The Spice Girls

Looking for Pop wannabes

An advert in 'The Stage' magazine looking for young female singers attracted the attention of five hopefuls in 1993. They were Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, Victoria Adams (now Victoria Beckham), Melanie Brown and Geri Halliwell. These five were chosen out of hundreds of participants to become the girl band which would, it was hoped, experience success similar to some of the more popular boy bands. Original intentions of the girls' management had them named as the band 'Touch'. They spent the next year living together in a large house in Maidenhead, where they were encouraged to practise their singing and dancing skills with the aid of various instructors and tutors. Very soon, though, the restrictions of the management became too much for the independent girls: they were told what to do in every aspect of their new career, down to how they dressed! This was not the way the girls had imagined life in the music business so, after discussing the matter between themselves, they broke free from their management and began looking for someone who would allow them to express their music in their own way. As an act of almost 'good riddance', the girls changed their band name from 'Touch' to 'The Spice Girls'.

Preparation

Their 'dream' manager came along in October '94 in the form of Simon Fuller, ex-Annie Lennox manager. Simon was keen to allow the girls the freedom they craved and this suited them perfectly. After hearing demos of their work, many record labels saw their potential and were keen to sign them up, but Simon, being a shrewd and experienced manager, held them off until the right deal came along, which turned out to be from Virgin Records. Having wisely paid off their debts to their original management, the girls committed themselves to some serious studio and dance practise time.

Immediate Success

Their first single was released in the summer of 1996, entitled 'Wannabe'. They hit the big time right from the word go as it went straight into the UK charts at number 1 and stayed there for seven weeks, followed shortly thereafter by number 1 spots in 21 other countries. This was a first for an all-female band and The Spice Girls were keen to continue their success, releasing another single, 'Say You'll Be There' in the autumn of the same year, hitting the top spot once again. Top Of The Pops magazine was responsible for attributing nicknames to the five girls: Melanie C became known as 'Sporty Spice'; Mel B was 'Scary Spice'; Emma became 'Baby Spice', being the youngest band member; Victoria's pout brought about her nickname of 'Posh Spice' and Geri's ginger hair earned her the nickname 'Ginger Spice'. The time came for the release of their debut album near Christmas of '96, entitled 'Spice'. The album and accompanying single '2 Become 1' went straight into the charts at number 1 and remained there over the Christmas period, a rare feat to achieve. With UK and European success firmly under their belt, their next step was the US, where they released their singles and album at the beginning of 1997, resulting, once again, in instant success.

Goodbye

After the release of their second album, 'Spiceworld', in mid-'97, Geri decided to leave The Spice Girls to pursue a solo career. The Spice Girls carried on regardless, releasing 'Goodbye' around Christmas of 1998, which topped the charts again. The girls' personal lives started to become more of a priority during 1999, with marriage, children and gossip becoming the main focus of the press. After a break away from the media, The Spice Girls released their third and final album 'Forever' in late 2000, which consisted of a more R&B feel. It only managed to make number 2 in the UK charts and the US showed little interest. It was at this point that the band split up, although it was never formally announced, to pursue their own individual careers. Despite several rumours of reuniting, the girls claim they have no plans to do so.

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