Steps

Steps are a British five-piece known for their electro-pop sound and sparkling stage presence, complete with matching outfits and fun dance routines.

The band initially formed in 1997 when an ad was placed in The Stage newspaper, with Claire Richards, Ian “H” Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee and Faye Tozer all making the final cut.

Right out of the gate, Steps scored a hit with their debut line dancing-inspired song 5, 6, 7, 8 and in 1998 they dropped two more top-charting tracks – a cover of Bananarama’s Last Thing On My Mind and One For Sorrow – before reaching No.1 with their fourth single, the ballad Heartbeat/Tragedy.

Their debut album, Step One, arrived later that year and landed in the No.2 spot on the UK albums chart upon its release. Remaining on the chart for a whopping 64 weeks, it sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK alone. In 1999, Step One was re-released under the name Steptacular, which not only helped them break the US market but also was certified quadruple platinum.

The band’s third studio album, Buzz, was unveiled in 2000 and with it came a more evolved sound as well as their second No.1 single Stomp and five songs co-written and showcasing lead vocals by each member.

Steps split in 2001, shortly after their compilation album Gold: Greatest Hits came out. Ten years later they reunited for a series of shows and even appeared in a tell-all television documentary. Their fourth album, a Christmas-themed collection called Light Up The World, came out in 2012 but the band broke up again shortly afterwards.

Steps reformed officially in 2017, on the 20th anniversary of their formation, staging the UK’s most successful comeback of the decade. Not only did they release their fifth album, Tears On The Dancefloor, but they supported it with a hugely successful headline tour that was extended until summer 2018 and included performances at London’s Old Royal Naval College, Kew Gardens and Scarborough Open Air Theatre.

In September 2020, the enduring pop legends released the single What The Future Holds and also announced that their sixth studio album by the same name would arrive on 27 November 2020.

“We will never forget the past with Steps, it’s what made us, but we’ve got to look to the future too,” said the band in a statement. “We were so thrilled that the last album was a success and it gave us a new lease of life.”

What The Future Holds is an ambitious collection featuring big melodic choruses while also bringing back their harmony-laden ballads. To promote it, Steps revealed details for an epic tour in November and December 2021, with support from special guest Sophie Ellis-Bextor, another performer with a reputation for filling dance floors and getting the party started. In November 2020, Steps added four more dates to their tour.