Steps (pop group) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steps
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Steps performing live at their Party on the Dancefloor Tour at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, November 2017.
From left to right: "H", Lisa, Claire, Lee & Faye |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | BritPop Music, Pop, dance-pop |
| Years active |
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| Members |
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Steps is a British dance-pop group. The members are Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer, and Ian "H" Watkins. They formed in May 1997.
Steps became very popular, with two number-one albums in the UK. They also had 14 songs in a row that reached the top 5 in the UK charts. Two of these songs even hit number one! The group has sold over 22 million records around the world. In 1999, they were nominated for a BRIT Award for Best Newcomer. They even supported Britney Spears on her tour that same year.
The group broke up on December 26, 2001, when Claire Richards and Ian "H" Watkins left to form their own duo. Their last song before the split reached number five in the UK charts. Their final album of greatest hits, Gold (2001), was their second number-one album in the UK.
Steps got back together in May 2011 for a TV show called Steps: Reunion on Sky Living. After the show, they released a new greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection, which also went to number one. This was their third album to reach the top spot! In 2012, they released their fourth studio album, Light Up The World, and went on a Christmas tour.
The group reunited again on January 1, 2017, to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They released their fifth album, Tears on the Dancefloor, in April 2017. Their sixth album, What the Future Holds, came out in November 2020. This was followed by What the Future Holds Pt. 2 in 2021. In August 2022, their third collection album, Platinum Collection, reached number one in the UK. This made Steps the first British mixed-gender group to have four number-one albums in four different decades!
Contents
Steps: How They Started and Became Famous
Forming the Group
Steps was created by Steve Crosby and Barry Upton, who wrote their first song "5,6,7,8". Their manager, Tim Byrne, found the members by holding auditions after placing an ad in The Stage newspaper.
The first group members were Ian Watkins, Lisa Scott-Lee, Derek O'Brien, Maddy Chan, and Mitch Stevens. They started taking photos and recording songs. But O'Brien, Chan, and Stevens left because they wanted a longer career. New auditions were held on May 7, 1997. Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford-Evans, and Claire Richards joined, completing the famous Steps lineup.
Their First Hits
Their very first song, "5,6,7,8", was a techno line dance song. It was different from their usual pop style but became a hit in the UK and other countries. Even though it only reached number 14 in the UK, it stayed on the charts for over four months. It's one of the best-selling songs in the UK that never made it into the top 10. In Australia, it became their first number one song in 1998.
After this, music producer Pete Waterman signed Steps to his record label. In April 1998, Steps released their second song, "Last Thing on My Mind". This song was a cover of a Bananarama song and became their first UK top ten hit, reaching number 6.
By August 1998, Steps released "One for Sorrow", which peaked at number 2. This started a streak of 14 songs in a row that reached the top 5 in the UK charts. Their first album, Step One, also did very well, reaching number 2 on the charts. It sold over 1.5 million copies.
Their Biggest Song
The next song was a double A-side: "Tragedy" (a cover of a Bee Gees song) and "Heartbeat". This song was released in November 1998 and reached number 2. But it became so popular over Christmas that it jumped to number one in January 1999. It was their first number-one hit and stayed on the charts for 30 weeks, selling over a million copies!
The last song from Step One was "Better Best Forgotten", which also reached number 2. In March 1999, Steps joined other artists like Tina Cousins and B*Witched to release "Thank ABBA for the Music". This song was a mix of ABBA songs performed at the BRIT Awards. It reached number four. Steps were also nominated for Best Newcomer at the BRIT Awards that year.
More Albums and Tours
Steptacular and International Success
In July 1999, Steps released "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart", the first song from their new album. They almost got to number one again! After this, Steps went to America to open for Britney Spears on her 1999 tour. They also had success in Europe and Australia.
Steps then released their second album, Steptacular, which included the song "After the Love Has Gone". The album went straight to number 1 and sold over a million copies in the UK. Their next two songs, "Say You'll Be Mine/Better the Devil You Know" and "Deeper Shade of Blue", continued their streak of top-five hits.
In February 2000, Disney Channel showed a concert special featuring Steps. In July 2000, Steps released another double A-side: "When I Said Goodbye" and a new song, "Summer of Love". Steps also won a BRIT Award in 2000 for Best Selling Live Act.
Buzz and the First Breakup
In October 2000, "Stomp" became their second number-one song. Their third album, Buzz, followed soon after. It sold well and included five UK top 5 songs. The next song, "It's the Way You Make Me Feel", reached number 2 in January 2001.
Rumors about the group splitting up started when they announced a greatest hits album. Steps kept saying they weren't breaking up. "Chain Reaction", a cover of a Diana Ross song, was the first new song from their Gold: Greatest Hits album. It became one of their biggest hits in two years. The second song, "Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well", was another top five hit. This was their last song as a group until they reunited in 2012.
Steps officially broke up on December 26, 2001. Fans were upset because the group had denied the rumors for so long. It was later revealed that Ian "H" Watkins and Claire Richards left the group because they were unhappy. They went on to form a duo called H & Claire.
