Lee Latchford-Evans | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Lee Latchford Evans |
Born | Chester, Cheshire, England | 28 January 1975
Genres | Pop |
Occupations | Singer, songwriter, dancer, stage actor, personal trainer |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | Jive, Sony, Steps, Warner |
Member of | Steps |
Formerly of |
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Spouse | Kerry-Lucy Taylor (m. 2012) |
Lee Latchford-Evans (born 28 January 1975) [1] is an English singer, dancer, stage actor and one of the five singers of the British pop group Steps.
From Ellesmere Port, Evans was born as Lee Latchford Evans, with his middle name Latchford taken from footballer Bob Latchford of Everton F.C., as his father was a lifelong fan of the club. He began using his middle name professionally to differentiate himself from well-known comedian Lee Evans. For a time he was known as Lee Latchford before adding a hyphen between his middle name and surname.
Before going into music, Evans was an aspiring footballer and had trials with several football clubs. He starred in a school production of Grease as a pupil at Sutton High School and went on to the Cheshire School of Dance and Drama, now part of West Cheshire College. [2]
In 1997, Evans became a member of the pop group Steps; they went on to sell 14 consecutive Top 5 singles (a feat for a British act, at the time, bettered only by the Beatles), sold more than 20 million records worldwide. They announced their split on Boxing Day 2001. His role in the group was mostly choreographer and providing backing vocals, and he rarely sang lead on the songs. However, he did perform lead on "Turn Around" (which he co-wrote) and the two verses of 5,6,7,8.
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 one, becoming the band's third album to achieve this feat. The second series 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. [3] 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 was released in April 2017 and entered the charts at number 2. [4] On 5 March 2017, the group confirmed the release of the new album, alongside its lead single, "Scared of the Dark", and a 22-date tour, Party on the Dancefloor. [5] A deluxe edition of the album, titled Tears on the Dancefloor: Crying at the Disco, was released on 27 October. [6]
In November 2017, Tozer announced that the reunion was no longer just a 20th-anniversary celebration and that the group intends to continue after their 2018 Summer of Steps tour. [7] In April 2018, Richards announced that following their summer tour, they would begin work on their sixth studio album. [8] In February 2019, Richards announced the group would begin recording their next album during the summer months. [9]
On 7 September 2020, via their social media accounts, Steps announced the release date of their album entitled What the Future Holds . The album was released on 27 November of the same year, with pre-orders available from 8 September. [10] The next day, they confirmed a new 14-date UK tour (with special guest Sophie Ellis-Bextor) starting in November 2021. [11] The first single from the album was the Greg Kurstin-and-Sia-penned "What the Future Holds", released on 9 September 2020. It was followed by "Something in Your Eyes" on 27 October 2020. "To the Beat of My Heart" was released as the album's third single in January 2021. [12]
The first single from What the Future Holds Pt. 2 was confirmed as a reworked version of "Heartbreak in This City" featuring Michelle Visage. [13] [14]
Evans has appeared in London's West End starring in Grease ; A Charmed Life as part of London's Sitcom Trials, and he made his debut at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh in August 2009 in the production of Wolfboy . He played the Prince in Rotherhams Pantomime version of Snow White in 2010. Latchford-Evans has appeared in the reality television shows The Games , Fear Factor , I'm Famous and Frightened! , The Match and went on to win Commando VIP . In 2006, he appeared in a new reality show on MTV, Totally Boyband . This show was from the same creators as the show Totally Scott-Lee , which featured his ex-colleague Lisa Scott-Lee and her family. In 2008, he appeared as part of Team Ant on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway . He also appeared on Never Mind The Buzzcocks in October 2010. Evans appeared in Ten Dead Men (2008) produced by Phil Hobden, and also appeared in Britflick Cash and Curry playing the villain, Casper Warrington-Boothe.
