Melania memoir

British singer and TV personality (born )

Melanie Janine Brown, MBE (born 29 May ),^[1] commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice.

With over million records sold worldwide,^[2] the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. ^[3] The group went on an indefinite hiatus in , before reuniting for a greatest hits album () and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (–) and Spice World ().

Mel B debuted as a solo artist in with the release of "I Want You Back" which peaked atop the UK Singles Chart. Her debut solo studio album, Hot (), produced the successful singles "Tell Me" and "Feels So Good". Her second studio album, L.A. State of Mind (), spawned the single "Today". Mel B released "For Once in My Life" in , her first single in eight years; it peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.^[4]

Since , Mel B has established herself as a television personality and talent show judge.

She participated on the fifth season of the American dance competition series Dancing with the Stars (), finishing in second place with her professional partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Between and , Mel B served as a guest and main judge on the Australia and UK shows of The X Factor. In , she co-presented the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars for one season.

Mel B has also judged on America's Got Talent (–), The Voice Kids Australia (), The Masked Singer Australia (–), and Queen of the Universe (). From to , she co-presented Lip Sync Battle UK alongside rapper Professor Green.

Mel B was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours for services to charitable causes.

Early life

Melanie Janine Brown was born in Harehills, Leeds,^[5] and grew up in the Burley area of the city, the daughter of Martin Brown and wife Andrea Dixon,^[6] daughter of Stanley Dixon and wife Eileen Mary English.^[7] Her father was from Saint Kitts and Nevis and her mother is English.

Through her mother, Mel B is a first cousin of actor and director Christian Cooke; Cooke's mother Di and Mel B's mother Andrea are sisters.^[5][8] Mel B studied performing arts at Intake High School in Rodley, Leeds before entering the entertainment industry.^[9] For a time, she worked as a dancer in Blackpool, Lancashire.^[10][11]

Career

– Spice Girls

In , Mel B, along with Melanie C, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham responded to an advertisement in The Stage magazine.^[12] Around women who answered the advertisement attended auditions at Danceworks Studios in Mayfair, London.

Halliwell, Melanie C, Beckham, Mel B, and Michelle Stephenson were originally chosen as the members of the group which was known as Touch. Stephenson later left and was replaced by Emma Bunton.

The group were unsatisfied with their original management, Heart Management, and broke with them. In , they toured record labels in London and Los Angeles.

After teaming up with music manager Simon Fuller, they signed a deal with Virgin Records and the group name was changed to Spice Girls.^[12] Their debut album, Spice, was a worldwide commercial success. The album peaked at number one in more than 17 countries and was certified multi-platinum in 27 countries.^[13] The group's massive and sudden popularity was compared to Beatlemania.^[14] In total the album sold 30 million copies worldwide^[15][16] and became the biggest-selling album in music history by a girl group and one of the most successful albums of all time.^[17][18] The album's first single, "Wannabe", reached number one in 37 countries and all of the subsequent singles from the album – "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Who Do You Think You Are" and "Mama" – also peaked at number one in United Kingdom.^[19][20]

In , they released their second album, Spiceworld.

The album's first two singles "Spice Up Your Life" and "Too Much" reached number one in the UK, marking seven consecutive number one singles, an all-time record for a musical group.^[21] The album was a global best seller, selling 20 million copies worldwide.^[22] The group also starred in their own film, Spiceworld: The Movie, which grossed $ million worldwide.

The third single from Spiceworld, "Stop", peaked at two, breaking the group's sequence of number ones. "Viva Forever" was released as the album's final single in July The single was another number one and was the group's first single released following Halliwell's departure from the group in May ^[23]

Mel B debuted as a solo artist in September with the release of "I Want You Back".

The single charted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and also had success around the globe. The song was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The single sold , copies and became the 82nd Bestselling British Single of the year.^[24] In late , the Spice Girls released "Goodbye" as a four-piece.

It topped the UK Singles Chart and became their third consecutive Christmas number-one – equaling the record previously set by The Beatles.^[25]

– Hot and acting

In , Mel B began recording her debut album, working with producers Sisqó, Teddy Riley, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the latter of whom she was also working with on the Spice Girls' third album, Forever.^[26] At the suggestion of her then-husband Jimmy Gulzar, Brown covered Cameo's hit "Word Up" as her next solo release.^[26] The track was included on the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

The song charted poorly, peaking at fourteen on the UK Singles Chart, making it the lowest-charting Spice Girls-related single of the '90s.^[27] Turning to television work, she hosted Pure Naughty, a weekly BBC2 magazine show focusing on black music.^[26] She hosted the MOBO Awards on two occasions, in with Bill Bellamy and in with Wyclef Jean, and took part in the BBC-funded short film Fish.^[26] She hosted a number of TV shows such as This Is My Moment (a talent show) for ITV1 and shot a documentary called Voodoo Princess for Channel 4.^[28] She took part in smaller projects as a presenter such as Top of the Pops, Party in the Park for The Prince's Trust and The All Star Animal Awards.

