Just wondering what everyone was thinking when Steps initially announced their split in 2001, were you shocked, did you expect it, also were you surprised when it was announced H and Claire were going with their own project or did you see it coming, what your initial predictions of who would have the most successful careers after?

I was a massive fan back in the day and I remember being upset (not angry as I know some fans were)

 

I’d watched SMTV religiously so it was not a surprise to see H&Claire go solo

 

I think mainly I was just disappointed that there would be no more Steps music - especially as I’d made it very clear at school that they were my fave band (which came with its own problems!!!!)

My experience my be different from some given I live in Canada.

We used to have a show called "The Hit List" on YTV and this is how Canadians got their fix of Steps, S Club 7, Westlife ect.

 

I don't recall them really discussing the split much, and really I only got into Steps around Here and Now/You'll Be Sorry. I was disappointed with the split, but not really seeing or hearing Steps everyday I made it through. If they split again however I'd be really sad :lol:

Edited April 29, 20214 yr by Aaron.

I was absolutely devastated :lol:

 

I was 11 at the time, so didn’t really see the H & Claire thing coming, but was pleased that they did.

 

In hindsight, it was probably best that they split when they did as it allowed for this triumphant return from them!

Surprised.

 

H and Claire also seemed random because (at least as a casual fan) they didn't seem like the 'leaders'. If anything, I would have said Faye was the standout member of Steps in the 2000s.

I was a little shocked mainly because they had so strongly denied split rumours and i think the timing of their announcement was bad too especially for their young fans. With Gold having done so well plus they were still having great success in general i thought they were crazy to split and H and Claire going solo was a shock as it wasnt a partnership i saw coming. I think when they split Claire and Faye were the only 2 i thought had a chance of solo success in the music business, H i thought would go down the childrens tv side of things and with Lisa while i knew she would probably try a solo music career but i didn't ever feel it would work, so her and lee i was expecting to go the tv route.

I was very young, but I remember it coming as a total shock to me.

 

I remember thinking at the time H & Claire as a duo seemed immensely tacky and my view on that hasn't really changed.

So many bands had the same trajectory then, 3 studio albums, Greatest Hits and split. As they got through Gold without splitting and the album so successful it left the split a shock.

H and Claire I felt thought they could pick up where Steps left off and the fans would follow which backfired and left many fans blaming them for the split.

 

Ya I Dont think people were accepting of h and claire although they initially signed a fairly big record deal.

I was really shocked at the time and a little bit annoyed. I didn't see solo careers for any of them really and the only one I paid the slightest bit of attention to was Lisa (even though Faye is my fave), I had no time for H & Claire but then they were always my two least favourite members.

I remember hearing about it the same day I bough Giordano on December 27, 2001 with my Christmas money. (That would’ve been Boxing Day in the UK). I remember being gutted, mostly for the split but also because we got an edited version of Gold with on,y 17 tracks, 15 from Gold + 2 remixes.

 

Re H & Claire, I bough their first two singles but that’s all they released here as far as I know.

I received the Gold CD, video & book for Christmas Day, so it was a very Steps focused Christmas! I finished reading the book on Boxing Day - the final pages were about their future & not splitting up. I remember directly after putting the book down, I had a browse on teletext... and there it was, the news that they’d split up! I couldn’t quite believe it. The betrayal :cry: ( :lol: )

 

As a 13 year old, I just felt like I’d been lied to... I wasn’t angry per se, but I felt let down. I kind of fell out of love with Steps & didn’t really listen to their music much in the years after that.

 

H & Claire... admittedly I enjoyed DJ, but I felt a bit resentful. I didn’t buy that CD single until weeks after release when it was going cheap. I pretty much ignored the second and third singles... and almost 20 years later I still haven’t heard the album :kink:

I think many fans felt betrayed but I think lisa, faye and lee did too and felt that way for a long time, i think the way it was done must have been so hurtful for them.

I was half way through High School when Steps split so didn't take much notice and then H&Claire came along and my immediate reaction to that was no.

I was sad of course, it was a shame. They're back now though so all's well!

I was sad they split as i always enjoyed their music and knew i would miss them, bit like how i felt with Take That when they split but thankfully both reformed and both came back with really strong albums.

Absolutely GUTTED, I remember buving 'Gold - Greatest Hits' for X-Mas & played it all day & night, as by this point I'd played their 3 first albums to death. I was even looking forward to what their next album would be like, would they'd still have continued success, hell I even loved 'Baby Don't Dance' & welcomed its choice as the next single. But Boxing day came & they split up, I was devastated.

Although did find a slight glimmer of hope with H & Claire's duo work & even enjoyed their 3 singles 'DJ, 'Half A Heart' & 'All Out of Love' (the latter sounded very Steps). However when I purchased their album "Another You Another Me", I was sorely disappointed, at 15 tracks it was such a slog to get through (especially after track 6) with way too many ballads 8 out of 15 in fact & that awful 'Beauty & The Beast' cover which was totally pointless. Although there were some enjoyable moments apart from the singles such as 'All I Want Is You', the title track (which was gonna be the next single), but scrapped after the album bombed & they were dropped & 'Too Close To Tears' was okay. It makes me wonder weather these songs were meant for Steps next album, before the split, maybe I dunno, but thankfully it wasn't as this was up to par with any of their work. Ditch a couple of the filler ballads & have just 10 or 11 track album, then this could have been a whole lot better.

Hell I even bought their 'The Last Dance' compilation album, which wasn't all that great, but it was nice to finally hear 'Human Touch' & 'Mars and Venus (We Fall In Love Again)' as they were pretty decent, as well as the fabulous 'Just Like The First Time'.

I don't remember hearing the news exactly when it was announced, I was quite young but I do remember really enjoying DJ when I first heard it and I was a fan of H & Claire

I wanted to like dj more than i did, its not a bad song but i never really loved it and i was hoping for better songs from them in general, i wasn't against them going alone as at that point i didn't really know it was them who broke up the band so i had no resentment, initially i was like my steps fix may continue through them but it didnt as all out of love was the only song i really really liked.

I might make some of you feel old... as I wasn't even born when they split! :P

I might make some of you feel old... as I wasn't even born when they split! :P

:drama: !!! :lol: