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Post by Admin on Sept 28, 2020 7:57:44 GMT
Claire continued: ‘It’s not even necessarily fair to say if you stay quiet you’re not […] because saying something can be saying the wrong thing and you don’t even realise you’re saying the wrong thing. It is that safe space, you come to one of our shows and you forget everything.’ And that’s their plan for 2021. A 14-date arena tour following their new album, inevitably packed with nothing but hits (They’ve had 14 top 10 singles and counting) including their latest release, What The Future Holds – both the title of their new single and album. The lead track was penned by the pinnacle of pop, Sia. The band were contemplating calling it a day (again) after returning with another album, Tears on the Dancefloor, which peaked at number 2 on the official album charts back in 2017, before embarking on another sell-out tour. And then a track from the woman behind some of the most recognisable songs of the past decade fell into their laps three years ago. ‘As soon as we heard it we went, “That’s where we’re going.” So that song set the precedent,’ says H. ‘We’ve literally had to sit on our hands and seal our lips [for three years].’ What The Future holds thumps immediately, as you’d expect when Sia turns her attention to the dancefloor. Thankfully, the band assures the caliber continues to flow through the rest of the record. ‘There are a few ballads on this but there’s a real sense of Steps from back in the day,’ says Claire. ‘There are big nostalgic pop songs which are actually quite fashionable at the moment – Dua Lipa’s just been doing it.’ ‘It’s pure pop and like Claire said,’ adds H. ‘We will always honour where we’ve come from. It’s a really good song to represent both.’ ‘One foot in the past and one foot in the future,’ he says, lifting a direct quote from their latest number. ‘Which is why we love that lyric.’ What The Future Holds single is available to stream now with the album to follow on November 27. Tickets for the What The Future Holds Tour go on sale Friday, September 18 at 10am.
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Post by Admin on Sept 30, 2020 5:26:51 GMT
Steps made their debut in 1997 with their single ‘5,6,7,8’. From there the group went on to become one of the biggest pop groups in the world. After disbanding abruptly in 2001, the band reunited in 2011 for a documentary and the release of ‘The Ultimate Collection’. 2012 saw the release of new album ‘Light Up The World’ and then things went quiet for five years when the group released ‘Tears On The Dancefloor‘. That album was a huge hit for Steps, peaking at number 2 in the UK Album Chart and achieving Gold certification. It cemented the group’s return to the charts and off the back of it they sold-out a huge arena tour. Three years later, and in the midst of the global pandemic, Steps have made their delayed return and will release new album ‘What The Future Holds‘ on 27th November. They will also tour in November and December 2021. I hopped onto Zoom recently to catch up with Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee and Ian ‘H’ Watkins (Claire was unwell on the day) to talk about ‘What The Future Holds’, reflect on the success of ‘Tears On The Dancefloor’ and to discuss next year’s tour… Hello guys! You must be bowled over by the reaction that ‘What The Future Holds’ has had? Faye: It was a long time coming to be honest. We’ve been working on this project for about two years or so. Just before lockdown we had everything ready to go and then we got the call saying we had to keep it to ourselves. It’s been a tough time and quite frustrating but actually, as soon as it came out, the social media campaign was so exciting, even for us, let alone the fans. It’s been an incredible overwhelming response and we’re blown away. You were originally meant to start promoting the album in March but due to the pandemic, everything was postponed. That must have been so disappointing? H: We were gutted but it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. We postponed everything to far enough in the future that hopefully everybody will be safe and we can just party like we used to then. I know ‘What The Future Holds’ was written by Sia and recorded prior to the pandemic but its lyrics feel so timely and poignant. Did that sway you when it came to choosing it as the first single? Lee: I think for us, once we heard it, this was like the flagship song for the album. The lyrics of ‘one foot in the past, one foot in the future’ stood out to the band because that’s exactly what we are at the moment. We’ve had all the hits and the nostalgia, then we had ‘Tears On The Dancefloor’ and now we’ve got ‘What The Future Holds’. That lyric alone was the selling point. Obviously, we loved the song, and then with Sia writing it, that was the icing on the cake. But no, it’s not really relevant to what’s happening now (in terms of us) putting it out. It was meant to come out earlier on in the year but everything got put on hold. I’m just glad that we can somehow put it out now and do a bit of promo like we’re doing and just make it work. I do think it is a bit poignant for the time, it wasn’t meant to be, and hopefully fans are loving it and embracing it because we all need a little bit of fun, a little bit of light hearted entertainment atthe moment. These times are a bit bit dire and we don’t really know what is around the corner.
