Reaching number two in the UK albums chart with Tears On The Dancefloor is a pretty good way for Steps to celebrate their 20th anniversary. It contrasts starkly with the mess which was made of promoting their comeback single, Scared of the Dark.
The single was released on March 10. Steps promoted the song through numerous television appearances and media interviews. But they did not perform Scared of the Dark and there was no video to show during their TV spots.
The video was not even filmed until March 14. It finally appeared on YouTube four weeks after the song was released.
Despite enormous critical acclaim, the single debuted at a relatively lowly number 37 on the UK chart and immediately dropped out of the top 100. The group’s hardcore fans had bought Scared of the Dark but many average pop fans who didn’t watch the TV shows on which Steps were interviewed probably didn’t know a new song had been released.
It was a different story for the new album. With the video for Scared of the Dark registering well over one million views, Steps promoted their album on prime time rather than early morning television.
Much was made of their first live TV performance of the single on Tonight at the London Palladium. Claire, Lee, Lisa, Faye and ‘H’ couldn’t have wished for better promotion. The number two chart placing for Tears On The Dancefloor is testament to their sparkling performance and the publicity gained from a top-rated TV show.
Despite all the album sales, Scared of the Dark has also bounced back into the UK chart at number 44. Combining the previous sales figures and allowing for those fans who have now only bought the album, there is no doubt that the right promotion would have definitely seen their single become a top 20 hit and very probably enter the top ten.
The group are understandably reluctant to consider what might have happened had the song been promoted in a different manner. They prefer to concentrate on the positive aspects of having a big hit album.
“When we discussed the whole 20th anniversary thing, we knew we couldn’t just do the old songs again,” Faye Tozer, 41, explained. “The fans had asked for new music since our last tour and we agreed it was the right thing to do now.
“We’re all so proud of the new album. We’ve chosen songs from our personal taste and what we believe the fans want to hear from us.”
“It started two years ago,” added Lisa Scott-Lee, 41. “We wanted to make the album special. The world can be a tough place, people have to deal with a lot of difficult things. But we can offer everyone happy pop, escapism and a bit of positivity in people’s lives.”
There is also nostalgia for those fans who were young when Steps began their career.
“I think nostalgia knows no age,” Lisa continued. “A lot of it is about nostalgia but we feel the album takes us into a new era. We hope there will be a crossover where our old fans will come back but new people will come along too.”
The quality of songwriters submitting material for Tears On The Dancefloor proved how popular Steps were within the music business. The group listened to more than 100 demos before selecting the songs to record. 
“It was a bit scary,” admitted Claire Richards, 39. “When we came back in 2011, it was more about our greatest hits. But the fans wanted new material and we had to pick the right songs.”
“It was important for us to have a hint of the past but to try to blend it into modern day music,” Lee latchford-Evans, 42, remarked. “We had long conversations with our producers, The Alias. They understood exactly what we were going for.”
Despite the rave reviews for Scared of the Dark, Lee was not convinced that it should be their comeback single.
“There are other songs on our album that I really like, if not more than our single. But I think the fans wanted something which wasn’t too different from our old songs. We achieved this with Scared of the Dark. It was a nod to the past yet looking to the future all within this one track.”
Their next single will be Story of a Heart.
“It was written by Benny (Andersson) and Bjorn (Ulvaeus) from ABBA,” Claire revealed. “It was the first song we agreed to record so it was kind of the basis for the whole album even though there is no other song on the album which sounds like Story of a Heart.”
“We’ve always had the comparison with ABBA throughout our career,” said Ian ‘H’ Watkins, 40. “Recording Story of a Heart is like a nice bridge into the direction we want to go now.”
Their sold-out UK concert tour begins later this year. Putting everything together is not as simple as in times past. The group members have seven children between them.
“Doing choreography has to be organised around the school run,” ‘H’ smiled. “The logistics of touring are scary and daunting but very exciting. It’s great that our kids will get to see us but I think the tour bus will be like a creche.”


IN BRIEF


Fall Out Boy


Fall Out Boy will release their seventh studio album, MANIA, on September 15. But the lead single, Young and Menace, has already been issued. The accompanying video is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtVFTuIZFYU
“I think Young and Menace will probably polarise people,” said Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. “It was originally called Young and a Menace when Patrick (Stump) played me the demo when we were in Scotland. We weren’t really looking to make new music at that time but the song was so interesting that we had to complete it. Doing this kind of inspired us to create the whole album.”
The Young and Menace lyrics are included on the YouTube posting. There is also a message from the band telling fans to expect many surprises before the new album is released.


Foster The People


Foster The People embark on a world tour this summer to promote their as-yet-untitled third studio album.
The LP should be out in either June or July but available now is a three-song EP, III. Each track was individually premiered on three different radio stations around the world. Pay the Man was first heard on Triple J in Australia, S.H.C. was on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 show while the official lead single, Doing It For The Money, debuted on Virgin Radio in Britain.
“One of my favourite things about music is that it’s unifying,” said singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Foster. “We wrote these songs to reflect joy in a time where people have needed it more than ever and we thought it was a good time to share them.”
There are no official videos as yet for any of the songs but audio postings are available. Pay the Man is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAW37LSCkQg S.H.C. can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUTcLuxiN5w while Doing It For The Money is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dZTkLNcZ2c.


Phoenix


It is four years since Phoenix released their last LP, Bankrupt! But the French rock quartet are back with their sixth studio album, Ti Amo, which is out on June 9, and the lead single, J-Boy, which is available now.
The band are promoting their new music with an extensive touring schedule. They begin in America later this week before taking in Europe, Asia and back to Europe ending in London on September 30.
An official video to accompany J-Boy has yet to be released. But an audio posting of the song can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve-wbcIfZDI


Katy Perry


Katy Perry recently revealed her new dyed blonde locks and short hairstyle. She has now revealed the second single from her forthcoming fifth studio album.
Like lead single, Chained to the Rhythm, which featured Skip Marley, Bon Appetit is another joint effort. Katy’s collaborators this time are the rap trio Migos. They topped Billboard’s Hot 100 earlier this year with Bad and Boujee.
An official video for Bon Appetit must appear in due course but only an audio posting is available at present. This can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH9ilfAZHOs


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