How Sporty Spice Fell In Love With An Aussie! Uncut with Melanie Chisholm

Today’s guest is someone who defined an entire generation.
As one-fifth of the most iconic girl group in history, the Spice Girls, she helped shape pop culture, redefine girl power, and influence how millions of young women saw themselves.

Melanie C or Sporty Spice as many of us first knew her is a dancer, singer, songwriter, author, and performer whose career spans nearly three decades. Today we wanted to chat with Melanie about what that journey was really like behind the scenes, how she carved out her own path with her solo career, the various things she is doing now and what it meant to her to have such an impact on our culture.

We chat:

• Mel being recognised during a medical appointment
• Recording her 9th studio album here in Australia
• Why Melanie feels connected to the Australian culture
• How Mel met her Aussie boyfriend 
• How the Spice Girls started 
• The brutality of the UK media and all of their phones being hacked
• How being so young in the public eye affected Mel and contributed to her having an eating disorder
• How the Spice Girls didn’t choose their own nicknames
• They love like sisters and bicker like sisters
• How Geri choosing to leave affected them all differently
• The Spice Girl that Melanie is now closest to
• Starting her solo career
• Whether they could all live off of royalties now and if they ‘choose’ to work

You can find everything from Melanie including her new song ‘Sweat’ at her website 

You can follow Melanie on Instagram 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This episode was recorded on Cameragle Land.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hi guys, and welcome back to another episode of Life
on Part I'm Brittany.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
I'm Keisha, and this is not just any episode of
Life on put.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
This is a conversation with someone who defined an entire generation.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Sorry, but if you told Baby Brittany that one day
she would grow up and speak to a.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Real life spice girl, I would be absolutely beside myself.
But I am so thrilled to introduce one fifth of
the Spice Girls. You might know her as Melanie Chisholm,
Melsey Sporty Spice What else did?

Speaker 1 (00:40):
What else did you go by? Bel Welcome to the podcast?

Speaker 4 (00:44):
Thank you so much. So am I your first spice girl?

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Yeah? You are a spine opportunity, spicyv.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
Yeah, I'll be gentle with you.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Maybe that could have been a name. Is that a
missed opportunity like the Virgin Spice Girl?

Speaker 4 (00:58):
To God, I mean we have to do took cuss
in for that.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm genuinely, absolutely thrilled to chat to you today. And
I mean we can only hope that one day we
took off the boxes and we get the whole entire group.
But I just think back to my childhood and I
must have been about ten, I would say, And I
think that that's that really crucial age.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
I think I got so deeply sucked in.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
And I do want to say that I was sporty
spies just so you know, like I I'm not just
saying that as a flex I'm not trying to warm
you up.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
I was sporty and we are.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
We're going to get into so much about who you are,
who you were before the Spice Girls, and who you
are now after. But before we do, we do want
to throw you under the bus with your most embarrassing story.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
We do it with everybody.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
Oh my goodness. Yeah, there's probably been a few was
I was talking to my daughter about this actually, and
she's my daughter's only sixteen. She's got some good'n's. But yeah,
for me, I mean there's been many mishaps on stage.
Split pants. That was a fun one for doing who
do you Think You Are? Where we started wiggling albums

(02:03):
to the audience. So that wasn't it wasn't my best day,
but the one that just you know, and it just
like makes you shulder to the core, and lots of
women I'm sure will identify with this. I was at
the gyn ecologist and at the time I had yeah,
and at the time I had a male guyy and

(02:25):
it was time for the well woman check and I'm
there and you know what it's like, you know, getting
undressed from the waist down and having a dude. I
had a female chapone in the room who was very
lovely and they're all, you know, very very gentle and professional,
and went through the whole examination and everything's fine. And

(02:46):
then just as he leaves a room and I'm just
about to get dressed, nickers aren't back on yet and
the chaparon is very excited to meet a spice.

Speaker 5 (02:56):
Girl and wait until I got my pants, you know
what I mean.

Speaker 4 (03:01):
And I'm like, oh my god, that's really name. You're
just knocking him up.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Just made his day.

Speaker 4 (03:12):
So yeah, so that was yeah. I mean, because for
all women, that's you know, I've had a baby, I've
had all kinds, you know, I've had hands up there,
do you know what I mean.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
If there's any time that you don't want to meet
a fan, it's when they've just seen literally the inside
of your your pelvis.

Speaker 4 (03:27):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, So yeah, so that was yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Yeah, so did the double down and ask for an autograph, Like.

Speaker 4 (03:39):
We've all gone him, well half of us, right.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, about half of us have had that.

Speaker 4 (03:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:44):
I think the thing that is always so strange to
me at the gynocologist or if you are seen your
GP here to get that check up, is that they
like they give you the modesty towel and they leave
the room so that you can take and I'm like.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
You're about to be a lot. This feels like if
you get rid.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
You know, it's weird for me. It's it's not the
guy I know because I only go once in a
blue moon.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
It's the spray can, so you know when you get
a spray can, and they the same thing, right, they're like, hey,
I'll just duck out and let you get changed. But
there's an awkward amount of time where you're standing there,
it's dark and you're cold, and you're like is someone
going to come back in? And then you don't know
what to do when they come in, Like do you
play it cool? Like you're like, OHI just hang it out.

Speaker 4 (04:24):
You're like your French, I've got another one for you.
Why about like her removal, whether it's later or waxing
because we get all up in there now, don't we
eight the seventies anymore?

Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yes, Also, it's so much more common here in Australia.
You've been spending a lot of time here.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
But Mel, We've had.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
This discussion on the podcast before. What I can't understand
is why there is not a uniform way to do
the back, like you know the bit that I'm talking about,
you know, like lift a legs, someone you're on the side,
someone you're on your tummy, just spread apart.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
I'm like, they're just we all need to I agree,
every laser therapist in the country needs to come together
and agree.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
On the best way to go for We're not talking
about the back, We're talking about the butthole, right. I
went the other day and I got my buttthole laiser
along with a lot of other stuff.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
And it was a new technique I hadn't had.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
I've had it all right, the spread, the roll on
your tummy, the leg up whatever. This one was new.
It was like she was swiping inn AMX. She got
that laser and just swiped it down the middle of
the cracks and I was like, I was like, are
you paying for something?

