Madonna was once a Steps fan

British pop band Steps once signed an album for Madonna's daughter Lourdes.

The group is currently making a fresh assault on the charts after five years away from music with fifth album Tears on the Dancefloor, which is on course to knock Ed Sheeran's ÷ (Divide) off the top of the U.K. countdown this week (end30Apr17).

Recalling the last time they were top of the charts during the late '90s, Ian 'H' Watkins remembered they even had a fan in Queen of Pop Madonna.

"We did Top Of The Pops and signed an album for Madonna's daughter Lourdes. She asked us - it goes to show Madonna loves a bit of cheese," he giggled to Britain's Metro newspaper.

"Do you remember when Mariah Carey walked through us?" bandmate Faye Tozer added. "We were doing TOTP on tour, we were in a club and Oasis were there. This entourage started storming through our camera rehearsal, then Mariah Carey waltzed on past."

Steps, also made up of Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee and Lee Latchford-Evans, can't quite believe how well their latest album is doing.

The band, renowned for hits like Tragedy and 5,6,7,8, reformed in 2011 for a TV show, tour and new album, and have come together once again to mark 20 years since they first got put together.

"You have to put it in context," H said of the chart battle with Castle on the Hill hitmaker Ed. "Ed has had a huge fan base for such a long time. He also has a major record company behind him worldwide.

"We've come back! This is our own baby, so to even challenge his crown is incredible."

"If you counted just the sales we would be number one," Claire said. "Because of the whole streaming thing, which we still can't get our heads around, that's the thing that will swing it."