Steps (group)
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| Steps | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genre(s) | Pop |
| Instrument(s) | Singing |
| Years active | 1997-2001 |
| Label(s) | SonyBMG/Jive |
| Former members | |
| Claire Richards Lee Latchford-Evans Faye Tozer Ian 'H' Watkins Lisa Scott-Lee | |
Steps was a pop group that achieved a series of charted singles between 1997 and 2001. Their name was based around a simple marketing gimmick: each of their music videos were choreographed, and the dance steps were included with most of their single releases. Steps formed on 7 May 1997 and disbanded on 26 December 2001.
In total Steps have sold over 25 million records, including 15 million albums worldwide. Their run of fourteen consecutive top five hits in the UK is bettered only by The Beatles and, more recently, Oasis.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] 1997—1999: Step One
Steps were formed by band manager Tim Byrne together with Barry Upton and Steve Crosby (writers of "5,6,7,8") after auditioning hopefuls who answered an ad in The Stage newspaper. The original line up included Lisa and H, but there were three other members Derek, Maddy and Mitch who left for personal reasons.
Their first single "5,6,7,8" was a techno line dance song. Though not typical of what would become their style, it became their first hit. The single then went on to become one of the highest selling singles to never reach the top 10, staying in the UK singles chart for three months.
The group was signed by Jive Records. Songwriter Pete Waterman became involved in the project. Waterman's stated intention was to try to recreate the sound of ABBA and blend it with a more modern style.[citation needed] Their second single was a cover version of Bananarama's "Last Thing On My Mind", becoming their first UK top ten.
Their third single became their biggest at the time. "One for Sorrow" peaked at #2, becoming their first top five. Their debut album Step One also charted at #2, and went on to sell over two million copies in the UK alone.
Their next single was a double A-side, with a cover version of the Bee Gees "Tragedy" and an original track "Heartbeat". The single was released in November 1998. It reached #1 in January 1999.
Steps were part of the ensemble that released "Thank ABBA for the Music" (a medley of ABBA's "Take A Chance On Me", "Dancing Queen", "Mamma Mia" and "Thank You for the Music") in March 1999, as performed at the BRIT Awards. The other artists singing were Tina Cousins, Cleopatra, B*Witched, and Billie, known collectively as the Supertroupers. The group was also nominated for Best Newcomer. Pete Waterman, claimed to have been told days before the ceremony that STEPS had won the award, as voted for by listeners of BBC Radio 1. However, on the night the award was handed to the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian, who were assumed to be rank outsiders. Despite the allegation that a significant number of votes for Belle & Sebastian were traced to one location (two computers sited in a particular UK university campus), the band held onto their award as foul-play was denied by organisers of the BRIT Awards.
The fifth and final single from Step One was "Better Best Forgotten", continuing their string of hits.
[edit] 1999—2000: Steptacular
In July 1999, Steps released the first single from an all-new album, "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart". After the single's release, Steps went to America to support Britney Spears on her 1999 ...Baby One More Time Tour. A remixed version of "One for Sorrow" was included in the film Drive Me Crazy and released as their debut American single. They also received success in Europe and Australasia.
Steps returned home to release their second album, Steptacular, which was accompanied by "After the Love Has Gone". The album charted at #1, something their debut never did. The group subsequently released an album in North America. Like their UK debut, it was titled Step One and was an amalgation of their first two albums. The group's next two singles "Say You'll Be Mine / Better the Devil You Know" and "Deeper Shade of Blue" both continued their top five run.
In July 2000, Steps released another double-A-side, consisting of the Steptacular track "When I Said Goodbye" and an entirely new song "Summer of Love". The latter was a Latino-flavoured pop song, which later appeared on their third album.
Steps were also awarded the BRIT Award for Best Selling Live Act of the year in 2000.[1]
[edit] 2000—2001: Buzz
In October 2000, "Stomp" became their second and final number one single. The album Buzz was less successful than their first two. The group worked with many American and Swedish producers who had created hits for other Jive artists such as Britney Spears, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.
The following single "It's the Way You Make Me Feel" reached #2 upon it's January 2001 release. Steps promoted the Buzz album worldwide and did not return to the UK until May, when they released "Here and Now / You'll Be Sorry".
[edit] 2001: Gold & Split
Split rumours started circulating after it was announced that Steps would be releasing a greatest hits album. The group continuously denied this in their interviews.
"Chain Reaction", a cover of the popular Diana Ross song, was released as the first single from Gold - The Greatest Hits. The single became their biggest in almost two years. The second single, "Words Are Not Enough / I Know Him So Well", was another top five hit. It would become their final single as a group.
