Steps (band)

Steps
Steps performing live on their 'Christmas with Steps' tour at the Manchester Apollo in December 2012
Background information
Origin	London, England, UK
Genres	Pop, dance-pop
Years active	1997–2001, 2011–2012, 2017–present
Labels	Jive, Sony, Steps, Warner
Associated acts	A1, H & Claire
Website	stepsofficial.co.uk
Members	Lee Latchford-Evans Claire Richards Lisa Scott-Lee Faye Tozer Ian "H" Watkins

Steps are a British dance-pop group consisting of Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian "H" Watkins. Steps formed in May 1997 by Barry Upton and Steve Crosby and released four studio albums, three compilation albums and seventeen singles. Their music has a 1990s dance-pop sound. Their name was based on a marketing premise: that each of their music videos were to be choreographed, and the dance steps were included in the sleeve with most of their singles.

Steps achieved a series of charting singles between 1997 and 2001 including two number-one singles in the UK (one a double A-side), two number-one albums in the UK, 14 consecutive top 5 singles in the UK and a string of hits throughout Europe. The group has sold over 20 million records worldwide in addition to acquiring a BRIT Award nomination in 1999 for Best Newcomer while supporting Britney Spears on tour the same year. When Richards and Watkins departed, the group disbanded on 26 December 2001. Their penultimate single reached number five in the UK charts while their final album of greatest hits, Gold (2001), was the group's second number-one album in the UK.

Steps reformed in May 2011 for a four-part documentary series on Sky Living titled Steps: Reunion. The series started airing on 28 September, following an announcement of a second Greatest Hits album, The Ultimate Collection, that was released on 10 October 2011. The album entered the charts at number 1, becoming the band's third UK number 1 album. Series 2 of Steps Reunion titled "Steps: On the Road Again" aired on Sky Living in April 2012; the series followed the band as they embarked on their sellout 22-date UK tour. On 24 September 2012, the group confirmed they would release their fourth studio album Light Up The World on 12 November 2012, alongside a six-date Christmas tour, starting from 30 November and ending on 5 December. The group reformed for a second time on 1 January 2017 in celebration of their 20th anniversary, and later announced their fifth studio album Tears on the Dancefloor, which is slated for release in April 2017.