In 1993 London Magazine published the following ad: «Are you between 18 and 23 years old, aptitude for dancing and singing, ambition and dedication? We are looking for girls to make a record ». More than 400 girls answered. The auditions began on March 4, 1994 at Trinity Studios in London. The aim was to form a group of five girls called Touch, to create the female replica of Take That.
The chosen ones were: Victoria Adams (who in the future would become Victoria Beckham ), Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Michelle Stephenson and Geri Halliwell. In June of the same year they began preparing the record in the same studios where they had cast the months earlier. In order for the five girls to get to know each other better, they rented them a house in Berkshire, where they would live together. One of them could not stand the cohabitation and decided to abandon the project: Michelle withdrew from the band in August 1994. Emma Bunton entered her place and it was immediately history.
SPICE GIRLS: GIRL POWER!
Girl power is born from Spice Girl – Until April 1995, the girls worked very hard, especially since all but Victoria lacked experience in the world of music. In addition to Michelle’s abandonment, other changes had taken place. The initially thought name was replaced by Spice Girls. The idea of ​​the new name came from Geri who she thought was the ideal name for the group’s philosophy, among other things Girls was added because Spice was the name of a rap group. After recording the album, they signed a contract with 19 Management, a company led by manager Simon Fuller, and a recording contract with the multinational Virgin.
THE NICKNAMES
Since then everything started to change, like their names: Victoria Adams became Posh Spice, Melanie Chisholm Mel C or Sporty Spice, Melanie Brown Mel B or Scary Spice, Ginger Spice was the name of Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton Baby Spice. The band’s first single was released in July 1996: Wannabe . They became the most famous girls on the planet and their stage names became the hottest girl nicknames of the moment. The song was first in the hit parades of over 30 countries. The song was an excellent presentation of the album which managed to sell over 18 million copies. A year later they presented it in America, where they triumphed across the continent.
THE FILM
In November 1997, they presented their second album, entitled Spiceworld . The first single was Spice up your life and it immediately flew to number one on the charts. Another hit single from this album was Viva Forever . In February 1998 they began a world tour which began in Dublin. They also shot their first film, Spice: The Movie“. The film was unsuccessful, but it served to make them the richest women in the music scene at the time. During the tour, one of the band’s most charismatic members, Geri Halliwell, decided to leave the group due to differences with the other girls. On May 31, 1998, Geri formalized her abandonment. After Geri’s departure, rumors of the girls’ breakup increased, and even more when they released the single Goodbye, the first of their third album: Forever , in December of the same year . It was the first album recorded as a quartet.
DISCOGRAPHY OF SOLOISTS
Although there was no official dismantling of the band, all members started solo careers from 1999. The first was Melanie C who achieved great success with her debut: Nothern star . Melanie C’s singles did great . Both Mel B and Victoria Adams were unsuccessful as soloists. Emma Bunton was launched in 2001 and her collaboration with Tin Tin Out in What I am and the single What took you so long made her a credible and futuristic artist, like Melanie C. Meanwhile, Mel B left Virgin, the company that had released their first album.
SPICE GIRLS REUNION, DREAM OR REALITY?
That of the band’s reunion is news that has been circulated and denied several times in the pop music environment. The last time we saw them all together was in 2012, during the closing performance of the London Olympic Games and for the launch of the musical Viva Forever .
According to the British press, the Spice Girls will be back together in 2018 with a compilation and a TV special, but it is not known if they will release new songs and if there will be a new tour.