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Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2020 5:29:26 GMT
Steps – Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford-Evans, Ian ‘H’ Watkins’, Lisa Scott-Lee and Claire Richards – have debuted the Cahill Remix of their new single ‘What The Future Holds’ and it’s a dancefloor banger.
The remix has been released as a two-track EP on digital platforms and eagle-eyed Steps fans will notice the addition of an extra verse from Lisa in the full near 7-minute remix.
“We’ve loved seeing you all show off your ‘What The Future Holds’ dance moves on social media – we can’t wait to see you all kicking into overdrive with the brand-new Cahill remix. Clubs may still be closed, but we hope it gives you all an excuse to turn your bedroom, kitchen or living rooms into your own dancefloors!” add Steps about the remix.
‘What The Future Holds’ shot to the top of the iTunes chart on the day of its release and the album of the same name, coming on 27th November, topped the pre-order charts. You can pre-order the album now in a variety of bundles.
The futuristic video for ‘What The Future Holds’ was filmed pre-lockdown and directed by Max and Dania. It encompasses the soul of Steps and features another striking, iconic dance routine.
We recently spoke to Faye, Lee, Lisa and H about the new album and tour so make sure you check that out to see what they had to say.
Steps will embark on a UK tour starting in November 2021. The full dates are:
Nov 2 – Sheffield, FlyDSA Arena Nov 3 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena Nov 5 – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena Nov 8 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena Nov 11 – Manchester, AO Arena Nov 13 – Aberdeen, P&J Live Nov 15 – Belfast, SSE Arena Nov 18 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena Nov 19 – Leeds, First Direct Arena Nov 22 – Glasgow, The SSE Hydro Nov 25 – Brighton, Centre Nov 26 – London, The O2 Nov 29 – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena Dec 1 – Bournemouth, International Centre
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Post by Admin on Oct 22, 2020 19:43:42 GMT
Last year you were working on your solo career. What’s it like being back with your Steps bandmates again? It’s been brilliant – we were together for a few weeks at the start of this month to launch our new single and our 2021 arena tour. Even though we’re spread across the UK and the world, whenever we come back together it’s like no time has passed. We all act like we’re 20-somethings again, for better or worse! What was it like recording the new album? We were very lucky that we had our album recorded, the artwork photoshoot and music video for What The Future Holds all finished by the end of 2019. So the recording process was all done normally – which to a lot of people’s surprise we actually record on separate days and then our producers comp everyone’s vocals together. So we didn’t see eachother that much during recording, but we stayed in touch constantly on our whatsapp about how things were going for each of us in the studio. Was it always the plan to release this album following the success of Tears on the Dancefloor? The success of Tears On The Dancefloor was such a wonderful moment. The love for that record took us by surprise and it definitely gave us a new lease of life. It wasn’t until we actually heard the What The Future Holds, written by Sia that we had a real direction for this new album – the moment we heard that song we all thought: “OK we’ve got to do this again – and this is where it begins”. Will you continue with solo stuff? The joy of Steps is that between band projects we all get to do our own thing, whether it’s theatre or TV work or solo music. I loved working on my solo record but Steps are the priority right now so we’ll have to see. How long have you lived in Surrey and what is your earliest Surrey memory? I’ve lived in Surrey since 2013. The area always holds such a special place in my heart because it’s actually where our Steps journey began, with auditions at Bourne Hall in Ewell. Where do you go to unwind in Surrey? I love taking long walks around the lake at Virginia Water, especially on a clear day when the views are gorgeous. Favourite place to spend time with the family in Surrey? We usually do a weekend lunch at Piccolino’s in Virignia Water...it’s almost embarrassing how often we can be spotted in there. Favourite place to shop? Longacres at Bagshot is a favourite of mine. Crafting and baking are my big hobbies outside music, and they’ve got everything you need. Where’s the one place in Surrey you would recommend to friends? Pennyhill Park is gorgeous for a proper weekend spa break, I’d love to go back there soon. Sum up your Surrey life in three words... Home, family and serenity Steps new album What the Future Holds is out on November 27. The single of the same name is out now.
