Steve Anderson (musician)
| Steve Anderson | |
|---|---|
|
Steve Anderson at a show rehearsal in 2012. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stephen John Anderson |
| Also known as | Steve Anderson |
| Born |
1969 Southend, UK |
| Origin | Southend, UK |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Record Producer, Songwriter, Musical Director, Arranger |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Universal Publishing |
| Associated acts | Brothers in Rhythm |
Steve Anderson is a British musician, songwriter and record producer, whose most recognisable work is as Kylie Minogue's collaborator on her tours and previous albums. He has also worked on songs and albums for many recording artists such as Britney Spears, Westlife, Christophe Willem, Judy Tzuke and Susan Boyle, among others.
Life and Career
Early Years – Brothers In Rhythm
Remixes and Releases
Steve Anderson began his musical career at DMC Studios as one half of remix/production team Brothers in Rhythm with Dave Seaman. They went on to work on artists including Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Sting and Paul McCartney. Steve's role at DMC was initially as an apprentice or, as he described it, "tea-boy creating some mixes for their subscription service".[1] Steve Anderson's first remix for Kylie Minogue under the DMC label was her 1990 disco single Step Back In Time. Though this remix was not officially serviced, it has ben suggested that it later provided inspiration for the successful Harding/Curnow remix of the Rhythm of Love single.[2] Further, it would lead to Anderson collaborating with Kylie Minogue on her ballad "Finer Feelings" in 1991. Recalling the important influence of the band Massive Attack's music at the time, Anderson states in an interview:
Finer Feelings came from someone at PWL loving what we were doing with Brothers In Rhythm, which up until then had been predominantly house music, so taking on a gorgeous mid tempo was quite a risk but of course we loved the song and just embellished what was there with a whole load of piano, strings and choir… On the original 1992 remix it was purely about making the rhythm section tougher and the orchestration more lush - everyone was influenced by Massive Attack then, so that’s where we were headed” [1]
This led to production work for the Pet Shop Boys, Take That (including the No.1’s Never Forget and Sure) and Kylie Minogue’s debut album for Deconstruction Records in 1994, including Confide In Me which he co-wrote and produced.[3] Extensively collaborating with Dave Seaman, Brothers in Rhythm also had mainstream hits in their own right with Peace and Harmony (1990) and Such a Good Feeling (1991), the latter reaching number 1 in the Billboard Dance Club Songs charts. Peace and Harmony secured greater exposure when it re-appeared as the B-side to Such a Good Feeling.[4] In 1994, the follow-up to Such a Good Feeling, Forever and a Day was released in the U.K via Stress Records, with vocals from Charvoni, charting at number 51..[5][6]
Production Work
Around the time of Brothers In Rhythm release Forever And A Day, Seaman and Anderson featured on the first Kylie Minogue album since leaving her label PWL. The two co-wrote and produced her first single Confide In Me, which went to no. 2 in the U.K charts and signified a “reinvention” of Kylie Minogue’s image and sound.[3]According to Lee Barron, he felt the image of the music video was an example and opening of "Indie Kylie"; an image that later progressed through the work of her 1997 album Impossible Princess.[7] Brothers in Rhythm also produced four additional songs on the album, namely Love is Waiting, Dangerous Game, Automatic Love and Where is the Feeling. After the release of their 1994 Brothers in Rhythm single Forever in a Day, Anderson and Seaman concentrated on writing, producing and recording Kylie Minogue's second album for Deconstruction Records/Sony BMG, Impossible Princess. Temporarily retitled Kylie Minogue in the UK and Europe (following the death of Princess Diana), this was Kylie' sixth studio album, released on 22nd October 1997 by Sony BMG and Deconstruction Records in Japan. Minogue had co-written all the songs on the album, with additional credits in production and composition; the album was also assisted by Dave Ball, Ingo Vauk, Brothers in Rhythm and Rob Dougan, among others. The album received a polarized response from music critics. Commercially, the album reached number 10 in Australia, Scotland and the UK, but was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for physical shipment of 70,000 units.
After the release of Impossible Princess, Brothers in Rhythm continued to collaborate, having their remixes on single releases by D Ream, M People, Placebo, Garbage and Alanis Morissette.
While the Brothers in Rhythm never officially split up, the beginning of the millennium saw Dave Seamen concentrate his D.J career while Steve Anderson consolidate his career in areas of music production, song-writing and theatre.
Production and Songwriting
Steve Anderson has written and co-written songs and produced music for recording artists including Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Holly Valance, Take That, Susan Boyle and Delta Goodrem.