Speaker 1 (05:28):
What are you doing anyway? She's like, you're done. I
was like, I don't think I am, but I'll choose
to lee Mel.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
I have so many spice girl questions I want to
ask you, but I would prefer to start from the
right here on the right now you are, I mean,
I can't believe we haven't run into you.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
You have been spending all of your time in Bondai.
I'm in Bondai and that's the end.

Speaker 4 (05:47):
Of the interview.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Are we best friends? I don't know, but you're dating
someone in Sydney. You've been living in.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
Bondai and you have recorded your.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Ninth studio album there called Sweat, which is coming out
in May.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
And that's a big reason about why we want to
speak to you today.

Speaker 4 (06:01):
Can you talk to.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
Us about, I mean, why you decided to record it
here and what was the inspiration behind this album?

Speaker 4 (06:07):
Ah? Well this, I've been working on this album for
I think just over two years, so I did a
lot of work when I was in Sydney filming the voice,
and I've worked in la and London as well, So yeah,
it's I would say Bondai has been super inspirational for
me because being sporty spice. I have found my spiritual home,

(06:31):
you know, to like to get up at like five
am and like Bondaid Beach is busier at five am
than it is at five pm. Do you know what
I mean? This is it's very Unbritish. But if you
saw the weather outside, because it's quite early here. Yeah,
we're getting into the depths of our like deep autumn,
winter's coming. Yeah. So to be in Bondai for me

(06:51):
being sporty, it's like, yeah, it's the dream. And you know,
this album is such a reflection of what's been going
on for me in the past few years. I've been
DJing a whole lot more traveling the whale to doing that.
I've been loving working in ours on the voice. My
lovely boyfriend has been a big inspiration on this album

(07:13):
and I'm just having a great time and it was
time for me to make a record that was really fun,
you know, to inject a bit of fun into my work.
There's light and shade, you know, because life's not all
one thing, is it. So I did on this album
wanted to try and do something that I hadn't done before.
I think when it is my ninth studio album, so

(07:34):
it's like, oh, you know, what do we talk about now?
But life continues to throw stuff at us. So yeah,
I just had loads of fun bringing the kind of
sports element into it, you know, really embracing that being
sportsy Spice being a DJ. So it's really dancy and
you know, lyrically, I've just had a bit of fun.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
It is more of a DJ based album.

Speaker 4 (07:58):
It's still a pop records. That's the one thing I
really wanted to make this album bring my what I
plays the DJ and who I am as an artist.
I wanted to bring that closer together. But when I'm
in the studio, I can't avoid my past and who
I am as a singer, you know what I mean.
So it's like I learned how to write songs make
records with the Spice scales. So I'm never going to

(08:21):
see you too far away from it being pop music.
But I think what's happened so brilliantly in the last
like twenty years is genres aren't a parte anymore. You know,
there's so much crossover. And what I've loved is the
DJ is I used to go raving like when I
was like nineteen twenty and to see a lot of
those sounds, those nineties and naughty sounds come back into

(08:44):
music and just be really mainstream as well, you know,
because it was quite underground when it started, but now
it's like it's right out there and it's so it's
been a lot of fun playing with different sounds, you know,
having a different attitude to my work, trying to bring
a bit more attitude into it as well, you know.
So yeah, I'm excited.

Speaker 3 (09:02):
Do you know what I thought of when I first
heard the song Sweat that you have released, so the
first song that is from the album is out. I
actually imagined it being played so around Marty Garras time.
Here in Australia, we tend to have these massive concerts
on Bondi Beach, and in my head I was like, oh,
this is just going to be an anthem and I
pictured you performing and look, I have no idea if

(09:25):
maybe if the people who organize those concerts are listening
by any.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
Chance, I don't think they need to listen.

Speaker 6 (09:29):
I think call like it's Melsy like, I feel like
that would be such a beautiful crossover and collaboration and
in the music, I feel as though I can hear
the Australian inspiration of just like the fun the outdoors
lifestyle and how was that for you?

Speaker 1 (09:46):
You spent a lot of time with us.

Speaker 3 (09:48):
Did you kind of feel as though you were maybe
less recognizable here in Australia and you could almost be
a little bit more normal or did you feel as
though you were sporty spice living in bond.

Speaker 4 (09:59):
Well know what it ebbs and flows this whole life
experience that I have, And I think it's funny because
me getting to know Bondai, it's its own little scene,
isn't it. You know? So I think it was funny
kind of when I ventured into like the CBD, I
was so much more recognized and on Bondai everyone's kind

(10:19):
of doing their own thing, so that was really lovely.
I was going to say, I talk about Mardi Gras. Yeah,
so I will be in Australia when it is Mardi Gras.
So you know, I really hope I have the opportunity
to perform Sweat because you've seen my Spice Boys, right,
So the Spice Boys in the Sweat video. In the video,
so my creative director guy called Graham Cruise was with

(10:42):
me in Australia. We were shooting the voice. We were
both living in Bondai and he went onto the beach
on a daily basis to procure the young gentleman to
come and be my spice voice. So yeah, it's a
very Australian influence, this kind of even the kind of
aesthetic of everything. It was such a dream being there

(11:05):
to work on this creative because it was like we're
just getting handed these gifts. You know, there were so
many beautiful people down at Bonn Day, so like finding
my little I know, right, it is it's a lot
of pressure, but no, it was really fun and yeah
it was perfect, even this face. We shot it Carriage

(11:25):
Works and which is just a gorgeous because I know
you have the fashion week over there, don't you, And
oh my goodness, what an incredible location to work in.
So yeah, Australia has been a very special place for
this record.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
While we're sitting here, you just said Sydney is a
really special been a special part and a lot of inspiration.
And your partner has been a big inspiration. How did
you meet him?

Speaker 1 (11:49):
I would love to know.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
And what do you think about dating and Nassy, because
I mean I went and married a European because I
just couldn't find an AUSSI.

Speaker 1 (11:56):
But a lot of people struggle dating Australians.

Speaker 2 (11:59):
I think that they're like not romantic and not chivalrous,
and obviously you're having a good experience.

