WHEN TEEN bands disintegrate you never can tell which of them are going to survive with their careers intact.

Gary Barlow looked like the Take That success story but Robbie has left him for dust and while Mel B's solo career got off to a good start, Melanie C is the former Spice Girl who looks most likely to have a lasting impact on the charts.

And so it is with the break up of Steps. H and Claire were first off the blocks but have been swiftly forgotten while Lisa Scott -Lee has recently emerged as a credible artist in her own right.

She has a new solo single Lately out and she's promoting her new career hard, appearing on almost every chat show going.

Whether on not her solo career will stand the test of time remains to be seen but if it's down to enthusiasm and hard work, she's onto a winner.

"I think after being in a group for five years,which is a long time for a group, I think it's a progression," she says of going solo.

"I think most artists want that, because you're sharing vocals when you're in a group, you're sharing interviews, you know, it's nice to be one-on-one."

Her Steps days of playing sell-out stadiums may be over for a while, but she's on the road, playing at small venues across the country and she's loving it.

"I'm prepared to work hard and I don't expect to be given a successful solo career on a plate," she says.

"You're on the way up and it's exciting and it's all new and I enjoy playing the clubs. I go clubbing a lot anyway so I feel quite relaxed in that environment.

"The songs are going down really well in older fans. But if there are younger fans that want to come on board that's great but I think because I'm older, it's nice to get an older audience."

And another advantage to having an older audience is that Lisa has been able to spice up the way she dresses - as has been seen in the tabloids over recent weeks.

"I was a girl when Steps started, now I've grown up. When I was with Steps I was very conscious not to be sexy because we had a very young fan base and I didn't want to offend any parents or stuff like that. But we all grow up and we move on and that's just what I'm doing.

"I think - without knocking Steps - we knew what Steps was and it was a product and the image and the clothes. It was all very tongue in cheek and appropriate for that time, but now I think it's more fulfilling as an artist to do my own music and wear the stuff that I wear on a weekend anyway. I'm just doing music that I genuinely enjoy listening to."

Lisa might be enjoying life as a solo artist now, but she's the first to admit that the break-up of Steps was quite a blow.

"The way I see it was a bit like ending a relationship but with four people instead of one," she says.

"Breaking up was very painful so I had to overcome the shock and with that you feel upset, you feel angry. Sometimes you keep in touch with your exes, sometimes you don't - it really is like a relationship.

"The realisation that I wasn't in a pop group anymore was a shock to the system. I'd been doing it for five years, I had a record deal, I had management, I had a band, it was my life and my career and then it just stopped over night - it really did, it was that sudden.

"And I really missed it when it did stop and that's what inspired my to write my new music and get myself a solo deal."

Lisa Scott-Lee will be performing at Jumpin Jaks tonight. For tickets and more information, call: 023 8063 7200.