Evans is married to Kerry-Lucy Taylor. Their son was born on 23 July 2021. [15]
Evans is a qualified personal trainer and owner of a fitness web magazine. [16]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Crossroads | Himself | Episode dated 5 April 2001 |
2003 | The Games | Series 1 episode 1 | |
2005 | Commando VIP | 6 episodes | |
I'm Famous and Frightened! | 1 episode | ||
2006 | Totally Boyband | 4 episodes | |
2008 | Ten Dead Men | Harris | |
Cash and Curry | Casper Warrington-Boothe | ||
Reality Knocks | Kind stranger | Short film | |
Conversations with Dead Men | Himself | Television film | |
2017 | The Rizen | Lieutenant Conner Taylor | |
2018 | Dead Ringer | Jason Venom Addict | |
2019 | Years and Years | Himself | Episode 3 |
2019 | Ninja Warrior UK | Himself | Series 5 episode 1 |
2020 | Paintball Massacre | Nathan Brown | |
2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Himself | Series 3 episode 4 |
2022 | The Hit List | ||
2024 | Celebrity Mastermind | Series 22 episode 10 | |
Ian Watkins, known by his stage name H, is a Welsh singer and actor. He is a member of the British pop group Steps.
Steps are a British dance-pop group consisting of Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian "H" Watkins. They were formed in May 1997 and achieved two number-one albums in the UK, 14 consecutive UK top-5 singles including two number ones. The group has sold over 22 million records worldwide, 15 million albums worldwide. In-addition to earning a BRIT Award nomination in 1999, for Best Newcomer, the group would be an opening support act for Britney Spears on her debut American tour the same year. When Richards and Watkins departed to form a recording duo, the group disbanded, on 26 December 2001 (officially). Their penultimate single reached No. 5 on the UK charts, while their final album of greatest hits, Gold (2001), was the group's second No. 1 album in the UK.
Lisa Scott-Lee is a Welsh singer and member of the pop group Steps, formed in 1997. Scott-Lee signed a record deal with Mercury Records and launched a solo career in 2003, achieving only minor success after the release of debut single "Lately". She was dropped after her second solo single. She released her debut solo album Never or Now in 2007 through Concept Records.
Faye Louise Tozer Smith is an English singer and actress, best known as a member of the pop group Steps.
Blue are a British boy band consisting of members Simon Webbe, Duncan James, Antony Costa, and Lee Ryan. The group formed in 2000 and released three studio albums before announcing a hiatus in late 2004. In January 2011, the group reformed and represented the United Kingdom at the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf with the song "I Can", coming in 11th place with 100 points. In 2013, it was confirmed that the group would be joining The Big Reunion, in which six groups from the past reform for a one-off gig. On 27 March 2013, the group announced they would embark on their first headlining tour later on in the year, their first tour in nearly ten years.
Claire Richards is an English singer and member of the pop group Steps. As a solo artist, Richards has released two studio albums: her debut, My Wildest Dreams, was released in 2019 and Euphoria, a covers album, was released in 2023.
"5,6,7,8" is a song by British group Steps from their debut studio album, Step One (1998). A techno-pop and country pop song written by Barry Upton and Steve Crosby and produced by Karl Twigg, Mark Topham and Pete Waterman, it was released as their debut single in November 1997 by Jive and EBUL following their formation after each group member responded to a magazine advert looking for people to audition to be in a pop band.
The discography of UK dance-pop group Steps, contains seven studio albums, nine compilation albums, three EPs, five live albums, nine video albums, two remix albums, two boxsets, ninety music videos and thirty-six singles.
The Ultimate Tour was the sixth concert tour by British group Steps. Formed in 1997, the group comprises Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian "H" Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee. Beginning in April 2012, 'The Ultimate Tour' supports the band's compilation album, The Ultimate Collection. It is the group's first concert tour in 11 years. Additional dates were added for the summer of 2012, playing music festivals. The tour predominantly visited arenas across the United Kingdom as well as a one-off performance in the Republic of Ireland. The initial UK dates sold out in the first few hours of their general release, leading the band to announce six new dates. Dates were also added for music festivals for summer 2012.
"Dancing with a Broken Heart" is a song by Australian singer–songwriter Delta Goodrem. It was sent to Australian radio on 26 July 2012 and was released physically and digitally on 10 August 2012. The song is the second single released from Goodrem's fourth studio album Child of the Universe, on which it appears slightly remixed. It debuted on the ARIA Charts at number 15, but only stayed in the top 50 for three weeks. It received mixed to positive reviews.