After completing Impossible Princess for Minogue in 1997, Steve Anderson continued to write with Minogue for the album that became Light Years. Recalling a sense of freedom during the early period of recording in 1999, Anderson states:
The thing is, when we get together to write we just do what we feel like. We never try to pitch at an album or sound so often we write something we love that happily sits on a b-side and that’s fine with us. If you take something like Harmony for instance - the sun was shining at Real World and we just wanted to do something really bright, warm and summery with a lovely lyric. We knew there was no way it was going to fit on an album but that’s not a good enough reason not to write it.[8]
Released in 2000 through Parlophone and widely seen as Minogue's comeback album, Light Years features three songs composed by Anderson (So Now Goodbye, Butterfly and Bittersweet Goodbye). He also co-wrote Dancefloor and Give It To Me on the follow-up album Fever, which reached the number one slot in the UK, Australian, Austrian, German and Irish album charts and number 3 in the US [Billboard 200].
Anderson also worked on songs for Britney Spears, including "Breathe on Me" for her 2003 album In The Zone and two unreleased songs (State of Grace and Grow) originally intended for her album Blackout.
In 2003, he produced and co-wrote three songs for the Holly Valance album State of Mind, released on Warner Bros. Records. He also co-wrote and produced Everything You Ever Wanted for the English-Irish Pop Girl group Girls Aloud's debut album Sound of the Underground (Polydor / Universal International).
In 2009, he produced Talk Me Down for the Irish boy band Westlife's Where We Are album (S / RCA / Sony Music. He also collaborated with Australian singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte on the song Supersensual for her number 1 selling album 1000 Stars (Sony). He further co-wrote and produced the song Entre Nous et le Sol for French singer Christophe Willem's album Caféine(Columbia Records / Sony Music, which was subsequently released as a single in 2010 with the English-language version of the album, Heartbox with the restored original title, State of Grace.
In 2010, he wrote and produced the song I will reach you, that appeared as an album track on Westlife's Gravity. In the same year he wrote the lead single to Spanish singer Edurne's album Nueva Piel (Sony Music Spain), Soy Como Soy.
In 2011, he was reunited with Christophe Willem, producing his entire Prismophonic album for Columbia / Sony Music.
In 2012, he also produced the English version of Willem's album, Love Shot Me Down. As part of Kylie Minogue's K25 celebrations, Anderson also produced The Abbey Road Sessions album, on which he co-wrote the single Flower.
In 2013 he produced Susan Boyle's Home for Christmas album.
In 2014 he produced Boyle's next album, Hope.
In 2015 he produced songs on the Markus Feehily album Fire and numerous songs for Kylie Minogue's Christmas album, Kylie Christmas (Parlophone).
In 2016 he wrote and produced Paola Iezzi single Lovenight. He also became heavily involved in the production, arrangement and release of new singer Harriet and her self-titled debut album (Brightstar Records). He also produced Boyle's Christmas album A Wonderful World (Syco), featuring covers of Madonna, Robbie Williams and ABBA songs. Anderson also produced Minogue's expanded re-release of her Christmas album, Kylie Christmas: the Snow Queen edition.
Music Director – Pop Concert Tours
Though its chart performance was somewhat lackluster, a key success of Kylie Minogue’s Impossible Princess era was her live tour Intimate and Live in 1998. Performing to sell out shows in Australia and London, Minogue selected Anderson as its musical director for all corresponding concerts. This relationship continues with Anderson providing essential arrangement production work for Kylie Minogue’s On a Night Like This tour (2001), KylieFever tour (2002), Money Can't Buy (2004), Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour (2005), Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour (2006-2007), KylieX2008 (2008-2009), For You, For Me (2009), Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour (2011), Anti Tour (2012), Kiss Me Once Tour (2014-2015) and A Kylie Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall (2015-2016). Outside his live work for Minogue, Anderson has scored the live arrangements for tours and shows by Westlife, Delta Goodrem, Leona Lewis and most recently Lush in October 2016.[9] He has also scored notable radio and T.V shows including Live Lounge for Leona Lewis and Little Mix and An Audience With Kylie Minogue which featured a duet with Kermit the Frog.[10]
Music Supervisor – Theatre
In 2007, alongside working on the Showgirl Tour, Anderson and others from Kylie Minogue's creative team, including choreographer Ashley Wallen, vocal arranger Terry Ronald and creative director William Baker, opened their re-worked version of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent, Rent: Remixed at London's Duke of York's Theatre. The show starred Luke Evans as and Siobhan Donaghy as Mimi. While the show's stripped down adaptation drew criticism, Sam Marlow, theatre critic for the Times, stated
Anderson has done a cracking job of funking up Larson’s score, replacing overweening guitar rock with pumping gay club anthems and diva pop, flavoured with rippling keyboards and electronica.[11]
The same creative team would reunite for several versions of The Hurly Burly Show, a Burlesque Revue playing at various West End theatres between 2010 and 2012, starring the British Neo-Burlesque performer Miss Polly Rae. The show was well received by Theatre critics, with The Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer giving it a four-star rating, noting the quality of the show's musical numbers, while The Guardian's Michael Billington praised its slick direction.[12][13]
Three successful incarnations of the show led to further theatrical outings for Anderson. Collaborations to date include:
- Little Belter (London and UK Tour, 2012)[14]
- Orchid – Where Desire Blooms (Miami, 2012)[15]
- Some Girl I Used To Know (Leeds, London West End and UK Tour, 2014)[16][17]
- The Supreme Fabulettes – Viva La Drag[18] (London West End and UK Tour 2014–2015)
- Chandelier (Celebrity Cruises, 2015)
- Elyria[19] (Celebrity Cruises, 2015).