Speaker 4 (12:05):
I think I've got a good one if that's other
people's experiences. So this is okay, little exclusive for you.
Nobody knows this, but we actually met on Raya pret
met her husband.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
I got married from Raya. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
Yeah, I can work people. It can work. It can work.
So I I don't know how much how much the
devil I was in a relationship previously. And you know,
sometimes you get to the end of relationship and you're like, well,
first of all, you're like, I never want to meet
anyone ever again. That's it. It's just me. It's me

(12:44):
and my girl. That's it. It's against the world, which it
still is. But then you get to this point and
it's it's usually on a drunken night out with female friends, right,
and it's like you've got to get back out there,
you've got to start dating. So that's when the Raya
thank you for set up or the profile was set up.
So we're on this thing which is really good fun

(13:04):
as well, especially again with your mates down the pub.
It's quite fun. So we used to call it boy bingo,
so we'd go through and you know, see if there
was any hearties on there, see what celebrities you could spot,
which is always fun.

Speaker 3 (13:15):
See Brittain, I used to play a game of bingo
when it came to dating apps, but it was if
we met with the same person.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
We're like, god cha, oh my god.

Speaker 4 (13:26):
Oh yeah, And luckily I haven't had any of that.
All the other Spice girls were spoken for so that
that could have been awkward. So yeah, So I'm on
the app and in my head, I'm like, you know what,
I'm done. I'm done with this dude. I want someone
who is all the things that he was in and
the complete opposite. And I don't want somebody under my feet,

(13:48):
you know. So I'm in London and I'm like, I
match up with this guy in Sydney and I'm like, well,
he's absolutely not onto my feet. But I did have
a DJ talk planned and I thought we he's he's
really cute. This is this is worth pursuing though, even
if it's just dinner. He could bear me dinner, right,
So I came over. It was November twenty three, and

(14:08):
we went out for dinner and this is this is
a flex right. I landed at seven o'clock that morning,
I stayed awake, I kept busy all day, and I
went on our first date that night.

Speaker 1 (14:19):
I mean, that's that's impressive.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
That's commitment.

Speaker 4 (14:22):
It's that. Yeah, it's commitment or desperation.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
No, it's how you it's how you look at it.
It's how we phrased, it is how we cam Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:33):
So I was like, okay, because he booked this restaurant,
it was hard to get into. So I was like,
I don't want to let the doe down, right, I'm
going to rack up. And we've been together ever since.
So that's the story, which I've never actually told.

Speaker 1 (14:46):
So what qualities does he have that you were looking for?

Speaker 2 (14:50):
Like?

Speaker 1 (14:50):
What was different about him?

Speaker 4 (14:51):
He's just a real gentle soul. He's one of those
people that just it doesn't get all op in your business.
You know, he's quietly in the sidelines, being uber supportive. Yeah,
and he's wonderful and I think you know, for me,
I've said this a few times. Spending more time in Australia,
I've realized that there's a real kinship between Australians and

(15:14):
people from the North of England. I think we've got
a lot of you know, similar sets of humor, you know,
just the way we approach life, and you know, yeah,
finding that in someone's being the fleet.

Speaker 2 (15:26):
I used to live in Newcastle, like I was a
Jordi show girl, and I didn't see a lot of
similarities over there. That was there a bit wild when
I I do feel like listening to your story then
was exactly.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
I just feel like you just channeled my story. I
was the same thing.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
I was like, I'm never fucking dating again, didn't date
for a year, woke up one day and thought I
need to get back on the horse. Went on to Raya,
found my husband there and I was like, I don't
exactly what you said. I said, I don't want anyone
under my feet. I don't want anyone here. I want
someone so far away that knows nothing about me. Met
up with him, thinking that I was just gonna like
clean up with this hot guy for a night and

(16:01):
like have my first one night stand, and then I
married him. But he's still I've married the guy, so
I still haven't had a one night stand, like we
were together ever since stup and the best part is
he still lives in Italy. I shouldn't say the best
part we don't even live together. But it's like similarities
everything that you just said. I was just like, Wow,
you're me and my sport is twis. We love to

(16:24):
hear that, we loved to hear that, you're happy. We
won't dulf too much deeper, but let's like rewind to
I guess the Spy Skills how that came to be,
and just I guess who you were before you found that.
And whilst many people might know how you became a
part of that band, I do think it's fascinating. I
think it's a lot of people that don't know. So
if you can take us back to how the Spy
Skills came to be?

Speaker 4 (16:44):
Yeah, so well, I went to Performing arts college when
I was sixteen, so I grew up just outside Liverpool
and I danced from about the age of eight and
I think, you know, I did a lot of sport
as well, like when I was at school, and I
just got to this point where I realized being a
performer was the thing that made me happiest. And I was,

(17:07):
you know, really really focused on that being a career.
So I left home at sixteen, which is my god,
my daughter's sixteen, so that like kind of freaks me out,
now how young that is. And I moved to London so,
you know, for people who don't know the geography of
the UK that much, which again is very different to Australia. Okay,
in the UK, like two hundred miles is a long way. Yes,

(17:31):
I know, it's.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
Just next door.

Speaker 4 (17:35):
What's that expression of yours? It's over who I mean,
it's it's far. So yeah. So I moved down to
London and I studied for three years, but I always
wanted to work in music. But you know, it's like,
how do you you know? It was different then. I
think there are so many avenues that can you can
release your own music. You know, we have social media
now you can kind of get your own a fan

(17:56):
base built up. But back in the early nineties it
was very different. And I was out auditioning and got
a flyer for a girl band and I was like,
oh my gosh, that's it, That's exactly what I want
to do. So I went along to this audition and
there was lots of kind of changes and things. I
didn't make the original band. I didn't make it back

(18:19):
to the second audition. I was sick. And then there
was a girl called Michelle who was in the band,
and then she wasn't in the band anymore. And then
Emma arrived and it was the five that you all know.
We left the original management. We went out there on
our own. We'd made contacts in the industry. We kind
of did our own thing for about a year, and

(18:41):
then met Sam and Fuller who went out to manage
us and we got signed to Virgin Records, and so yeah,
so that's how it all began. It's funny because I
don't think people know the story. You know, there was
lots of kind of ups and downs and changes before
we became the Spice Girls.

Speaker 2 (18:57):
I think that's really interesting, mel because by all accounts,
you would think, Okay, this person or this company that
has developed this band and shot you into slum. Do
you think that you would feel some kind of loyalty
to them or you or in them. But you guys
actually just packed up and left. Was there something that
went down that we don't know about that made you
do that?

