Singer Claire Richards chats about her new concert tour and why Steps is such an enduring pop powerhouse
KENZI DEVINE
It’s approaching 30 years since Claire Richards entered the music industry, firstly in 1995 in the short-lived girl band TSD and then joining Steps in 1997. And it’s clear the singer has as much enthusiasm for performing as ever, as she chats about her forthcoming concert tour, Everybody Dance, and why getting older has made her feel more confident.
Set to take to the stage in October for the touring show, which is described as the “ultimate dance floor party”, Claire says she’s really excited to be heading out on the road again. “It’s not like a concert – it’s more of a theatrical singing show with, hopefully, all the disco and dance songs everybody knows and loves,” she says.
“I think the older I get, I feel like new challenges and new things are good to do. So it kind of puts me outside of my comfort zone to a certain degree, while still doing the thing that I love and the thing that I’m meant to be good at – hopefully, I am good at.
“I say yes to many more things than I did when I was younger because I think it’s good to keep your hand in lots of different things. That keeps you young.”
Claire, 46, has come a long way since she was a fresh-faced teenager joining Steps and divides her time between performing and enjoying her happy home life with husband Reece Hill and their two children Charlie, 17, and Daisy, 14.
Claire says her life has changed now her children have got older and she feels less conflicted about being away from them to pursue her career. “Before, my kids would be waving me off at the door – now they’re like, ‘Yeah, alright.’ An AirPod comes out of the ears,” she says, laughing. “So it feels it’s almost more exciting because I don’t think I’m going to have as much of the guilt as I did when they were little, I suppose. They can cook their own dinner and walk to the train station and stuff like that. And my husband’s always there to pick up the slack.”
Claire and Reece, who have been married since 2008, have more time to themselves now their children are both teenagers. “Me and my husband have found over the last few weekends we’ve got time alone and we’re like, ‘Oh my God, what do we do?’ So we’ve been for a couple of lunches and just done stuff around the house and it’s nice, but it’s going to take a bit of getting used to.”
Claire says she is