She appeared as herself in an advert for the Yorkshire tourist board in a series which included contributions from other Yorkshire-born celebrities, and in the film Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde.

Mel B's debut album Hot was released in October , a month before the final Spice Girls album Forever was released.

Following the release of Forever, which was far less successful than their previous two albums, the Spice Girls stopped recording and the members began investing more time into their solo careers. Hot was not a success and garnered mediocre reviews,^[29] selling a disappointing 7, copies in its first week and charting at No.

Hot was preceded by the lead single "Tell Me" in September "Tell Me" debuted at No. 4 in the UK charts with about 40, copies sold in its first week of release.^[26] It sold approximately , copies, making it the th "best seller" of ^[30] In February , "Feels So Good" was released as the second single from the album and peaked at No.&#;5.

It followed by "Lullaby" in June, a pop number dedicated to her daughter.^[26] It was accompanied by a video shot in Morocco and featured Mel B with Phoenix Chi. The media criticised Mel B for using her child in the music video and single artwork, labeling her "Desperate Spice" and insinuating that she was exploiting her child as a marketing tool.^[26] The single entered and peaked at No.

Mel B left Virgin records in July ^[31]

In , Mel B released her autobiography, Catch a Fire, which reached No.&#;7 in the official books chart,^[9] and saw her touring the UK to promote it with a run of book signings. In Mel B's first movie role came in the form of a British drama, Burn It.^[9] She acted in a long run of shows as part of the cast for The Vagina Monologues.

She was in the movie The Seat Filler, co-produced by Will Smith and starring Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland. In April , Mel B took part in the musical Rent as Mimi Marquez in Netherlands.

– L.A. State of Mind and Spice Girls reunion

After Rent, Mel B began recording new songs and decided to release them through an independent label, Amber Café.^[26][32] Mel B said that she was working on acoustic music in contrast with her previous releases.^[33] The resulting album, LA State of Mind, was released on 27 June ^[34] It was released with a bonus DVD featuring an in-depth documentary filmed and directed by Mark McConnell.^[35] In a scathing review, AllMusic stated that this album was one of the worst pop albums of the decade.^[36] The only single from the album, "Today", saw a UK release in June "Today" entered the singles chart at No.

41, selling around 1, copies in its first week.^[34] The same year, Mel B appeared in the films Telling Lies and LD 50 Lethal Dose.^[37] In , Mel B appeared in the short film Love Thy Neighbor.

In September , Mel B joined the fifth season of the US television dance competition, Dancing with the Stars with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

On 27 November , they took second place in the show,^[38] losing to Hélio Castroneves and his partner, Julianne Hough.

Spice girls In , Mel B released her autobiography, Catch a Fire, which reached No. 7 in the official books chart, [9] and saw her touring the UK to promote it with a run of book signings. In Mel B's first movie role came in the form of a British drama, Burn It. [ 9 ].

That year, the Spice Girls re-grouped and announced plans for a reunion tour, from which they were said to have earned £10 million each (approximately $20 million).^[39] The group released Greatest Hits in early November and the tour began on 2 December The Spice Girls appeared in Tesco advertisements, for which they were paid £1 million each.^[40]

– Television and other projects

In April , Mel B joined actress and former Dancing with the Stars champion Kelly Monaco as original stars of a Las Vegas revue called Peepshow at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino.^[41] In September , Mel B appeared for a week of shows as a visiting panellist on ITV1's daily lunchtime show Loose Women.^[42] From June through August , Mel B hosted the Oxygen weight loss show Dance Your Ass Off.^[9] In September , her own reality show aired on the Style Network called Mel B: It's a Scary World.^[9] In November , the console game Get Fit with Mel B was released in North America and Europe.^[43] Mel B served as a celebrity mentor on the second season of the Australia show of The X Factor during the quarter-final of the live shows in ^[44] During the results show, she performed a duet with the remaining five acts singing "Stop" originally by the Spice Girls.

Mel B was featured as a judge for the third series of the Australia show of The X Factor, which premiered in August She appeared alongside Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian, and Natalie Bassingthwaighte. For her first series on the show, she was given the Girls category. In April , Mel B appeared as co-host on twelfth season of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars.^[45] On 31 March, it was announced that Mel B signed a global partnership with EMI Music Australia for the release of her third studio album, but she later broke from the contract.^[46]

Mel B returned for the fourth series of The X Factor Australia and mentored the Boys category.

