The Future is Female

When the time came for Steps to record their sixth studio album, their brief was typically singular. “We wanted it to sound like sliding down a rainbow, landing in a pot of glitter and dancing with unicorns,” Ian “H” Watkins tells Apple Music. In fact, the quintet had been undecided about making new music together, following the success of 2017’s Tears on the Dancefloor—until they heard Sia’s demo of “What the Future Holds.” Suddenly they had a lead single, album title and concept all at once. “That song was the catalyst,” says Lee Latchford-Evans. “The lyrics, ‘One foot in the past and one foot in the future’ felt like where we were at that point in time.” Freshly inspired, they set out to make a record which combined the nostalgic and the contemporary. “Steps songs always have to be anthemic, to have emotion, drama, melancholy and a key change,” says H. “But this time we wanted to nod to the future, as well as the past,” adds Faye Tozer. “This album is more of a rollercoaster of styles, with ballads and intimate moments, as well as dance floor fillers.”