Speaker 4 (19:15):
Do you know what I think, because when Emma joined
the band, it just felt like we this like final
dukes of piece had been put into place, and it
was you know, there's this thing with the spice scares.
I mean obviously now because everything that happens happened, but
from day one, before we'd ever released anything, the five

(19:38):
of us together, the dynamic is so electric that and
I think that was the thing that catapulted us out
into the world. You know, everywhere we went, every label,
we went to, every management we went to see people
just they couldn't help, Like they were just what is
this like whirlwinds? You know, we were like a Tasmanian devil.
We just came in and we just disrupted everything. And

(20:00):
that was just that's what it's like now. You know,
we get together in a room, and it's not often
that the five of us are together. We get together
in like there might be a three and a two
and a whatever, But when the five of us get together,
it's just wild. Whatever this thing is, whatever this chemistry
is between us, it's so sparky. And we felt that,

(20:21):
but our management were very reluctant to move things forward,
and we were young and we were ambitious and we
were impatient and we just wanted to be out there.
So I think because they were dragging their heels, we
were like, screw this lot, let's go do it on
our own. You know. We were so young, but I
think we had so much belief because we could feel

(20:42):
this energy, you know, and also just having each other
to bounce off each other to support each other. We
were like, we are going to conquer the world. And
the minute we all went We're going to do this,
we never look back, you know, And I think that's
such a huge part of the Spice Girl's success.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
So I think that what you're describing, it's kind of
like when you meet a partner that you just connect with.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
You can't necessarily.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
Identify what one thing it is, but there's just a
different energy when you're together. You know, there's just something
that whether you can identify it or not, it's there,
and it's like.

Speaker 1 (21:16):
That chemistry and that magic that can be created.

Speaker 4 (21:19):
But you guys, you didn't know.

Speaker 3 (21:20):
Each other beforehand, and then you seemingly became the best
of friends. You ended up living in a house together. Like,
how quick did that friendship evolve? And what was that
like at the time?

Speaker 4 (21:31):
Do you know what, it came really quickly, and I
think that being because we all shared this vision, you know,
so it was and we never stopped. It's interesting now
because you know, obviously there are a lot of TV
shows that have you know, I think a lot of
things post Spice Girls was quite Spice Girls inspired, so
you know TV shows that put bands together and this

(21:53):
whole like training thing, but we were doing a similar thing.
But behind the scenes, you know, we were all very
self motivating. So yeah, we'd we'd be in that house.
It was just crazy. We'd be like doing I mean,
oh god, like it's so funny. I give back, it's like,
must have been so annoying. But to our neighbors especially,
we were always singing and dancing and doing dance routines,

(22:13):
and you know, anywhere we went, we'd get up and
we'd do a song and you know, and it is
cute because we were you know, we were so young,
but we just had this self belief, like we go
and I mean, you know, Jerry is such a huge
part of this, Jerry and Melanie being like the more
outspoken members of the band, Like we go to clubs
before we'd made a record, before we'd released anything before

(22:34):
anyone knew or gave a fucking we were right. We
go straight to the front of the queue and go, well,
a girl bands, you.

Speaker 3 (22:40):
Can't let us You didn't do you know who we
are not yet, but you were.

Speaker 4 (22:49):
It worked, It worked, you know that conviction like about
having each other to go go on egging each other round.

Speaker 1 (22:55):
Britt it's so about this.

Speaker 3 (22:57):
She is the type of person who she's always like,
you have to manifest what you want.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
You've got to talk about that.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
You've already got it. You know, You've got to believe
in yourself even when other.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
Oh you've never I am the ultimate manifesto like that.
You can put that on my grave if you want.
I'll die somehow I'm manifesting something you can put on
my grave.

Speaker 1 (23:13):
But what was it like?

Speaker 2 (23:14):
I guess you guys went from zero to one hundred
so quickly. I cannot think of another band in the
world literally that in such a short time dominated the world.
But then I guess for one of a better word
ended so quickly as well, because we know Ginger Spice
left twenty two months into your band and creator.

Speaker 1 (23:35):
But what was it like to go from zero to
one hundred.

Speaker 2 (23:38):
When you're so young, you have not only the world
looking in on you, but you have the UK media
and the tabloids, who we know are some of the
most vicious in the world.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
What was that experience like for you?

Speaker 4 (23:50):
Yeah, that was Yeah, it was a baptism of fire
for sure. Yeah, it's crazy. You know, we made two
albums and a movie, All and Taught within like under
two years. And yeah, it's nuts. So we got together
in nineteen ninety four, so it was it was two
years before we released anything and then yeah, less than

(24:10):
two years. And I think the thing that blows my
mind is, you know, obviously that we made great music,
made the movie, but it was like that cultural impact
and it's something like now I did. It's wild. I
don't think I can watch like a like some like
box set or whatever it is from TV show, some
movie without there being a reference to the Spice Girls.

(24:32):
It's crazy, you know, whether it's actually the Spice Girls
or girl Power or one of the one of the
band members, it's it seems to be like a daily
thing for us, and it has been since the nineties,
which you know is crazy, but it was. It was tough,
you know, and I think nothing can prepare you for it.
And the nineties and the naughties were brutal, Like the

(24:56):
tabloid media here were horrendous. You know, things have improved.
You know, they've got a big OL's shake up when
all the like illegal like phone hacking and stuff went down.
And that happened to you, didn't it. Yeah, yeah, it
happened to everyone. Everyone in the public eye had this experience.
It was horrendous because you know, you were reading stories

(25:17):
about yourself and you were like, how do they have
this information? And we you know, even within the band,
it was so detrimental to us because we started to
question each other, you know, each other's like loyalty, if
we could trust each other, our families, our friends, you know,
it was Yeah, it was really detuental to relationships.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
I can't imagine, like how you would feel. You're in
this tight knit group, there are five of you that
know a pivotal, crucial piece of information.

Speaker 1 (25:44):
Then it's lead.

Speaker 2 (25:45):
It's like the wag at the Christie right, Like you
guys started the wag at the Christie.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
Thing where you're like one of you is telling my secrets?
Who is it?

Speaker 2 (25:52):
There is no part of you that would think somebody
the press is hacking your phone, because that is like
CIA level stuff.

Speaker 4 (25:58):
This is yeah, ext well, you know what's wild, right,
What is wild is we were warned. We were warned
and I don't know whether it was it was kind
of a way of controlling us, but we were warned
that anything we ever did would get found out, right,
which is imagine living like that because we were like

(26:21):
late twenties, sorry, late teens, early twenties. So you're going out,
you know, you're experimenting, you're meeting people, you're having fun,
you're figuring out who you are. But all of this
is like under a microscope and you were getting told
anything you do, any mistake you make, it will get
found out and it will be publicized.