Her act Jason Owen reached the final, but finished in second place after losing out to Samantha Jade, mentored by Guy Sebastian. In June , Mel B appeared as a guest judge for the Manchester auditions of The X Factor UK.^[47]

In July , Mel B reunited with the Spice Girls for a one-off performance at the Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony in London, performing their hits "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life".

The performance was the most tweeted moment of the entire Olympics with over , tweets on Twitter per minute.^[48] Later in the year, the Spice Girls reunited again to launch and attend the premiere of the musical Viva Forever!.^[49] The group appeared in the documentary Spice Girls' Story: Viva Forever!, which aired on 24 December on ITV1.^[50]

In March it was confirmed that Mel B would judge Australia's Got Talent to replace Dannii Minogue and that she would not return as a judge for the fifth season of The X Factor Australia and was replaced by Minogue, due to her commitments with Australia's Got Talent.^[51] However, Seven, the Australian TV network that airs The X Factor Australia, filed suit to prevent Mel B from appearing on Australia's Got Talent and any rival networks.^[52] The judge ruled that Mel B was still under contract with Seven until January , which prevented her from appearing on a program aired by another network until after that date.^[53]

Mel B had a small part in the final episode of the ITV2 drama series Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

In , she appeared in the Lifetime movie Twelve Trees of Christmas. From August to September , she was a judge on the televised dancing show, Stepping Out, alongside choreographers Wayne Sleep and Jason Gardiner. That month, Mel B released her first single in eight years, "For Once in My Life".^[54] The single peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs charts.^[55]

On 20 February , NBC announced that Mel B would be a judge on America's Got Talent to replace Sharon Osbourne for its eighth season, alongside Howie Mandel, Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, and later Simon Cowell in Mel B judged seasons 8 through 13, and the first season of America's Got Talent: The Champions before her departure was announced in February ^[56]

In early , Mel B become a coach on the Australia show of The Voice Kids, alongside singers Joel Madden and Delta Goodrem.

Later that year, Mel B was a permanent judge for the eleventh series of The X Factor UK when she replaced Nicole Scherzinger.^[57] In December , Mel B missed The X Factor UK Saturday final due to illness and did not return for the twelfth series, and was replaced by Rita Ora^[58][59] In the same year, Mel B became a guest co-host on the Breakfast program of Sydney radio station 2Day FM, alongside Jules Lund, Merrick Watts and Sophie Monk.

In late , she appeared on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year^[60] and a sketch with the cast of Coronation Street for charity telethon Text Santa.^[61]

In January , Mel B began presenting Lip Sync Battle UK alongside Professor Green. Later that year, Mel B guest judged the thirteenth series of The X Factor UK at the London auditions.

In she announced that the Spice Girls – except for Victoria Beckham and Melanie C – were working on new material and a 20th anniversary tour for ^[62] Plans for a reunion were dropped when Halliwell announced she was expecting her second child. Mel B also confirmed her return to The X Factor Australia after a three-year absence to replace Minogue.

In she returned to Broadway to star in the musical Chicago as Roxie Hart.^[63] The same year, she returned to acting in the movie Chocolate City: Vegas Strip and made a cameo in the movie Killing Hasselhoff.^[64][65] In late , Mel B had a cameo appearance in the music video for "Spice Girl" by Aminé.

–present: Second Spice Girls reunion and further television work

On 5 November , Mel B announced the Spice Girls reunion tour on her Instagram profile.^[66] It was confirmed that Mel B and ex-bandmates Melanie C, Bunton and Halliwell (but not Beckham) would return for a date UK and Ireland stadium tour Spice World - Tour, their first in a decade.^[67][68]

In , Mel B appeared on the second series of The Masked Singer as "Seahorse" and finished in 11th place.^[69] In May , Brown collaborated with Fabio D'Andrea in his short music film, "Love Should Not Hurt", in support of Women's Aid.^[70] In , she also appeared on the Spanish version of The Masked Singer as "Medusa" and finished in ninth place.^[71] Mel B later appeared on the panel of fourth season of the Australian version of The Masked Singer.^[72][73] Mel B returned to the panel for a fifth season in the second half of ^[74]

Mel B was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women.^[75][76][77] Mel B was also appointed as a tourism ambassador from the United Kingdom to Nevis in

In November , Mel B presented the BBC documentary Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip alongside Ruby Wax and Emily Atack.^[78] In December , she starred in the Christmas TV A New Diva’s Christmas Carol, alongside Ashanti and Vivica A.