Tears on the Dancefloor is the fifth studio album by British group Steps. It was released on 21 April 2017, by Absolute and Fascination Records. The album is the group's first album in five years since Light Up the World, and their first proper album since Buzz in 2000. Following two years of planning, recording began in October 2016. The Alias was enlisted to serve as the executive producer for Tears on the Dancefloor and various songwriters submitted songs for the group to record, including Steve Mac, Ina Wroldsen, TMS and Fiona Bevan. It also features a cover version of "Story of a Heart" by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA, a cover of "I Will Love Again" by Lara Fabian as well as a cover of "No More Tears on the Dancefloor" by Anders|Fahrenkrog, from which the album's title is derived.
The Party on the Dancefloor Tour was the eighth concert tour by British group Steps. It was launched in support of their fifth studio album, Tears on the Dancefloor (2017) and its subsequent deluxe edition. It began on 12 November 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the SSE Arena and concluded on 10 December 2017 in Cardiff, Wales at the Motorpoint Arena. The tour was first announced in March 2017, consisting of dates in Europe.
"Scared of the Dark" is a song recorded by British group Steps for their fifth studio album, Tears on the Dancefloor (2017). On 6 March 2017, the group announced their twentieth anniversary celebrations in the form of a new single, album and accompanying tour. "Scared of the Dark" premiered on The Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2 on 9 March, and was released as the lead single from the album the following day. It is a disco song written by Carl Ryden and Fiona Bevan and performed mostly by band members Claire Richards and Faye Tozer. It garnered rave reviews from music critics, many of whom praised Steps for deliberately not conforming to current musical trends and for sticking to their original sound but with a modern feel. Within twelve hours of release, it reached number one on the iTunes Store in the United Kingdom, and debuted at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Story of a Heart" is a song co-written by Swedish musicians Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and recorded by Benny Andersson's Band for their first compilation album of the same name (2009); it features vocals from Swedish singer Helen Sjöholm. British group Steps covered the song for their fifth studio album, Tears on the Dancefloor (2017). It was released as the second single from the album in the form of a remix EP on 12 May 2017, with a radio release slated for 16 June.
"Neon Blue" is a song recorded by British group Steps for their fifth studio album, Tears on the Dancefloor (2017). Written by Carl Ryden and Fiona Bevan, it was announced as the third single from the album on 20 July 2017, and subsequently released on 4 August. Musically, it is a mid-tempo pop ballad which begins with a soft piano introduction and builds into an upbeat synth track, while lyrically, it is about encouraging a downcast friend to come out and have some fun. Band member Ian "H" Watkins described "Neon Blue" as a gay anthem due to its message of coming out. It garnered a positive response from music critics, with a general consensus that it is a classic Steps song. Its accompanying music video features a man and a woman who have had bad fortune in their relationships meeting at a party in a night club and their luck turning around. "Neon Blue" was included on the set list of their eighth headlining concert tour, the Party on the Dancefloor Tour (2017).
My Wildest Dreams is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Claire Richards, released on 1 February 2019, through Sony Music Entertainment. The album was preceded by three singles; "On My Own", "End Before We Start", "Shame On You" and one promotional single, "Deep Waters".
What the Future Holds is the sixth studio album by the British group Steps and was their first album to be released with their new record label BMG on 27 November 2020. They had originally intended to release the project in the Spring, however the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and imposing of lockdown resulted in a temporary delay of promotion. The album was preceded by singles "What the Future Holds" and "Something in Your Eyes". Promotional tracks "Under My Skin", "Hold My Heart" and "To the Beat of My Heart" were also released, the latter becoming the album's third single in January 2021.
"What the Future Holds" is a song recorded by British group Steps for their sixth studio album of the same name (2020).
What the Future Holds Pt. 2 is the seventh studio album by the British group Steps. It is a sequel to the sixth album What the Future Holds. The album was released on 10 September 2021 by BMG Rights Management.