Speaker 2 (26:42):
What was there someone like the most famous person that
you might have hooked up with that never made it out,
Like did you guys sneak in some relationships that you.

Speaker 1 (26:53):
Were like that that you were like, wow, I can't
believe the pressed in here like we made out.

Speaker 4 (26:58):
I don't believe. I think there might be one person
that was like a question mark over but there was
like did they don't they? But I think all if
I think about all the girls and anyone else in
the public eye we might have hooked up with. I
think that it's all out there. Wow.

Speaker 3 (27:17):
Yeah, did that change how you lived life?

Speaker 2 (27:20):
Like?

Speaker 1 (27:20):
Did it make you.

Speaker 3 (27:21):
Be smaller in your experiences because you were just terrified
that you'd have to have everyone find out?

Speaker 4 (27:28):
Yeah, it really did. And I mean not only in
how you went about life, but how you internalized things,
you know. And I think the hardest thing for a
young person in the public eye, I personally found was
the narrative that's built up for you, you know. And

(27:48):
I experienced this when I released an autobiography a few
years back, and at the same time, I was gathering
all the evidence for my phone hacking case, because I
did do a case, have a claim, and it was
dark because I had to go back through everything from
the nineties, everything that was ever written about me in

(28:10):
the tabloids and being I mean, it was quite cathartic
in a sense, because you know, I've had issues, you know,
after I was working with the Spice Girls in the
late nineties early naughties. You know, I really struggled. I
had an eating disorder, I had depression, I was, you know,
struggling with anxiety, and there was lots of things I

(28:31):
had to address. And when I went back to look
and get upset thinking about it, When I went back
and saw the narrative that was presented of me and
felt about how young I was at that time, I
actually forgave myself because I felt so guilty for so
long that I'd become a victim of those issues, you know.

(28:55):
And you know, it's like so many performers. I'm a perfectionist,
you know, I'm very hard on myself, and I got
very sick, and I blamed myself and I was, you know,
and I was weak, and I when I looked at
that all of that press coverage, I forgave myself. I
was like, I had no chance young people under that scrutiny,

(29:19):
and it's evil. You know. They took our personal information,
they took medical information about me. They published it, they
didn't any publish it. They bullied us with it, you
know what I mean. They used it as a weapon.
They did. They totally did. And so, like I say,
in a sense, it was cathartic, but it makes me

(29:39):
angry and it makes me really sad because I feel
like they stole something from me. I mean, they stole
my my freedom as a young person to live my
life and I make mistakes and you know, so it was. Yeah,
it's luckily it's not the same, you know what I mean,
it's not as bad now they kind of it's a

(30:02):
little bit more rude between the lines in the UK media,
I would say.

Speaker 2 (30:05):
I think you're giving them a lot of grace. It's
still pretty bad, Like, it's still pretty horrific. They're still
crossing a lot of lines, but nothing comparable to the
time that you were experiencing it. But I remember, I've read.

Speaker 1 (30:16):
It about you.

Speaker 4 (30:17):
But posh.

Speaker 1 (30:17):
Also, I shouldn't say posh. Victoria Beckham in her.

Speaker 2 (30:20):
Document that's okay, do you know it's such a it
just it I should Yeah, I should call her Victory Beckham.

Speaker 4 (30:26):
That is her name.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
But Victoria recently spoke about in her documentary the fact
that you guys on live radio and live TV were
being weighed and compared for your body weight and how
much weight you'd put on and like what, sorry, you
were eighteen, what chance did you have and when it's
I think as a society we forget that happened, Like

(30:49):
we just forget until I resaw that and her speaking
about it on the documentary. I'm like, imagine if somebody
went onto TV now and they're like waited and compared
you against the rest of you, Like, of course you
didn't stand a chance.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
I know you would not blame the media.

Speaker 2 (31:05):
But is there a part of you that attributes your
eating disorder to the things that were written and said
in those times?

Speaker 4 (31:12):
Yeah, you know what, I think, whatever happens to us
in life, there's lots of factors around that, isn't there.
You know what was difficult for me personally. You know,
I'd grown up in an environment to being a dancer,
you know, as a dancer, went to college sixteen to nineteen,
and I knew people, you know, who were suffering, and

(31:32):
so I'd been exposed to people with eating disorders, but
I'd never succumbed to that. And it was that scrutiny
that kind of just pushed me over the edge. Yeah,
like you say, you can't blame people, but there's catalysts,
you know, a comment about the size of your legs
or you know, a mean headline or something, and it

(31:52):
does it feeds into that insecurity and it definitely makes
these problems worse.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
Well, please only share what you're comfortable with. But are
you at a point now of resolution with that eating
disorder or is it something that has you know, kind
of always lives in the back of your mind even
now at fifty one, Like, does that still does it
still exist for you in your mind? The diet culture
of the nineties and the kind of the pressure that
you will put under at the time, do you know what?

Speaker 4 (32:20):
It was a really long journey back to full health.
And I feel like, yeah, diet culture. Look, I look
at the eighties, like my mum was always on a diet.
I mean, my mum's in incredible shape. But I just
think as women in our society, there has always been
so much pressure. The thing that I love now, I

(32:41):
mean nothing's ever perfect, is the esthetic has changed. You know,
there is so much more body positivity. I'm muscular. That's
not for everyone, you know what I mean. It's like,
I know, I get criticized sometimes because oh, she's see masculine. Whatever,
screw you. This is my choice, Thank you so much.
This is how I choose to look. I mean, I

(33:03):
work hard, I love working out, I eat good, I
look after my body. I'm fifty one years old. I
still work like I'm twenty five. You I mean, Nana
gets tired. I'm not good. I'm not gonna lie, but.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
That three pm nap. He it's different.

Speaker 4 (33:19):
So you know, life is different. But I want to
continue to work at this pace until I dropped it,
you know, And that's what it's going to take to
do it. I'm taking my collagen, I'm doing my weighted walks,
I'm doing all the things right, That's what I choose
to do. But in the nineties, it was very much
heroine cheek, you know, it was skinny was the only way,

(33:41):
especially if you're in the public eye. We had all
those lovely magazines. They'd circle the cellul like they do.
All that stuff. Means thank god that you know, my
daughter isn't growing up in that culture.

