It’s been over 25 years since Mel C and her fellow Spice Girls first wowed the world with their chart-topping debut Wannabe and legendary Girl Power mantra.
The years that followed saw Melanie Chisholm "Mel C" and her bandmates – Melanie Brown "Mel B", Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham – lead the 90s pop resurgence, play a major part of the Cool Britannia era and become some of the decade’s most popular showbiz icons.
In 1998 however, the girls began making moves towards their solo careers – with Mel amongst those releasing her own music – before calling it quits for good in 2000.
And now, Mel tells us she’s been “manifesting” the day they can announce the band are officially getting back together – with Victoria included! “You’ve got to manifest these things!’ the 48-year-old laughs. “I’ve taken a leaf out of Mel B’s book – she always believed we were finally going to do it.
“She’d always say when we were on tour a couple of years ago, ‘It’ll happen, we just need to manifest it’, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do. If you believe in something hard enough, surely it’s bound to happen eventually.”
Reflecting on performing at Glastonbury in June, during which she sang Spice Girls hits Spice Up Your Life and 2 Become 1 with the band Blossoms, Melanie believes now is the perfect time to reunite, teasing a potential festival headline act for 2023.
“I was down in those fields in the midst of those magical festival feelings and I just thought, we need to make this happen,” she says.
“I’d love to be back on that stage with the girls, it would be incredible. And we know it’s what the fans desperately want. It’s a no-brainer for me. You can count me in, but I think others might need a bit more convincing!”
But she’s praying Victoria will have a change of heart. “There’s nothing we’d love more than to get Victoria back,” Melanie admits.
Spice Girls fans are bound to be feeling excited after the band’s official Twitter account tweeted a message with the hashtag #Spiceworld25, hinting at an announcement marking 25 years since the film Spice World was released in December 1997.
Unable to give too much away right now, Melanie appears to hint at a potential sequel.
“Obviously, we’ve got the anniversary of the song and film, so let’s just say we’ve been in talks with Universal, the label that produced our first film… you’ll need to stay tuned to hear more.
"I don’t want to get into trouble for spilling the beans on a big secret. But there will be big celebrations in the coming months, I can tell you that.”
Although they don’t perform together, Melanie insists the Spice Girls sisterhood is still as strong as ever. “We’re one big dysfunctional family,” she says. “No matter what anyone says. Our relationship extends beyond the five of us because our parents are friends and our siblings are friends.
“The Spice Girls isn’t just a girlband. There’s a huge Spice family. And what’s lovely is, everybody has their own lives and careers and responsibilities, but we’re always there for one another. We might not get the chance to see each other as much as we’d like, but we still have that sisterly bond. That will never ever go away.”
Mel – who shares her 13-year-old daughter Scarlett with ex-partner of 10 years Thomas Starr – also revealed that their youngsters are now close friends. “A lot of our children are the same-ish age now, so they’re all friends too – it’s amazing. I hope they end up as close as we are.”
So could we be seeing the makings of Spice Girls 2.0 with the next generation? “Scarlett’s not a singer, and she’s not sporty,” Mel says.
“She’s definitely on her own path. Where that will lead, who knows? But I’m very proud of her. Any parents of teenagers will know exactly how much of a handful they can be, but she’s absolutely wonderful. She really is my best friend.”
Melanie currently splits her time between London, Liverpool and Los Angeles with music executive Joe Marshall, her boyfriend of seven years.
She gets her kicks by performing live, telling us that returning to the stage following the pandemic gave her that long-anticipated adrenaline rush.
“I did a couple of festivals when they came back last year, but everyone was a bit hesitant to really let themselves go after being kept inside for so long. So this year, being able to perform live in front of enormous crowds has been an absolute dream.
"It’s a pure joy to see the looks on people’s faces when they’re singing along to your songs and experiencing that freedom at the same time.”
She adds, “It felt strange to perform my songs live at first – and almost not allowed – but I’m so lucky that I get to do this job every day because you can see it making a difference to people’s happiness.
"To feel that energy bounce off other people again was fabulous.
“I did all the promotion for [her 2020 album Melanie C] on Zoom from my living room couch, so this year has been like playing catch-up on everything we missed. To be out performing those songs now is amazing.”
Treading the boards Melanie now hopes to turn her attention back to the world of musical theatre, after taking leading West End roles in Blood Brothers and Jesus Christ Superstar.
“The great thing about theatre is that it continues to evolve,” she explains. “There’s the old classics that we’ll never tire of, as well as so many new ones. I’ve been lucky enough to master the West End, so now I’d love to move on to Broadway.
“That’s definitely a bucket list thing for me – I wouldn’t know what the perfect role for me would be as of yet. I mean, Chicago is a classic, so imagine being able to play Roxie Hart on Broadway. But who knows? I’m open to ideas. Bring on New York!”
And true to her Sporty Spice moniker, Melanie says she’s been enjoying watching the Lionesses in action in the Euros.
“I couldn’t be happier to see that women’s football is on the rise,” she says. “I’m over the moon to see that young girls are viewing sport as a real career path now. It’s no longer just a boy’s game. The Lionesses have really inspired both me and my daughter.”
Melanie – who is ambassador of travel site booking.com, the official sponsor of the Euros – adds, “I’m loving combining my passion for sport and my appreciation for travel in this role. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world with my job and meet some incredible people, including sports stars, so this does feel like the perfect position for me.”
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