Lisa Scott-Lee

2.1. 1997-2001: Early career with Steps

Scott-Lee rose to prominence as a member of the British pop group Steps, which was formed in 1997. The group quickly achieved significant success, releasing 14 top 5 singles in the United Kingdom. Steps became a household name with their catchy pop anthems and signature dance routines. However, after a highly successful run, the group announced their split on Boxing Day 2001, much to the disappointment of their fans. Despite the disbandment, rumors of a potential reunion circulated among fans and media for years, with group members occasionally hinting at the possibility.

2.2. 2002-2008: Solo career and Totally Scott-Lee

Following the initial breakup of Steps, Lisa Scott-Lee briefly took on a managerial role for her three younger brothers, including Andy, as they formed their own pop group called 3SL. However, after limited success, the group was dropped from their label and subsequently disbanded.

Scott-Lee then signed a solo recording contract with Mercury Records and launched her individual music career. Her debut solo single, "Lately", which she co-wrote, was released in May 2003. The song proved to be a success, becoming a UK top 10 hit and peaking at number 6. On 8 September 2003, she released her second single, "Too Far Gone", which she also co-wrote. This single narrowly missed the top 10, peaking at number 11. Due to concerns about her potential for sustained solo success, Mercury Records parted ways with Scott-Lee, leading to the cancellation of her planned debut album, Unleashed, despite promotional samplers already being distributed.

In the summer of 2004, Scott-Lee was featured in the Girls of FHM music video for "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" while preparing for a new single release, "Get It On", a collaboration with Intenso Project. As neither Scott-Lee nor Intenso Project had a record deal at the time, the music video was self-funded. Eventually, Ministry of Sound picked up the song, releasing it on 28 November 2004. Despite extensive promotion, including personal appearances, various promotional events, and a B-list placement on Capital Radio, the song peaked at number 23. Nevertheless, the "Get It On" music video was recognized, ranking in the FHM top 100 sexiest music videos.

In the summer of 2005, it was revealed that MTV UK had been following Scott-Lee, her husband Johnny Shentall, her brother Andy Scott-Lee, her publicist Sean Borg, her manager Nathan Moore, and her brother's girlfriend Michelle Heaton for nearly a year. The resulting reality show, originally titled Scott-Lee Unlimited and later known as Totally Scott-Lee, was intended as the UK version of MTV's US hit Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. The show documented Scott-Lee's efforts to revitalize her music career, during which she famously vowed to quit the music industry if her next single failed to reach the UK top 10.

Scott-Lee signed with a smaller record label, Concept Records, and began recording new material. Concept Records selected "Electric" as her next single, with plans for its release on 10 October 2005, to align with the show's broadcast deadlines. However, concerns were raised by Roseann McBride, assistant to managing director Max Bloom of Concept Records, who indicated that releasing the record on this date would allow for very little promotion time (five weeks compared to the usual eight to ten weeks). Despite the television show's backing and extensive media coverage, "Electric" failed to achieve the targeted top 10 position, charting at number 13. Following this outcome, Scott-Lee expressed regret over her earlier vow, admitting she had agreed to it only to please others.

Despite not reaching the UK top 10, plans were announced for "Electric" to be released in Japan, Australia, Germany, and South Africa. In Australia, the single spent two weeks in the Top 100 but did not reach the Top 40. Scott-Lee traveled to South Africa and Germany to promote the single. In December 2005, she released "Boy on the Dancefloor", a song from her then-unreleased album, on her website as a Christmas gift to her fans.

On 1 October 2006, Scott-Lee announced on her official website that she would be filming a new TV show for mainstream television. This show was later confirmed to be the second series of ITV's Dancing on Ice, with her participation officially beginning on 20 January 2007. She competed until 24 February 2007, when she was eliminated in the dance-off, finishing in 6th place. Scott-Lee continued her association with Dancing on Ice by participating in the accompanying tour, Dancing on Ice: The Tour, which traveled across the UK between March and May 2007.