Speaker 5 (33:52):
She wants a big bum you know. I mean I
want a big bomb nap too. I'm like, yeah, right
to bring the squad songer. So yeah, So thankfully the
aesthetics changed, and you know, of course we still have
runs a lot of pressure, but I think those things
there's like from childhood, from being a young person. It
never goes away. But to answer your question, yeah, I've

(34:14):
had a lot of therapy and yeah, I think a
time wisdom, becoming a mum, you know, meeting a fantastic partner,
all of those things that it's a lot of It's confidence,
isn't it.

Speaker 4 (34:29):
It's like figuring out I'm okay, you know what I mean,
I'm okay no matter what, and just actually giving yourself
a bit of a break, being kind to yourself in
every way. I don't train like a lunatic anymore. I
mean I trained hard because I love it, but I
ain't on that treadmill for an hour. You know. It's that. So, yeah,
it's been a journey.

Speaker 1 (34:49):
Yeah, a million dollar question. Did you guys get to
pick your names?

Speaker 2 (34:54):
Like did you I want to be sporty or did
someone put that on you?

Speaker 4 (34:58):
We were named by a magazine, so you know you
must know Tough of the Pops. It's iconic, yes, TV
music show in the UK. Well, it was sadly no
longer with us. And they had a magazine and it
was the editor and we had lunch with him and
he was like, you guys, you need a nickname. So
they just like published the magazine when we can give
us these silly names and they just stuck and actually

(35:20):
in the US, they don't know our names. They know,
they kind of know them now, but like back in
the day, it was just all nicknames exactly.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
I did not know that. So you when the Spiers
girls took.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
Off, you didn't have the names yet that was giving
you after the fact.

Speaker 4 (35:35):
Yeah, And it was like, like I say, it was
never meant to be a thing. It just caught on.

Speaker 1 (35:40):
Was anyone dirty dirty with the names like Ginger? Like
fuck why why Ginger?

Speaker 4 (35:45):
Like yeah? Yeah, we totally like played up to it,
and we became caricatures of it. And the funny thing
is now because you know, obviously Ginger the color of
her hair, right, but you know, she was firing, and
she was outspoken and she was loud, and we, you know,
we kind of become these characters of these nicknames, and
we haven't changed. You know, we get together now and

(36:07):
we're still you know, Victoria was always a bit posher
than the rest of us. She'd be the first to
admit she ain't push what she kind of is now,
but she wasn't then. But yeah, Melby scoy, I mean,
I don't scary.

Speaker 1 (36:23):
She would be the one that I wouldn't have wanted
to cross for sure, like absolutely, that's what she gave.

Speaker 4 (36:28):
But you know what she is, right, So Melby is
she's one of those characters where you wouldn't want to
cross her, but if she's got your back, you're it's
all good, you know what I mean? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (36:38):
Yeah, Okay, So you're given these names. Do you think
that that actually impacted the way that you interacted with
each other, that you like, lend more into the characters
that you were given within the dynamic, or did it
just naturally kind.

Speaker 1 (36:51):
Of fit like what came first, the chicken on the heir?

Speaker 4 (36:53):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah. Well I think it's funny because
you've actually you've sparked a little memory because people often ask,
you know, about the nicknames in the way that we
all dressed differently, And when we were with our first management,
I can remember the day it was, you know, we
were trying to figure out who we were, who we
wanted to be as a band, and our management were,

(37:16):
you know, saying, oh, you know, dress like this, dress
like that, you know, coordinate seeing these songs to the thing,
and we were all like, nothing quite felt quite right.
And one day we're in a rehearsal and we used
to rehears in like this dance studio with mirrors, and
I was in a trackie and Emma was in a
little baby old dress, and Jerry was in something from
like a I don't know what you guys call it.
We call it like a charity shop. But you know,

(37:37):
she was like all like a little eclectic, crazy little
get ups. And I'm not sure if Melby had the
leopard print by now, but she had her big, you know,
bushy hair all out.

Speaker 1 (37:47):
It was Victoria in a little Gucci breath she was.

Speaker 4 (37:50):
It wasn't she then couldn't afford the guy. She was
definitely in something a bit mophisticated. So we you know,
I remember Jerry like looking in the mirror and going,
why don't we just dress the way we dress? You know,
why don't we do that? And it wasn't like a
big thought and you know, a master plan. It was like, well,
you're comfortable in a tracks you know, you're comfortable in

(38:11):
your dress, and so that's how we presented ourselves out
to the world. And that's you know a lot of
the you know, obviously my nicknames very much on how
I dressed and like my physicality and stuff. But yeah,
that was something that came quite early, and I think
we just, like these nicknames did evolve into our characters,
but it's like it is who we are. I think

(38:33):
we played up to it for the cameras, but our
personalities really haven't changed. I remember we were in rehearsal
for our tour. We toured at the UK in twenty nineteen.
We did stadiums. Oh my god, the show's honestly, the
show was amazing.

Speaker 1 (38:49):
If you do it again, can you send us a ticket?

Speaker 4 (38:53):
It would be nice to do it in Australia, right,
you know, we've neglected you guys for way too long.
But we were and Melby had leperprint on. I had
to chuck you on and we just say I think
Emma was probably like baby Blue and had some bunches
in it, and we were like, we're ridiculous, Like we
just literally are these people. We have never changed.

Speaker 3 (39:14):
Yeah, I think that's really beautiful and it's quite obvious
to the rest of the world. I think that now
we can probably see a little bit more through the cracks,
but I think it's really obvious that you guys had
such genuine love for each other and loyalty towards each
other and support.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
For each other.

Speaker 3 (39:30):
Has that continued on for you know, with these lifelong
friendships are these people that you will you know, you
will go to.

Speaker 1 (39:36):
The end of your days just loving so thoroughly.

Speaker 4 (39:39):
Absolutely, But you know what, it's beyond friendship. It's family
because we grew up together. We had our like our siblings.
It's funny because four of us have siblings the same age,
so you know, they experienced because you know, when these
things happen to people, it's not just the space girls
it happened to It was our family, you know, it
was our close friends, and we had everyone to close

(40:00):
to us. So we grew up with each other's parents
and now other kids. Obviously we all have our own kids,
and you know, sometimes we drive each other crazy. Sometimes
we fall out, you know, and people they love that,
The media love that, don't they. Oh, there's you know
there's a rift in this vicee girls, Yeah, of course
there is, because we're like sisters. You know, sometimes someone's

(40:21):
really acting up and we're really angry with them, and
then but if anybody said anything negative about them, we
would be on them. And that's that's the nature of
their relationship. And that's never going to change.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
It's also so yeah, because that was gonna be a question.