In 2014 it was announced that Anderson was working on a new musical based on the music of Kylie Minogue.[20] In September 2015 Minogue herself confirmed that the musical had "momentum" once again, after being "in talks".[21] A successful trademark registration by Kylie Minogue's family company from 2012 indicates that the musical's working title is Lucky: The Kylie Minogue Musical.[22]
Steve Anderson is currently working on a brand new musical, The Most Beautiful Man In New York, with long time collaborators Ian Masterson and Terry Ronald.[23]
Discography
With Brothers in Rhythm
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [24] |
IRE | FRA | U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play [25] |
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | |||
| 1990 | "Peace and Harmony" | 94 | — | — | — | — | Singles only |
| 1991 | "Such a Good Feeling" | 64 | — | — | 1 | 14 | |
| "Such a Good Feeling" (Reissue) | 14 | 27 | 50 | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "Forever and a Day" (Present Charvoni) | 51 | — | — | 11 | 53 | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||
As Producer and Songwriter (selected discography)
| Year (UK Release) | Release | Artist | Format | Label | Song Title(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Make It On My Own | Alison Limerick | Single | Arista | Make It On My Own | Writer and Producer |
| 1994 | Kylie Minogue | Kylie Minogue | Studio Album | Deconstruction | Confide in Me | Writer and Producer[26] |
| Dangerous Game | ||||||
| Automatic Love | Producer[26] | |||||
| Love Is Waiting | ||||||
| Where Is the Feeling? | ||||||
| Confide In Me | Single | Confide In Me | Writer and Producer | |||
| 1995 | Where Is The Feeling? | Single | Where Is The Feeling? | Producer | ||
| 1997 | Some Kind Of Bliss | Single | Love Takes Over Me (B-Side) | Writer and Producer | ||
| Did It Again | Single | Did It Again | Writer and Producer | |||
| 1998 | Impossible Princess | Studio Album | Did It Again | Writer and Producer[27] | ||
| Cowboy Style | ||||||
| Drunk | ||||||
| Dreams | ||||||
| Too Far | Producer[27] | |||||
| Say Hey | ||||||
| Cowboy Style | Single | Cowboy Style | Writer and Producer | |||
| Love Takes Over Me (B-Side) | ||||||
| 2000 | Hits + | Compilation Album | Confide In Me | Writer and Producer[28] | ||
| Take Me With You | ||||||
| Stay This Way | ||||||
| Did It Again | ||||||
| Automatic Love (Acoustic version) | Producer[28] | |||||
| If You Don't Love Me | ||||||
| Where Is The Feeling | ||||||
| Spinning Around | Single | Parlophone Records | Cover Me With Kisses (B-Side) | Writer and Producer | ||
| Paper Dolls (B-Side) | ||||||
| On a Night Like This | Single | Ocean Blue | Writer and Producer | |||
| Light Years | Studio Album | Bittersweet Goodbye | Writer and Producer[29] | |||
| Butterfly | Writer[29] | |||||
| So Now Goodbye | ||||||
| Please Stay | Single | Good Life (B-Side) | Writer and Producer | |||
| Santa Baby (B-Side) | Producer | |||||
| 2001 | Fever | Studio Album | Give It To Me | Writer[30] | ||
| Dancefloor | Writer and Producer[30] | |||||
| 2002 | In Your Eyes | Single | Never Spoken (B-Side) | Writer and Producer | ||
| Harmony (B-Side) | ||||||
| Feels So Good | Atomic Kitten | Studio Album | Innocent | Feels So Good | Writer and Producer | |
| 2003 | In the Zone | Britney Spears | Studio Album | Jive Records | Breathe on me | Writer and Producer |
| State of Mind | Holly Valance | Studio Album | London Records | Hypnotic | Writer and Producer | |
| Curious | ||||||
| Roll Over | ||||||
| Sound of the Underground | Girls Aloud | Studio Album | Polydor | Everything You Ever Wanted | Writer and Producer | |
| 2004 | You Stood Up | V | Studio Album | Universal | Stop the Tears | Writer |
| Two Shots | Matt Dusk | Studio Album | Decca | Don't Go Looking | Writer and Producer | |
| 2006 | The Magic Roundabout (Music from the Motion Picture) | Kylie Minogue | Compilation Album | Milan Records | The Magic Roundabout | Vocal Producer |
| 2007 | RyanDan (album) | RyanDan | Studio Album | Universal Music | Entire album | Producer |
| Dentro Me | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Stay With You | Writer and Producer | |||||
| You Needed Me | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Showgirl: Homecoming Live | Kylie Minogue | Live Album | Parlophone | Entire Album | Producer | |
| Dreams | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Confide in Me | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Cowboy Style | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Radio 1 Established 1967 | Various Artists | Compilation album | Universal Music | Kylie Minogue: Love Is The Drug | Vocal Producer | |
| 2008 | Beautiful People (Soundtrack) | Various Artists | Compilation Album | EMI | Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue: The Winner Takes It All | Producer |
| 2009 | Where We Are | Westlife | Studio Album | S, RCA, Sony Music | Talk Me Down | Producer |
| 1000 Stars | Natalie Bassingthwaighte | Studio Album | Epic | Supersensual | Writer and Producer | |
| Caféine | Christophe Willem | Studio Album | Columbia | Entre Nous et le Sol | Writer and Producer | |
| Live In New York | Kylie Minogue | Live Album | Parlophone | Entire Album | Producer | |
| Confide in Me | Writer and Producer | |||||
| 2010 | Now Is the Hour | Jennifer Rush | Studio Album | Ariola | Ain't Loved You Long Enough | Writer and Producer |
| Safe | Westlife | Single | Syco | Please Stay (B-Side) | Producer | |
| Heartbox | Christophe Willem | Studio Album | Columbia | State of Grace | Writer and Producer | |
| Gravity | Westlife | Studio Album | Syco | I Will Reach You | Writer | |
| Before It's Too Late | Writer | |||||
| Nueva Piel | Edurne | Single | Sony Music | Soy Como Soy | Writer | |
| Moon On A Mirrorball | Judy Tzuke | Compilation Album | Wrasse Records | If (When You Go) | Writer and Producer | |
| 2011 | Cool | Christophe Willem | Single | Sony Music | Cool | Producer |
| Prismophonic | Studio Album | Si Mes Larmes Tombent | Writer and Producer | |||
| Jamais Du | ||||||
| Ennemis In L.O.V.E. | ||||||
| Je Rejoins La Scene | ||||||
| Le Temps Qu'il Reste | ||||||
| Equilibre | ||||||
| Cool | Producer | |||||
| 2012 | The Abbey Road Sessions | Kylie Minogue | Studio Album | Parlophone | Entire Album | Producer |
| Flower | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Confide in Me | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Flower | Kylie Minogue | Single | Parlophone | Flower | Writer and Producer | |
| 2013 | Home for Christmas (Susan Boyle album) | Susan Boyle | Studio Album | Syco | Entire Album | Producer |
| 2014 | Hope | Susan Boyle | Studio Album | Syco | Wish You Were Here | Producer |
| I can Only Imagine | ||||||
| Angel | ||||||
| Abide With Me | ||||||
| Imagine | ||||||
| Will The Circle Be Unbroken | ||||||
| Bridge Over Troubled Water | ||||||
| The Impossible Dream | ||||||
| Oh Happy Day | ||||||
| 2015 | Fire | Markus Feehily | Studio Album | Harmoney Entertainment | Love Is a Drug | Writer and Producer |
| Sanctuary | ||||||
| Only You | ||||||
| Love Me Or Leave Me | ||||||
| Wash The Pain Away | Writer | |||||
| Winter Stories | Harriet | Album | n/a | Entire Album | Producer | |
| Maybe This Christmas | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Kylie Christmas | Kylie Minogue | Studio Album | Parlophone, Warner Bros. | Entire Album | Producer | |
| 100 Degrees | Writer and Producer | |||||
| Oh Santa | ||||||
| Christmas isn't Christmas 'Til You Get Here | ||||||
| 2016 | 100 Degrees (Still Disco To Me) | Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue | Single | Parlophone | 100 Degrees (Still Disco To Me) | Writer and Producer |
| Lovenight | Paola Iezzi | Single | BMG Rights Management Italy | Lovenight | Writer and Producer | |
| Broken For You | Harriet | Single | Brightstar Records | Broken For You | Writer and Producer | |
| First And Last | Harriet | Single | Brightstar Records | First And Last | Writer and Producer | |
| Harriet | Harriet | Studio Album | Brightstar Records | Entire Album | Producer | |
| Afterglow | Writer and Producer | |||||
| What's Mine Is Yours | ||||||
| Broken For You | ||||||
| Can I Keep You | ||||||
| First And Last | ||||||
| Permission To Kiss | ||||||
| Unlove You | ||||||
| Love Will Burn | ||||||
| Fly | ||||||
| Whoever You Are | ||||||
| Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition | Kylie Minogue | Studio Album | Parlophone | It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year | Producer | |
| Santa Claus Is Coming To Town | ||||||
| Winter Wonderland | ||||||
| Only You | ||||||
| Stay Another Day | ||||||
| Christmas Wrapping | ||||||
| Wonderful Christmastime | ||||||
| I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter | ||||||
| 100 Degrees | ||||||
| Let It Snow | ||||||
| 2000 Miles | ||||||
| Santa Baby | ||||||
| Christmas Isn't Christmas 'Til You Get Here | ||||||
| Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas | ||||||
| Oh Santa | ||||||
| Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) | ||||||
External Links
References
- 1 2 "The Steve Anderson K25 Interview". Don't Stop The Pop Blog. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ↑ "Track Information: Big Shock Mix". MixKylie. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- 1 2 Smith, Sean (2006). Kylie. Pocket. ISBN 1-84739-030-7.
- ↑ "Dave Seaman". The Beat Magazine. Bali, Indonesia: The Beat Magazine. 20 August 2010. ISSN 1829-9989. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ↑ "Brothers in Rhythm Present Charvoni Forever and a Day". Discogs. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th edition ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 80. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Barron, Lee (2009). Social Theory in Popular Culture. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137303899.
- ↑ "The Steve Anderson Interview Part Two". Don't Stop The Pop. Don't Stop The Pop. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ "Music Director Discography". Steve Anderson Productions. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ↑ "An Audience with Kylie Minogue". Muppet Central. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ↑ "Rent:Remixed". London Theatre. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ↑ Spencer, Charles (25 February 2010). "The All New Hurly Burly Show at Leicester Square Theatre". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Billington, Michael (26 February 2010). "Miss Polly Rae: The All New Hurly Burly Show". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Stubbs, Steve. "Little Belter Starring Elouise". Backstage Pass. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ "Orchid - Where Desire Blooms". DR Theatrical Management. DR Theatrical Management. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ "Some Girl I Used To Know: People". Some Girl I Used To Know. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Foss, Roger (6 February 2014). "Some Girl I Used To Know - Review". The Stage. The Stage. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Vale, Paul (28 June 2013). "The Supreme Fabulettes - Viva la Drag". Musical Theatre Review. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ "Elyria". Celebrity Cruises Productions: Elyria. Celebrity Cruises. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Bailey, Leanne. "Are you ready for Kylie Minogue: The Musical?". Glamour. Condé Nast Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Howarth, Alice. "Kylie Minogue confirms her musical at NERVO video shoot!". Glamour. Condé Nast Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ "Lucky: The Kylie Minogue Musical – Registration Details". Justia Trademarks. Justia. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Ronald, Terry. "Terry Ronald: Biography". Terry Ronald. Terry Ronald. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ "Official Charts Company: Brothers in Rhythm". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
- ↑ "Brothers in Rhythm - US Dance Club Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-04-14.
- 1 2 Kylie Minogue (Liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Deconstruction Records. 1994.
- 1 2 Impossible Princess (CD booklet). Kylie Minogue. Deconstruction Records.
- 1 2 Hits+ (Liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Deconstruction Records. 2000.
- 1 2 Light Years (Liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Parlophone Records. 2000.
- 1 2 Fever (Liner notes). Kylie Minogue. Parlophone Records. 2001.