Scott-Lee's first full-length solo album, Never or Now, was initially slated for a UK digital release on 26 March 2007, presumably to capitalize on her success in Dancing on Ice. However, following her elimination from the show, the album's release was delayed. It was eventually released in South Africa by Sheer Music on 26 March 2007, and in the UK as a music download on 18 June 2007. A CD version was also released in Belgium and the Netherlands. On 16 July, the album received an import release, confirmed by online retailers such as Play.com and Amazon.co.uk.

In 2007, Scott-Lee made an appearance in the Christmas special of the Ricky Gervais comedy series Extras. She also performed in the Derby pantomime during the 2007-08 season, playing 'Jack's wife' alongside her husband Johnny Shentall, who portrayed 'A Beanstalk'. In September 2008, Scott-Lee and her husband Johnny participated as contestants on ITV2's flight attendant-based reality series CelebAir. They were eliminated from the show in its fifth week, on 2 October 2008, after being seen abandoning their cabin crew duties to party for two hours at Eden.

2.3. 2011-2022: Steps reformation

Steps officially reformed in May 2011, leading to a four-part documentary series on Sky Living titled Steps: Reunion, which began airing on 28 September. This reunion coincided with the announcement of a second greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection, released on 10 October 2011. The album debuted at number one on the charts, marking the band's third album to achieve this feat. A second series of the documentary, "Steps: On the Road Again", aired on Sky Living in April 2012, following the band as they embarked on their sold-out 22-date UK tour. On 24 September 2012, the group confirmed the release of their fourth studio album, Light Up The World, on 12 November 2012, accompanied by a six-date Christmas tour from 30 November to 5 December.

The group reformed for a second time on 1 January 2017, celebrating their 20th anniversary. They subsequently announced their fifth studio album, Tears on the Dancefloor, which was released in April 2017 and debuted at number 2 on the charts. On 5 March 2017, Steps confirmed the album's release, along with its lead single, "Scared of the Dark", and a 22-date tour titled Party on the Dancefloor. A deluxe edition of the album, Tears on the Dancefloor: Crying at the Disco, was released on 27 October of the same year.

In November 2017, fellow Steps member Faye Tozer announced that the reunion was no longer merely a 20th-anniversary celebration, indicating the group's intention to continue performing and releasing music beyond their 2018 Summer of Steps tour. In April 2018, Claire Richards further confirmed that the group would begin work on their sixth studio album following their summer tour. In February 2019, Richards announced that recording for the next album would commence during the summer months.

On 7 September 2020, Steps announced the release date of their album titled What the Future Holds via their social media accounts. The album was released on 27 November 2020, with pre-orders available from 8 September. The following day, they confirmed a new 14-date UK tour, featuring special guest Sophie Ellis-Bextor, scheduled to begin in November 2021. The first single from the album was the Greg Kurstin and Sia-penned "What the Future Holds", released on 9 September 2020. This was followed by "Something in Your Eyes" on 27 October 2020, and "To the Beat of My Heart" was released as the album's third single in January 2021. The first single from What the Future Holds Pt. 2 was confirmed to be a reworked version of "Heartbreak in This City" featuring Michelle Visage, released in February 2021.

2.4. 2023: Never or Now 20th anniversary

On 27 February 2023, Lisa Scott-Lee announced the release of an expanded deluxe version of her solo studio album, Never or Now. This special reissue was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut solo single, "Lately". As part of these celebrations, Scott-Lee performed a solo show at the Mighty Hoopla festival on 4 June 2023. The re-released Never or Now debuted at number 24 on the UK Album Downloads Chart on 20 October 2023, and at number 39 on the Scottish Album Chart.

4.1. Studio albums

4.2. Singles

Scott-Lee has released several singles as a lead artist, showcasing her solo work, and has also been featured on tracks by other artists.