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Friends, fashion and fast food were paramount. It was the golden era of hair ties, acid wash jeans, tube tops, and curled hair.
And then there was the music – and it’s hard to think of the 90s without thinking about boot scooter, the British dance group Steps.
It’s been 23 years since the debut single 5, 6, 7, 8 exploded through radio waves and school discos, dominated the charts and earned the group an extremely loyal following, but the group of five – consisting of Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee , Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford Evans and Faye Tozer still remain one of the most popular bands in their native UK.
14 top 10 hits, three number 1 albums, 20 million albums sold and seven sold out tours later, Steps is back with a new album and a title track written by Sia.
What the Future Holds, built around a bittersweet chorus of « one foot in the past and one foot in the future, » is the perfect statement for a band that rode the wave of nostalgia.
« We really noticed this line the first time we heard the song, » Claire tells 7NEWS. com. Au, talking about Zoom from her home in London.
“What the Future Holds was one of the first songs that our management played to us. They didn’t even tell us that Sia wrote it and sang the demo. I think they wanted to make sure that we really liked the song and not just because of who wrote it and who sang it, ”says Claire.
« It really sums us up perfectly because what the future holds are the » new « steps. But we wanted to dip our toes in a bit of retro steps too. ”
Singles Something in Your Eyes and Heartbreak in this town are a reminder of the group’s ABBA-related glory days, while Clouds and Under my Skin offer rare mid-tempo moments.
« There are some ballads, there are a few more mid-tempo than usual – not only is it full of banger – but it’s definitely a pop album, » added Claire.
Like so many of us in 2020, Clair is still learning to navigate the newly discovered world of Zoom calling and long distance calling. . . everything.
With the album originally slated for release in March, the COVID pandemic has effectively put the brakes on its album campaign and 2020 world tour. Mastering the art of virtual album promotion has proven challenging to say the least.
“The CDs were pressed. Everything was ready to go. At this point, too, I don’t think we really realized the gravity of what had happened. We had conversations like: “What are we doing? Are we going to do it anyway? Are we going to put the tickets for our tour up for sale? Are we even going to release the album? «
« And considering that the single and the album are called » What the Future Holds « , March probably wasn’t exactly the right feeling [laughs]. ”
« It was interesting to find out how to promote it amid a pandemic because TV shows aren’t the same as them. « . We can’t even be together that often. Lisa lives in Dubai. This is a challenge in itself due to all of the travel restrictions.
Like her album namesake and always looking to the future, Claire firmly believes that her rescheduled tour is still happening – thanks to the help of the music director and Kylie Minogue alum Steve, the disdain of the past is one of the group’s hits Past to Anderson.
“Before we did the reunion tour in 2012, we always tried to find a way not to play 5, 6, 7, 8. On one tour, we had the dancers who had huge heads that looked like us. We had a cartoon video interlude of the song on another, we had fan videos – in every possible way so as not to do it.
« But on the last tour we thought – let’s get rid of hell for leather, full of country westerns. We had saloon swing doors, barrels. . . I was wearing hot pants! It was absolutely awesome. ”
Steps’ new album What the Future Holds is now available in stores and on streaming platforms. Details of her upcoming UK tour can be found here.
Steps, Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee, Ian « H » Watkins, Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, UK
World News – GB – British dance troupe look off into the steps Future with an ambitious new album
Ref: https://7news.com.au