Speaker 2 (40:35):
But I love that you just own it and claim
it and you're like, yeah, we had a fight, get
over it, Like that's an everything.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
Tell me a relationship in the world that doesn't that
is smooth sailing.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
But isn't it so funny that you could say that,
Like I could say something about Bridge no one else,
But if anybody else says something like that, they can
fuck right off.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
What was the deal with if you can with Jerry
when she left? Because I think that was a really
big I mean, it's shocked the world.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
I never forget.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
I was like, what do you mean the Spice girls
are over like that retarted out all over the world.
Was there a falling out there over something or was
it just a not for me anymore?

Speaker 4 (41:12):
Do you know What's It was a difficult time. I
mean it was a difficult time for all of us
because it came as quite a shock. I think Jerry
had been struggling just personally within the band, and I think, gosh,
you know, at that point, we were all at burnout.
We were on tour. We hadn't stopped for like almost

(41:34):
a couple of years, and I think it just got
to that part of being a spy s girale. You know,
we all have a part of being a spice girl
that we love. You know, Jerry is very creative. Myself
and Jerry spent a lot of time in the studio.
We'd often like work extra hours on Coreo, you know,

(41:56):
because she wasn't a trained dancer, you know, she openly
admits that. So we'd hang out and we'd work a
bit more on that, and she'd be so creative like
in the studio with lyrics and song ideas, but when
it came to the life, it doesn't give her the
same fulfillment as it does someone like me or Male
and Emma, and I think for her at that point,

(42:17):
we were also exhausted and you know, and there was
tensions between us. We talked about the media situation, and
I think she just got to the point where she's like,
I can't carry on, I can't do this anymore. And
at the time, we were really hurt, we were really upset,
and we didn't believe it. We were like we thought
she'd come back. There's like there's footage of me because

(42:38):
we come back to the UK to do a show
we just released Viva Forever, and I had to fib
and say she wasn't well, and I'm the worst liar
in the world, but we did honestly believe she was
going to come back. I think we were leaving a
like voice notes like come on, you, silly cow, come
back now, like.

Speaker 2 (42:53):
We get it, We're sorry.

Speaker 4 (42:55):
We hear you kind of thing.

Speaker 1 (42:56):
And then she just didn't.

Speaker 4 (42:58):
She just didn't, which I just did it.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
Yeah, who would you say that you are closest to
now after all this time.

Speaker 4 (43:06):
I think myself and Emma we've always remained closer. We
don't live that far from each other. Actually, we socialize
probably more than I do with the other girls. But
you know what's interesting, I think within the bands we
all have and you know, this is like friends, isn't it.
We have different relationships with each other. You know, everyone's
relationship is quite unique.

Speaker 2 (43:25):
Yeah, and then I mean I could see on the
spic Skulls forever, but you are so much more than that.
You did go out on your own once this spy
Skirls dissolved. What was that like to try and start
fresh and find a new identity Because all of a
sudden you're not. You are a spy skirl, but you're not.
You're your Melanie C. And you are trying to say, hey, like,
look who I am on my own. I imagine that

(43:46):
you sort of get stuck with because I don't want
to say stuck with. But here we are now, still
talking about the Spice Girls. You know, twenty thirty years on.
How did you redefine who you were? And did you
find it a real struggle?

Speaker 4 (43:57):
Yeah? It was super hard. I think initially I was
desperate to do that, you know, I was, and I
wasn't ready to stop because I think I'd already developed,
you know, some of the issues that I was dealing with,
and I was I think I was too scared to
stop because I'd have to face things. So we toured
in nineteen ninety eight, and on the American lego the tour,

(44:20):
both Melanie and Victoria felt pregnant. I love that fell pregnant.

Speaker 7 (44:25):
Yeah, it's such a stupid way to say it on
the penis.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
Oh my god, I fell on the sperm? Yeah, so funny.

Speaker 4 (44:35):
Yeah, how should a phrase that they got knocked up? Basically?
And so of course that meant to be a natural
break in what we were doing. But for me, it
was like, right, I can't stop. I won't stop. And
I went to LA and I started working on my
first solo record. And that was probably a tricky time

(44:57):
in the sense that I I absolutely loved expressing myself
as an individual and just you know, being part of
the band is incredible, but it's quite overwhelming, and I
think being one of the quieter members of the band.
To be able to have my own voice and not
have to compromise in any way, I was like, I

(45:20):
really like this, you know. So that first record was
I mean, it was such a magical time to be
able to express myself in that way. But also it
made me really determined to prove that I was more
than just sporty space. So I feel like I kind
of parked sporty spies for a few years and I

(45:42):
was trying to redefine who I was. And you know,
it's all there on the internet. You can see there's
her style, you can.

Speaker 3 (45:48):
See me figuring my shut out and definitely lots of
different hairstyles.

Speaker 4 (45:52):
Yeah. So although creatively, you know, making music, that was
all going well, officially I wasn't quite sure. So that
took a little bit of time to figure out. But
it's funny because I was so like, I'm more than
a Spice Girl, you know, I'm an individual, which is
kind of redundant because the Spice Girls is this enormous

(46:14):
entity and something I'm so proud of that coming back
to it and embracing it and realizing I am an
individual as well as been part of this incredible thing.
It serves me so much better, you know, can.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
You You don't have to answer this, but do you
guys still get royalties from the Spice Girls?

Speaker 1 (46:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (46:35):
Absolutely so?

Speaker 2 (46:35):
Could you just live off the royalties now? Like hypothetically
you don't want to lift a finger again? Is it
enough to like you're killing it? You know what?

Speaker 4 (46:45):
It's all relative, isn't it. It's relative to the lifestyle. You
are right, this is true.

Speaker 1 (46:50):
And I only say this. I'll just say it. I
don't want to come It's a rude question, for sure.

Speaker 2 (46:54):
We have a friend in the industry that did very
well with music, and unfortunately they had signed their life
away a little bit to a record label, to a label,
and we were shocked to hear just how littleol they
get from that. So I guess my question was more
seated around that as well.

