Steps announce Platinum Collection greatest hits album tracklisting, artwork, megamix and formats: "We have no plans to stop!"

As Lisa Scott-Lee, Claire Richards, Ian 'H' Watkins, Faye Tozer and Lee Latchford-Evans celebrate 25 years together, they assure Official Charts we've got Steps for a long while yet

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On November 10 1997 Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer, Ian 'H' Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans and Claire Richards burst onto the pop scene with their utterly bonkers, techno-pop-meets-country classic 5, 6, 7, 8. It would have been all too easy to write off Steps - a group formed with the brief of becoming 'ABBA on speed' - as one-hit wonders; destined for the Our Price bargain bin forever more.

Yet here we are, a quarter of a century later, celebrating UK pop royalty's 25th anniversary; the group having gone on to score three Number 1 albums, 14 Top 10 singles and bagging a BRIT Award along the way.

Today, Steps announce the release of Platinum Collection. A greatest hits album including their smash singles, brand new tracks and previously-unreleased remixes, the record will be released on August 19. And, with so much to catch up on ahead of their headline Mighty Hoopla slot this weekend, we gave Lisa and Faye a bell to talk their legacy, twink-to-bear transformations (yep) and how they've no plans to stop.

Lisa and Faye, hello. Congratulations on your 25th anniversary, how does it feel?

Lisa: It’s incredible. Each time somebody says it, it takes me back. We feel so blessed and privileged to be still be here, doing what we love. There just seems to be even more love out there than ever for Steps.

Faye: Especially from the younger generation. We’ve got new fans. The 20-year-olds are coming through at the meet and greets and I think ‘how do you know of Steps?’, because we’re not at the forefront of the music scene all the time. Yes, we’re pretty visible, but not compared to some up-and-coming artists. It’s so lovely that the youngsters are finding out about the new music, then going back and finding the older stuff. It’s a great time to be alive in the music industry.

You've seen a lot of bands come and go over the years. What's your secret?

Lisa: We enjoy it. When you love what you do, it doesn’t really feel like work. We have so much fun, and the fact it’s still the five of us – the original line-up – and we do genuinely get on. It means that, when you come to work, you’re having a great time. That shows when we’re on stage and interacting with each other; the audience love to see that and feel part of it.

Faye: Steps is our baby, and we become more loyal and passionate about it as the years have gone on. We’ve had such an incredible legacy and it’s really important that we don’t fizzle out. We literally love putting on a show, that’s our favourite part of the job. Performing live is the icing on the cake.

Your shows are so joyful, inclusive and a safe space for a lot of fans...

Lisa: That’s what we were always hoping for, so it’s really nice that you say that. Fans know they’re guaranteed a good night when they come to see Steps. There’ve been some tough times, but people come for some escapism. It’s pure joy.

Faye: I really enjoyed watching people dancing on the last arena tour. You saw it in everybody’s eyes. Whether it was nostalgia or they were coming to see us for the first time, you felt that adrenaline. I felt like I’d had a full night out myself! It just feels like you’re in the middle of the club.

Lisa: It’s nice for us to spread a little happiness. I think Steps add a certain sparkle to the world.

Faye: When we were growing up, it’d be the young gays at G-A-Y, when it was in London Astoria, with their tops off. Now, they’re in the audience with massive beards. They’ve gone from being the twinks to being bears now, and the love in the room is incredible.

Platinum Collection obviously includes all the bangers, but there are two brand new tracks on there, too. What can you tell us about Hard 2 Forget and The Runner?

Lisa: They sound like classic Steps, but with a commercial twist; especially with Hard 2 Forget.

Faye: They’re two different styles. One’s more towards the newer music, and one’s a nod to the old.

Lisa: Hard 2 Forget is pop-dance, so it’s my favourite. I love that one, and the video was fun as well. Am I allowed to say there was a video?

You just did…

Lisa: There’s a little of exclusive for you, Official Charts. You’re going to get me in trouble.

You've even got some 'Steps 25 Revisited' mixes on there. What do they involve?

Faye: We’ve got so many people around us working on the remixes. Over the past few years, with What the Future Holds parts 1 and 2, we’ve been able to completely revamp some of the old stuff. I even listen to Steps myself, and we’ve got all sorts of different flavours on the classics.

Lisa: We’re becoming known for our remixes, as well. They’ve taken on a life of their own and the fans really love them.

Faye: There were some cases where we thought ‘do we prefer the remix to the actual radio edit?’

Do you ever ponder all the achievements you'd have missed out on, had you not reunited back in 2011?

Lisa: It blows my mind. It’s been 10 years. This period, since the reunion, has lasted longer than the first time Steps were together. People don’t realise that. There seems to be so much love for Steps, it’s great to be a part of it. It was over, and we didn’t think we’d get a second opportunity to be a pop star, sell out arenas and release new albums. I see it as a huge bonus. What we achieved the first time round was amazing, but I just feel like we’re going from strength to strength. We’re so blessed.

Faye: We’re very grateful and really enjoy getting our teeth into everything now. The styling, the production of the live shows, the videos; we can fully immerse ourselves because we feel really lucky to still be here. We want to deliver something exciting for us, for job satisfaction, but also something amazing for the fans. It’s a huge, huge thank you to the people keeping us here and those rediscovering us.

Please tell us Platinum Collection doesn't signal the end for Steps. We want you to keep going...

Lisa: We haven’t got plans to stop, we’ve not had that conversation at all. It’d be nice to have a rest, because we’ve all got businesses and other projects. Steps is a part of people’s lives now, and we really love that.

Faye: Even if you don’t see us on screen, there’s always something cooking behind-the-scenes. If you don’t see us together, it doesn’t mean we’re not talking. It means we’re cooking something up. In the kitchen.

What could you possibly be insinuating, Faye? Thanks for the chat, girls. Always a pleasure.

Announcing their Platinum Collection album, which will also be available on five special solo editions, each with unique bonus tracks of the band’s favourite songs from across their career, Steps say: "We cannot believe this year marks our 25^th anniversary! Someone recently mentioned that the latest era of Steps has actually now outlasted our original run which was a delightful surprise.

"This anniversary marks the perfect moment to take a look back at everything we’ve achieved as a band. We realised that we’ve released a full 3 new studio albums since our last Greatest Hits so it felt like time to combine all our hits on one package. We’ve recorded two brand-new tracks for the album and presto, the Platinum Collection was born. It was such good fun listening back at 25 years of our songs and we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane as much we did."