In 2001, following their Boxing Day split, the group were heavily criticised by their own fans. Many UK tabloid papers published the fans' disgust on their front pages, displaying quotes taken from Steps message boards. After the group spent much of 2001 strongly dismissing claims of a split, fans were furious and accused the group of capitalising off the success of a host of merchandise released in the lucrative pre-Christmas market. However, it has since come to light that both H and Claire left the group on the last night of the Steps "Gold: Greatest Hits" tour, due to their ongoing unhappiness within the band, although Steps' official statement stated that the split was caused by their belief that they should end on a high, while they were at their best and could be remembered for being the best of their kind. H and Claire went on to form a duo and signed to Warners for a reputed £4 million (over 5 albums).
Jive released a remix and b-side compilation in 2002. The Last Dance featured previously released remixes, b-sides and rarities. The album did not fair well and charted at a poor #57.
[edit] Steps To The Stars
Steps also had their own talent show named "Steps To The Stars", in which 3 acts, consisting of young people, performed for the public vote. It was revealed on the next show who would go through to final. This was shown on CBBC1 in 1999/2000. It aired for 2 series' and was presented by H and Claire although the group performed one of their classics at the end of every show. The show featured a young Danny Jones (McFly) in a band called "Y2K" in which he played guitar with his sister and their friend and also Gareth Gates, before he found fame on Pop Idol.
[edit] Criticisms
Steps received some criticism for their tendency to cover other bands' tracks rather than develop original songs. They were also frequently criticised by fans, critics and other musicians for their very frequent miming (lipsyncing), and were sometimes accused of being marginally talented or non-talented singers because of this fact.[attribution needed]
Lee Latchford Evans was criticised for the following, allegedly racist, remarks in an interview: "Foreign people and people from ethnic minorities should all go home so that there can be more jobs for proper English people." Steps responded that the quote was taken out of context.[2]
[edit] After split
[edit] H & Claire
H & Claire were a pop duo, consisting of former Steps members Claire Richards and Ian "H" Watkins. They released one low-charting album and three mildly successful singles in 2002 before disbanding.
Following the split of Steps on December 26, 2001, H & Claire formed a duo. The pair released their debut single "DJ" on WEA Records on May 6, 2002. Peaking at #1 on various club charts, the single debuted and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at #3, spending a mere one week in the Top 10.
Their second single, "Half A Heart" followed on August 12, 2002, peaking and debuting at #8. Unfortunately, the single dropped to #29 in its second week of release and fell from the chart the following week. Their third and final single release was a double-A-side of an original song entitled "All Out of Love" and a cover of the Disney song "Beauty and the Beast". The single was released in November 2002 and peaked at #10, spending 3 weeks on the UK Top 40. Their debut album, "Another You Another Me", followed. However, it peaked at a low #58 in the UK, and WEA Records soon dropped the pair.
Taking a break from singing to plan her wedding (a marriage which subsequently failed), Richards never recorded again with Watkins, and the duo dissolved in 2003. More recently, Richards has left a message on a website dedicated to her, stating that she is planning a return to a singing career in the near future.[1] In December 2006, she announced that she would be expecting her first child in the Spring of 2007. On 8 May 2007, she gave birth to a baby boy, named Charlie.
Watkins decided to take a musical theatre course at the Royal Academy of Music. He was filmed through the course and it was broadcast as a reality TV series, H-side Story, which followed him as he tries to make a new career in acting. At the end of the course Watkins passed his exam and graduated from the academy. Ian has since appeared in stage productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Cinderella, and Fame. On 3 January 2007, Ian Watkins came out as gay in an interview with The Sun newspaper.[2] His interview was published the same day he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house. He finished in fourth place on Celebrity Big Brother 2007 and was the first contestant to be cheered on exit that season.
The duo appeared at number 36 in Chantelles Top 50 Reality Tv Stars on music channel Smash Hits. The video for DJ was shown.
[edit] Faye Tozer
Faye Tozer reached #10 in the UK with Russell Watson on the track "Someone Like You". In the same year she married her Danish boyfriend Jesper Irn, and a year later toured the UK in the theatre production of Tell Me On A Sunday. She also toured the UK as a cast member of the musical Love Shack with Noel Sullivan from Hear'Say and Jon Lee from S Club 7. Faye then joined the cast of Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens, which is a futuristic musical, the show began touring on November 24th 2005. Faye and Jesper have now spilt up. In 2006, Faye took the role of Sally in the UK tour of Me And My Girl, then went on to play the female lead in the tour of the play Dial M of Murder. She stars as the title role in the movie Lady Godiva, Back in the saddle, which premiered Nov 2007. Faye is currently in panto in Newcastle during a gap in the Over the rainbow tour, in which she plays Eva Cassidy.
