INTERVIEW: LEE And LISA From ‘STEPS’!
Time to dust off your STEPS CDs and revise the dance routines all over again, because they’re back to whip POP music back into shape!
STEPS are currently starring in a revealing documentary – charting their rise to fame and the real reasons why they decided to go their separate ways. The all-dancing five-some are also releasing their ultimate collection of hits, so what’s not to look forward to?
I managed to grab sometime with the Lee Latchford Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee to find out about their new documentary, their favourite tunes, and whether they’re back for the foreseeable or whether if it’s just a case of Better Best Forgotten(?).
The first TV episode of STEPS Reunion aired this week (w/c 26th Sept, 2011). Are you happy with the final cut?
LEE: “The first show was good. We were presented well, and everyone came across very well and very honest. The reception from it has been really surprising, and it’s been so positive. We just had so many great tweets [from Twitter], and we were the biggest show on SKY yesterday [28th Sept, 2011]. We were trending in the top 3 on Twitter, and on the back of that our 4 albums have now entered the iTunes chart within the top 40, which is just crazy!”
It goes without saying that your fans were devastated when you split up originally, and the shock was all over the papers. What was the feedback when you announced that you were getting back together for the show?
LISA: “I think there’s still a lot of love out there. It’s been 10 years and it really does take me back, and I can’t believe how many people still have great memories and really think fondly of STEPS. They seem to still remember all the singles and the dance routines – it’s clear that we made a lasting impression, which was really nice. I think there’s a lot of genuine excitement that we are back, and we’re filming the documentary which we haven’t finished yet, so we’re not sure where we’re going to go. That’s quite exciting and daunting at the same time, but it really is all down to the fans. We’ve also got our Ultimate Collection out on the 10th October, so if they [the fans] love that, and if that’s well supported, then it means that we can look towards the future.”
Seeing as the show will have such an impact on your future, is it too early to think about possibly releasing a new album, after the ultimate collection is released?
LISA: “Gosh. To be honest, we haven’t got that far and it’s been a very organic process for us. I think really we’re taking baby steps and if the fans want a tour then we would love to give it to them, if the demand was there and after that…who knows.”
Can fans expect any new dance routines, if and when you all do perform live?
LISA: “Would you like some more?”
Absolutely!
LISA: “[Laughs] Yeah, it would be really exciting to think about doing a new dance routine. We were really known for that, and I know people who still do Tragedy and all the rest of it. So the pressure would be there to do another iconic dance routine – that’s something we would love to do, if it all goes well.”
In light of many bands coming back, namely TAKE THAT and soon GIRLS ALOUD, do you think there’s room in the market for STEPS again?
LISA: “Well, I don’t think anyone’s ever filled our shoes over the last 10 years, so we feel like our market’s still very much there.”
LEE: “Definitely! There’s no real girl/boy band out there any the moment. You mentioned Take That and Girls Aloud, so it sort of proves the point. STEPS were very unique at the time and nobody expected to do what it did, so to come out again into this different genre where you’ve got all the Twitter and Facebook – it’s a very different world nowadays. I think we can definitely step out there and bring something to this world right now – definitely!”
A lot of your fans have associated your music with being happy and upbeat. Another event people tend to associate such music is with EUROVISION. Is it something you [STEPS] might consider, if all goes well with the touring and the documentary?
LEE: “I think doing EUROVISION is an honour to represent your country but let’s be really honest – I don’t think it works out very well for the acts that do it. We can totally understand why STEPS would be considered for that and why people would think it could be great, because we are quite Euro-pop at the end of the day. I think if we were to go forward, if we got a great reaction from the fans, if I’m really honest, something bigger would be better – probably our own tour.”
So how long is the docu-series supposed to be going on for?
LISA: “It’s on for 4 weeks. Obviously we’ve just had our first one, so the next ones are on Wednesdays at 9pm on SKY LIVING.”
Did you stay in contact with each other after the band had split?
LEE: “We did. The girls especially kept in contact and in the very early days, myself Lisa and Faye were very friendly and we kept in touch. I think that was quite obvious because of the split and divide that happened at that time. Over the years it’s been very different for each of the 5 individual members, and I think myself and ‘H’ [Ian Watkins] probably took the longest to speak.”