Reunions and New Music
Getting Back Together in 2011
After the breakup, there were always rumors that Steps would get back together. In 2011, it was announced that Steps would reunite for a TV show called Steps: Reunion on Sky Living. The show explored their split and what happened in the years after. The band also released their Ultimate Collection album.
In the show, the members talked about their feelings. Lee Latchford-Evans said he felt that "certain people took that choice away from us." Lisa Scott-Lee mentioned that problems started when Ian "H" Watkins flew on Britney Spears' private jet while the others traveled by bus. Claire Richards also shared that she found out Ian "H" Watkins had been secretly dating the band's manager.
On October 10, 2011, Steps appeared on This Morning and announced their 14-date arena tour for 2012. They also said they were back together for good! On October 16, 2011, their new album The Ultimate Collection went to number one in the UK Albums Chart.
Light Up the World and a Short Break
In 2012, Steps released their own perfume called Guilty Pleasure. They also released a new album, Light Up the World, which was full of Christmas songs. The main song from the album was also called "Light Up the World". The group also went on a six-date Christmas tour.
After their busy year, Steps decided to take a break in May 2013. They confirmed they had not split up but needed time for solo projects. Faye Tozer appeared in musicals, Ian "H" Watkins performed in Joseph, and Lee Latchford-Evans ran marathons. Claire Richards started her own fashion line.
Back for Their 20th Anniversary
On January 1, 2017, Steps officially announced they were ending their five-year break. Their first performance was at a nightclub in London. Their fifth studio album, Tears on the Dancefloor, was released on April 21, 2017, and reached number 2 on the charts. They also announced a big tour called Party on the Dancefloor.
In November 2017, Faye Tozer said that the reunion was not just for their 20th anniversary and that the group planned to continue making music. In 2019, Claire Richards confirmed they would start recording their sixth album.
What the Future Holds Albums
On September 7, 2020, Steps announced their album What the Future Holds, which was released on November 27, 2020. They also confirmed a new UK tour for 2021. The first song from the album was "What the Future Holds". This was followed by "Something in Your Eyes" and "To the Beat of My Heart".
In April 2021, Steps announced that a deluxe version of What the Future Holds would become a completely separate album called What the Future Holds Pt. 2. This new album had 10 new songs and different versions of old ones. The first song from Pt. 2 was "Heartbreak in This City" featuring Michelle Visage. Other songs included "Take Me For A Ride" and a cover of Five Star's "The Slightest Touch".
25th Anniversary and Platinum Collection
To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Steps announced several summer shows in 2022. On May 30, 2022, they announced their third official greatest-hits album, Platinum Collection. This album included 21 songs, with two new ones.
The song "Platinum Megamix" was released on June 1, 2022. On July 7, 2022, Steps released "Hard 2 Forget", a cover of a 2020 song. Platinum Collection was released on August 19, 2022. On August 26, the album debuted at number 1 on the UK Official Top 100 Albums chart! This was a huge achievement for the group.
Steps on TV
Steps had their own talent show called Steps to the Stars on CBBC in 2000/2001. Young people performed three acts, and the audience voted for their favorites. Ian "H" Watkins and Claire Richards hosted the show. Famous people like Danny Jones (from McFly) and Gareth Gates appeared on the show before they became famous.
In 2011, Steps reunited for their reality TV series Steps: Reunion. It showed them rebuilding their friendships after their breakup. Because it was so popular, a second series, Steps: On the Road Again, followed them on their first big tour in over ten years. Both shows were on Sky Living.
Awards and Nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brit Awards | 1999 | British Breakthrough Act | Themselves | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Best Selling Live Act of 1999 | Won | |||
| British Pop Act | Nominated | ||||
| 2001 | Nominated | ||||
| British LGBT Awards | 2022 | Music Artist | Won | ||
| Popjustice £20 Music Prize | 2017 | Best British Pop Single | "Scared of the Dark" | Nominated | |
| The Record of the Year | 1998 | Record of the Year | "One for Sorrow" | Nominated |
Steps Albums
- Step One (1998)
- Steptacular (1999)
- Buzz (2000)
- Light Up the World (2012)
- Tears on the Dancefloor (2017)
- What the Future Holds (2020)
- What the Future Holds Pt. 2 (2021)
Steps Tours
Headlining Tours
- Step One Tour (1999)
- Next Step Tour (1999)
- Steptacular Tour (2000)
- Steps into Christmas (2000)
- Gold Tour (2001)
- The Ultimate Tour (2012)
- Christmas with Steps (2012)
- Party on the Dancefloor Tour (2017)
- Summer of Steps Tour (2018)
- What the Future Holds Tour (2021)
- 25th Anniversary Summer Tour (2022)
Opening for Other Artists
- ...Baby One More Time Tour (opened for Britney Spears) (1999)
See also
In Spanish: Steps para niños
- Pete Waterman Entertainment
- RCA/Jive Label Group
- Sony BMG
- Stock Aitken Waterman