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Post by Admin on Nov 26, 2020 20:02:38 GMT
In 2017 Steps pulled off one of pop’s most impressive comebacks since Take That resurrected their careers in 2006 with ‘Beautiful World’. The pop fivesome – Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford Evans and Lisa Scott Lee – stumbled in 2012 with their winter-themed album ‘Light Up The World’ but with the release of ‘Tears On The Dancefloor’ in 2017 they recaptured the magic that propelled them to the top of the charts in the late nineties and early noughties. Three years on from that album and Steps release their sixth studio album ‘What The Future Holds’ this week, their first since signing with BMG.
While ‘Tears On The Dancefloor’ was all intentionally uptempo bangers, Steps hark back to their first three albums with ‘What The Future Holds’, showcasing a wider range of versatility and bringing back those harmony-filled ballads that always featured on their early albums. Fans need not fear though as ‘What The Future Holds’ contains enough bangers to get you up and dancing too, and this album is the perfect celebration of classic Steps with a sprinkling of a more modern sound that makes them contemporary.
Ahead of the album releases Steps have released the singles ‘What The Future Holds’ – a dark, edgy pop track written by Sia – and ‘Something In Your Eyes’ – an ABBA-esque cover of Jenny Silver’s 2011 hit. They’ve also previewed two of the album’s ballads ‘Under My Skin’ – a moody and addictive mid-tempo – and ‘Hold My Heart’ – a big piano ballad that allows each member of the band to shine vocally and showcases those harmonies we all know and love. If you liked all four of those tracks then you’re going to love the rest of the album.
‘What The Future Holds’ never attempts to jump onto current trends. There are no features across the tracks here and the group never tries to copy the sound of the acts currently battling on the Top 40. Instead they’ve stayed true to themselves and they’ve recorded a perfect collection of pop that nods to the past and looks to the future. ‘Clouds’ features pulsating electro-beats and a repetitive chorus that will lodge in your brain after the first listen, while ‘Father’s Eyes’ takes the group into new territory marrying a futuristic electro-pop production with atmospheric vocals and it’s one of the album’s biggest surprises.
A highlight during the first half of the album is the handbags in the air thumper ‘To The Beat Of My Heart’. It’s exactly what you want from a classic Steps track but it sounds very modern, and if there was any justice in the world this would be a number one smash. If Little Mix, who have a larger streaming audience behind them, this would top the charts no problem.
The beat remains uptempo on the punchy ‘One Touch’, the infectious ‘Come and Dance With Me’ has a dramatic build that opens up into a ‘Summer of Love’ style chorus, and ‘To The One’ would have fit nicely on ‘Buzz’ giving fans a real kick of nostalgia. Another highlight comes on ‘Heartbreak In This City’, which sounds like it’s going to be a mid-tempo piano-led track before a stomping beat kicks in and it transforms into a disco gem. On ‘Don’t You Leave Us Halfway’ the harmonies are stunning and it’s a track that I can’t wait to hear live (hopefully) on next year’s tour.
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