Fox.^[79]

In Mel B appeared as a guest star in the French version of The Masked Singer and covered Katy Perry's "Roar".^[80] In June , Mel B announced that she will appear as a judge on the second reason of the Paramount+ reality series Queen of the Universe.^[81]

In , Mel B returned to America's Got Talent to judge on the spinoff, America's Got Talent: Fantasy League.^[82]

In , Mel B will be a contestant on Netflix's reality competition television series, Celebrity Bear Hunt.^[83]

Personal life

From to , Mel B dated the Icelandic businessman Fjölnir Thorgeirsson.^[84]

In March , Mel B began a relationship with the Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar while on the Spiceworld Tour.

They became engaged on 13 May , Mel B became pregnant that June, and the couple were married in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, on 13 September ^[85] Mel B changed her stage name to Melanie G while they were married.^[86] Their daughter, Phoenix Chi Gulzar, was born on 19 February ^[86] Mel B filed for divorce in , and the divorce was finalised later that year.^[87] Mel B won custody, and paid a settlement of £m to Gulzar.^[88][89] Gulzar was prosecuted for threatening Mel B and attacking her sister, Danielle.^[90] In August , Gulzar was found guilty of the assault, but later cleared by the court.^[91]

From to , Mel B was in a relationship with actor Max Beesley.^[92]

From to , she was in a relationship with the film producer Christine Crokos.^[93] Mel B and Crokos lived together in Los Angeles, California.^[94] Speaking to Gay Star News about the relationship, she said: 'It wasn't experimentation.

I fell in love with a woman for five years. An experiment doesn't last five years.'^[95] Asked about the relationship, Mel B said: "People call me lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual, but I know who's in my bed and that's it. I have a huge libido and a great sex life."^[96] Brown and Crokos's relationship ended in ^[93] Brown said that she had had a four-year relationship with a woman when she was in her teens.^[97] In a interview with Piers Morgan, Mel B was asked if she had slept with Halliwell in an intimate manner and she nodded yes.^[98] Halliwell released a statement saying that the press reports following the interview had been "hurtful to her family".^[99] Brown later said: "I just said it was like a little thing and we giggled about it the next day and that’s that.

It's the press [who] have taken it onto a whole new level."^[]

Mel B became the subject of tabloid stories during her relationship with the Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy,^[] who is the biological father of Mel B's second child, Angel Iris Murphy Brown,^[] born 3 April ^[] By early December , Mel B and Murphy had separated.

Murphy told a journalist that the parentage of Mel B's then-unborn baby could not be proven until a paternity test was performed.^[] On 22 June , a court-ordered DNA test confirmed that Murphy was the child's father. Murphy admitted paternity and indicated that he and Mel B had reached a paternity settlement of $7 million.^[]

In February , Mel B began dating the film producer Stephen Belafonte.^[] They secretly married on 6 June in Las Vegas.^[][] They renewed their vows in front of their families on 8 November in Hurghada, Egypt.^[] On 1 September , Mel B gave birth to her third daughter, Madison Brown Belafonte.^[] On 11 December , she attempted suicide by taking nearly Aspirin pills.^[] Mel B and Belafonte separated in December ^[][][] Mel B filed for divorce in March , and accused Belafonte of emotional and physical abuse.^[] In court, Belafonte's representative said that due to the couple's "extravagant and affluent" lifestyle, Brown had "wiped out all her Spice Girls money – approximately $50 million (£ million), if not more".^[] The divorce was finalised on 15 December ^[] Mel B cited her divorce from Belafonte and her father's death as her reasons for seeking treatment for PTSD.^[] In November , Brown became a patron of the domestic violence survivors' charity Women's Aid.^[]

In December , Mel B collapsed, breaking several of her ribs and suffering a serious cut to her hand, for which she underwent emergency surgery.^[][] In , Mel B revealed she has been diagnosed with anxiety, dyspraxia, dyslexia, and ADHD.^[11][][] In October , Mel B announced she was engaged to Rory McPhee.^[][] It is thought the pair have been in a relationship since ^[] It was revealed in that Mel B's former Spice Girls group member, Victoria Beckham, would be designing Mel B's wedding dress.^[]

In July , Mel B was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Leeds Beckett University for her career and work for the charity Women's Aid.^[]

Discography

Main article: Mel B discography

See also: Spice Girls discography

Filmography

Television

Films

Theatre credits

Year	Title	Role
	Rent	Mimi Marquez
	Peepshow	Peep Diva
–	Chicago	Roxanne "Roxie" Hart
	Brutally Honest	Herself

Bibliography

• Brown, Melanie.

  (). Catch a Fire: The Autobiography. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN&#;

• Brown, Melanie. (). Brutally Honest. Quadrille Publishing Ltd. ISBN&#;
• Brown, Melanie. (). Brutally Honest: The Sunday Times Bestseller. Quadrille Publishing Ltd. ISBN&#;

References