By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Mel C
In 1994, 20-year-old Melanie Chisholm answered an ad going around the U.K. seeking young women with the ability to sing and dance, who were also “streetwise, outgoing, ambitious and dedicated.” With that audition, she became one of the Spice Girls and her life was changed forever.
In her new memoir, The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl, Chisholm — known to fans of the group as Sporty Spice — details how she became known for backflips and tracksuits while shining a light on the harder moments.
The Spice Girls became style icons, starred in the 1997 film Spice World, and toured sold-out shows worldwide. 25 years later, they are still the best-selling girl group of all time, having sold over 100 million records.
She was suddenly part of one of the biggest music groups in history, releasing hit after hit, performing to the wonderful fans and spreading the message of Girl Power to the world. It was everything she dreamed of growing up, and had some incredible times… The BRITs! The movie! Travelling the world playing iconic venues like Madison Square Garden, The O2, Wembley Stadium and The London 2012 Olympics!!!
“What I love about the Spice Girls is it was so mainstream that it was able to reach so many people and really young fans as well,” says Chisholm. “I think that’s what made us stand the test of time.”
Each Spice Girl had their own distinct personality, allowing fans to identify with each of them.
“We were all young girls growing up from very different parts of England, but with similar experiences, and we wanted to show that and we wanted to express that.”
She has been known as Sporty Spice, Mel C, Melanie C or just plain old Melanie Chisholm, but what you will read within the pages of this book is who she truly is, and how she found peace with that after all these years.
She has really enjoyed reminiscing and getting everything down on the page, and, though revisiting some of her darkest times was hard, She believes this book can be inspiring and empowering, as well as entertaining and give you a bit of a laugh.
About the Author.
Melanie Chisholm was born on 12 January 1975 in Whiston, Lancashire, and grew up in Widnes, Cheshire. She rose to fame as a member of The Spice Girls, who would become the bestselling girl group of all time. In 1999, she released her first solo album Northern Star, which sold four million copies worldwide, and since then has released seven albums.