The UK is currently in a buzz after 90’s dance-pop group Steps announced that they would be reuniting! They will release a brand new album, ‘Tears On the Dancefloor’, alongside its lead single, ‘Scared of The Dark’. This morning, on British TV, they were asked if they would ever consider representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Steps appeared on the British breakfast talk show, Lorraine, to promote the release of their new album. Amongst other topics, they were also asked about Eurovision, and if they might ever send a song to the contest.
The host of the show, Fearne Cotton, pointed out that “because the reaction to you getting back together has been so amazing, there’s been a lot of talk on social media; many people want you to do Eurovision!”
After Steps dodged the obvious question with some initial responses of “Oh I love Eurovision! I love watching it!”, Fearne pressed even further. She bluntly asked “Will you ever go to Eurovision?” Band member Claire Richards responded:
“I love the idea of it, but the UK’s track record is not great. I don’t think that we want to add that to our legacy.”
The host seemed surprised, and so willed the band to reconsider. She said that she believes that Steps could change the track record, and that they would break the spell! To this, Lisa Scott-Lee commented:
“Well, I think it’s a big gamble, and we’re really happy doing what we’re doing. We like watching it though!”
So, unfortunately, Steps have given us a resounding no…for now.
UPDATE: 26 April
The commentator for the UK, Graham Norton, seems to have changed Steps’ opinion on Eurovision in an interview on BBC Radio 2. Claire Richards says:
“We’ve always said absolutely no way because it’s the kiss of death, but we did Radio 2 with Graham Norton and he kind of started to convince us that it’s not such a bad thing. Like if we had a good enough song – if you go into it and the song is rubbish then you deserve everything you get. You know you’re never going to win though because it’s us [the UK]. Probably not quite the right time on the cusp of The Brexit!”
Another band member, H, has previously described how much he loves Eurovision, and his willingness to represent the UK. It seems that now, the rest of the band may also be as excited about Eurovision as H; give them a good enough song and they are in!
Their new album ‘Tears on the Dancefloor’ has a good selection of Eurovision alumni as songwriters, including Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus from the Swedish pop-group and Eurovision winners ABBA, as well as one of the co-writers for Ireland’s 2016 entry, ‘Sunlight’ by Nicky Byrne. Could these people give Steps a Eurovision winner?
Listen to Steps’ single, ‘Scared of The Dark’, below!
Who are Steps?
Steps are a British dance-pop group, formed in 1997. The group consists of 5 members: Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer, and last but not least, Ian “H” Watkins.
They have released 4 studio albums and 7 compilation albums, which topped the charts both in the UK and around the world! Some of their most popular songs include: ‘5, 6, 7, 8’, ‘Last Thing On My Mind’, ‘One For Sorrow’, ‘Heartbeat’, and ‘Stomp’. They have also released versions of other artists’ songs, such as ‘Tragedy’ (originally by The Bee Gees), and ‘Chain Reaction’ (originally by Diana Ross).
It was confirmed on New Year’s Day that Steps would be reuniting. The band confirmed the news during their appearance at London’s G-A-Y nightclub. Their first gig will be at the I Love The 90’s event in Hasselt, Belgium.
Their new studio album, ‘Tears on the Dancefloor’, is expected to be released on 21st April 2017. Furthermore, Steps have announced a 15-date tour, Party on the Dancefloor.
Listen to their hit, ‘Tragedy’, below!
Were you a Steps fan in the 90’s? Would they be a good choice for the UK to send to Eurovision? Leave a comment below and let us know!
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