LISA: “Or not to speak!”
LEE: “Yeah, exactly! About 6 years went by before we actually saw each other and spoke to each other, and that was at Claire’s wedding. It was actually the first time we were all back together in the same room, but it still wasn’t the time to discuss anything because a wedding isn’t the time to do that, and ‘H’ was busy that day. So what you see on the documentary is real, it’s very organic, and I think it’s the first time we’ve all sat down and discussed what actually happened and why it happened.”
So people will actually get an insight into how you were all feeling at the time, rather than remembering what the tabloids printed about your split?
LEE: “That’s the key thing. Obviously we’ve got no control over the edits, but generally we’ve all been very honest, very open, we’ve spoken from the heart over 5 different opinions with different emotions, and what you see is what you get.”
Were there any job focusses outside of this project that you were in the middle of doing? Lee, you’ve been out of the limelight recently, is that correct?
LEE: “I’ve been quite quiet because I own my own fitness company now – which is famouslyfit.com, and I’ve been very busy doing that and being the face of OK! Famously Fit. It’s quiet on the music scene, but busy on the business scene. Faye and ‘H’ are in a musical together, and Lisa…?”
LISA: “I’ve just moved to Dubai at the beginning of this year and it’s been nice. I’ve got two small children so I’m having family time with them and my lovely hubby. I’m enjoying coming back to work and being in STEPS again.”
Your children, albeit as young as they are, have they asked about your musical past or seen past videos of yourself?
LISA: “To be honest, they’re babies really – they’re only two and three. I’ve shown them some of the videos, and they do ask for mummy’s music which is nice. I’m looking forward to the day when it clicks and when they realise what we [STEPS] did and what we achieved. I think that would be a really proud moment for me.”
And if they decided they wanted to get into the showbiz world, knowing what you know about the business and how it works, would you encourage them?
LISA: “To be honest I think I would. I’d encourage them in whatever field they wanted to choose. If it were this industry then I would offer them a lot of advice and guidance. Having been an artist and on the management side I could really help them. But there wouldn’t be any pressure; I’d just want them to be happy.”
Would you say that the reunion compliments your own personal lives – 10 years on?
LISA: “We’re all in a really nice place now. The first show that went out is 3 months old, and we’ve spent a lot of time together over the last 3 months – working and socialising and getting to know each other again. It’s just fantastic being with the guys.”
Lee – do you prefer the fitness side or the all-singing and all-dancing side?
LEE: “They almost go hand-in-hand, because you need to be fit to get on stage and perform and sing and do all the dance routines. You can’t have one without the other – it’s a nice match.”
Focussing on the timing of getting STEPS back together, did you all believe this was the right time for the reunion?
LISA: “Definitely the right time. We heard that Sony were releasing the Ultimate Collection regardless, and we wanted to support it because, at the end of the day, STEPS is about the 5 of us and we’re very proud of what we achieved. At the same time we were offered the documentary, and it’s all kind of fallen into place. I think because it has been 10 years, there’s a lot of nostalgia and people did grow up with us and we were part of their childhood or being at uni, going clubbing or whatever it was. It’s really nice to have touched so many lives.”
Finally – which is your favourite track from the Ultimate Collection?
LISA: “Gosh. It really takes me back when we were deciding which tracks should be on there, and it was hard to pick 20 out of them all, and I just thought it was incredible that we had so many to choose from. I think my personal favourite would be ‘Deeper Shade Of Blue’, because I’ve always enjoyed the dance side of it and also I think the video is really cool and quite out there, and a bit ahead of its time. It still looks good today!”
LEE: “I think for me it’s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’, because for many reasons the video was a really nice thing to do, very different from a ‘Deeper Shade of Blue’. Performing it on stage, it was a chance to sing our lines, get the audience involved and it’s just a really nice, more mature side to STEPS.”
Lee and Lisa wanted to take the opportunity to say “Hi” to their fans, and to thank them for their support. As promised, I told them I would pass on the message.
STEPS: The Ultimate Collection is out on the 10th October, and you can catch the next revealing ‘STEPS Reunion‘ episode on SKY LIVING at 9pm on Wednesday 5th October, 2011!