[edit] Lee Latchford-Evans
Lee Latchford-Evans has appeared on UK reality shows The Games, The Match and Celebrity Fear Factor. He is also in a low-key band called The Latch, whose sound deviates greatly from the sound of Steps. In July 2006, MTV UK announced a new TV programme called "Totally Boyband" would involve Lee, the TV programme is based on fellow Step's star Lisa Scott-Lee's "Totally Scott-Lee". Due to disagreements with the other band members and finding his persona weird, Lee was sacked from the group.
[edit] Lisa Scott-Lee
Lisa Scott-Lee has released four singles as a solo dance artist. Lisa was dropped from her initial record contract in 2003 after just two singles, with a third single and album consequently cancelled. In 2004, she signed a new record deal, married boyfriend Johnny Shentall, and released the single "Get It On" as a guest vocalist for the dance act Intenso Project.
In 2006 she competed in the Tv programme Dancing on Ice. In November 2004, it was confirmed that MTV had commissioned a reality show following Lisa in the same vein as The Osbournes and Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. It was called Totally Scott-Lee & it aired in the UK in October 2005. In 2006, Lisa was also prosecuted with accusations of naked photographs being exposed on the internet. This turned out to be in fact, true. As one of the premises of the show, she was challenged to have her next single, "Electric" debut in the UK top ten. If she did not accomplish this, then she would have to quit the music business. Unfortunately, "Electric" peaked at #13, falling to #47 the second week and by the third week it had dropped out of the top 75 UK Singles Chart. Lisa nevertheless reneged on this televised promise and resumed singing and promoting her music in countries such as Japan, Australia, and South Africa. Her debut album, Never Or Now, was finally released in June 2007. It received a digital release in the UK.
Lisa has recently announced that she is expecting a child.[3]
Currently Lisa is starring alongside husband Johnny in the pantomime 'Jack and the Beanstalk' at Derby Assembly Rooms
[edit] Reunion speculation
In 2006, Lisa revealed in an interview with an Australian radio station that earlier rumours of a Steps reunion offer are true. She states that at the end of 2005, they were given such an offer, but "the time didn't feel right". Countering arguments that other 90s groups, such as Take That, East 17 and the Spice Girls, were reuniting for tours in the near future, Lisa says that Steps have only been separated for 6 years, while both the other groups had been separated for longer. Faye has also recently said: "The record companies have been asking us for years. But because we are all busy, it hasn't happened. We meet up regularly and the connection between us is still thriving. I think we will come around to reforming at some stage, but it will happen when everyone has time."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | BEL | PHI | ||
| 1998 | Step One | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1999 | Steptacular | 1 | 24 | 2 | 1 |
| 2000 | Buzz | 4 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| 2001 | Gold - The Greatest Hits | 1 | 88 | — | — |
| 2002 | The Last Dance | 57 | — | — | — |
[edit] Number-one singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | BEL | NZ | PHI | LEB | |||
| 1997 | "5,6,7,8" | | | | | | | Step One |
| 1998 | "Last Thing on My Mind" | | | | | | | |
| "One for Sorrow" | | | | | | | ||
| "Heartbeat / Tragedy" | | | | | | | ||
| 2000 | "Stomp" | | | | | | | Buzz |
[edit] Tours
- Step One Tour (1999)
- Next Step Tour (1999)
- Steptacular Tour (2000)
- Steps Christmas Tour (2000)
- Gold Tour (2001)
[edit] References
[edit] See also
STEPS | |
|---|---|
| Lee Latchford Evans · Claire Richards · Lisa Scott-Lee · Faye Tozer · Ian 'H' Watkins | |
| Studio albums | Step One · Steptacular · Buzz · The Last Dance |
| Other albums | Gold - The Greatest Hits |
| Singles | "5,6,7,8" · "Last Thing on My Mind" · "One for Sorrow" · "Heartbeat / Tragedy" · "Better Best Forgotten" · "Thank ABBA for the Music" · "Love's Got a Hold on My Heart" · "After the Love Has Gone" · "Say You'll Be Mine / Better the Devil You Know" · "Deeper Shade of Blue" · "When I Said Goodbye / Summer Of Love" · "Stomp" · "It's the Way You Make Me Feel" · "Here And Now / You'll Be Sorry" · "Chain Reaction" · "Words Are Not Enough / I Know Him So Well" · "Baby Don't Dance" |
| Related articles | H & Claire · Upper Street · Celebrity Big Brother 2007 · PWL · Jive Records |
nl:Steps ja:ステップス fi:Steps sv:Steps
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