Matt Evers as part of the ITV show’s first same-sex pairing.
When he was eventually eliminated, H issued the BBC and Strictly Come Dancing a challenge: “It’s your turn next.”
And a week before our conversation, the broadcaster responded, announcing boxer Nicola Adams as the show’s first celebrity to feature in a same-sex pairing.
“They were under pressure anyway but I just wanted to press that button a little bit more – a little bit harder,” recalls H.
“I knew it was going to happen this year because they came under fire for not doing it for so many years.
“It’s right they did do it. The world has changed. We have so many minorities being represented on television now and the BBC need to reflect that.
“I fought so hard for Matt and I to do that, but ITV championed me all the way. Right behind me.
“It’s fantastic. Nicola is going to smash it. She is a power house. And I am going to be there cheering her on.” Lisa leans in conspiratorially. “I have to add that me and my fellow Steps are very proud of H,” she says.
“Very proud indeed.”
● What The Future Holds is out on 27 November. Steps embark on a UK arena tour in November and December 2021