Speaker 4 (47:12):
I think people would probably be shocked that it's not
a crazy about and only that the Vice Girls still
make But we we co wrote everything we did, so
obviously there's five of us and we had fifty percent
of all the songs split between the five of us,
like ten percent each. So obviously those songs are still

(47:33):
loved and played. So we do get publishing royalties from that. Yeah,
I suppose I'm recording royalties as well, So there are
ways there is revenue streams still out there. But you
know what for me is like I love what I do.
I could probably live, I'd have a very different life.
But I love making music. I love you know, speaking

(47:55):
to people, I love traveling, I love performing, So so
why would I stop?

Speaker 3 (47:59):
You know, I was going to ask you, like, you've
got your ninth studio album coming out, do you still
get that same buzz performing like does it still kind of.

Speaker 4 (48:07):
Oh oh my gosh, oh my god. Absolutely, it's like
more so because I think, yeah, I think you just
become more appreciative the older you get, you know, like
back in the day, like with the Girls when we
did twenty nineteen, there's last shows. It was great because
we were present, we really appreciated it. You know, we
were we could really take it all in. In the nineties,

(48:30):
we were in survival mode. We were knackd you know,
we were just just yeah days, living day to day. Yeah,
to get through the amount of work we were doing.
So it is beautiful to re visit something and really
appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (48:44):
What was it like performing in front of your daughter?
Was that like kind of strange for you? Oh, to
have them realize you know who they.

Speaker 4 (48:53):
Yeah, you know, it's funny because people say, oh, you know,
when did you introduce you and your daughter to the
Space Girls? And it's like she's grown up with it.
You know, she's met the other girls, she's been along
to my shows, and she's watched the videos and all
the things. But it blew her mind to see, like
in real time, mom in a stadium, face on a screen,

(49:16):
like ninety thousand people screaming, you know, singing along. I
think all of the kids because they were like such
lovely ages when we did those shows. They obviously we
weren't able to see them, but their reactions they were
all a bit gobsmacked. So for like two weeks, I
was the coolest mom.

Speaker 2 (49:34):
Ever, I was about to say you probably you were
sold out Wimbley Stadium, so you probably went from Mom,
you're embarrassing me to like, that's my mom, that's my mom.

Speaker 4 (49:43):
Yeah, yeah, totally. But then after two weeks we were
still on the road, it was like, yeah, just back
to normal.

Speaker 2 (49:49):
Cringe funny because it's like she I mean, it's one
thing to grab knowing that your parents do something cool
or like or you know, I was in a band once,
but it's another thing just to see the reach and
the love and the excitement that you had because there
are not many people that are selling out Wembley Stadium,
you know, especially like twenty years after the fact. Yeah,

(50:10):
should we do somewhat quick fire?

Speaker 3 (50:12):
Yes, we've got some spice of that with Melsey questions
for emails. So these are just like fast back and forth.
Can we start with your favorite tour memory and it
can be from any tour that you've ever done.

Speaker 4 (50:24):
Okay, this is going to make me sound a little
bit strange. So when we did those shows in twenty nineteen,
one of my favorite shows we were in Manchester and
every single show we played on that tour was incredible.
We played Bristol and it absolutely pissed down. We were soaking.
We had to like redo the show so we didn't

(50:46):
go out and like just get soaked. And so that
was insane, but still in an amazing night in Manchester.
We used to come up through the stage like for
the opening for Spice at Your Life.

Speaker 1 (50:58):
And night I was like singing in my head.

Speaker 4 (51:02):
Yeah, honestly thinking about it, it is so exciting. But we'd
be on this like lift under the stage. You we'd
all be held in hands and we'd pop up and
that the wave of love like that would come at
you from the audience. It was just incredible. And this
one night in Manchester. I don't know what this says
about me, but I could. I could see now. I

(51:24):
could see crackles of you know, like electricity. I could,
I could. I had this visual There was so much energy. Honestly,
it was wild and I and I swear down it happened.
I saw this thing, and so that for me is
like it's otherworldly.

Speaker 1 (51:41):
Were you in a lightning storm?

Speaker 4 (51:44):
Yeah? Right, I know. It was this crackle of energy.
I saw it from the audience, and that is it's
so hard to describe to people. The feeling when you're
on stage in that environment and it's like, so I
think back to Croke Park as well as the one.
It was a Crooke Park in Dublin. It was the
first night of the tour and you're shitting yourself, right,

(52:06):
we're not ready kind of remember everything and we've gonna
make a feel of myself kind of get through all
these things are going through your head. So we were shaking,
your knees are going and we were all like gripping
each other's hands. And the moment we popped upon to
the stage, there was this like wave, this like physical
wave of love that hits you. And from that moment

(52:27):
everything was okay, you know, and you just you this
shared experience you have with this you know, crowd ninety
thousand strong. It's it's almost indescribable. But that's how I
like try to try to express it to people so
they can get an idea of what it feels like.

Speaker 2 (52:45):
I mean, yeah, we performed to five thousand people and
I get that energy, so I can only imagine what
it feels like for you.

Speaker 1 (52:53):
Which which Spice Girl causes the most trouble?

Speaker 4 (52:57):
Melby down That's easy. That was Oh my gosh, real
quick fire. I know, I remember the quick Fire and
I just talked at.

Speaker 2 (53:05):
It's actually they're actually better not quick fire than have
any of you been to jail?

Speaker 4 (53:10):
Some of us should be.

Speaker 1 (53:14):
Okay, so none of us not yes, not yet okay.
Well it's they used to young. Okay, a song you'll
never get tired of performing.

Speaker 4 (53:22):
Oh my gosh, all of them, all of them. I
love it. I used to be a real ballad girl.
I used to be like, we've ever to become one
too much. They're my faves. And then when we did
the Olympics twenty twelve in London, it was a little
medley of want to be in spice of your life,
and I was like, these songs bring people so much
joy that they have become yeah, absolute favorites as well.

Speaker 3 (53:46):
Can I just tell you well that before we started recording,
I was talking with our video Editoress who absolutely loves you,
and I was joking about this meme that went around
my friendship group like a couple of years ago, and
it said, despite the contradictory advice that circulated in the nineties,
if you want to be love, please do not get
with my friends. It just hits different now, doesn't it Yeah, yeah, yeah,

(54:07):
And then back to that bingo thing when we would
match the same fable.

Speaker 4 (54:11):
What is your biggest eg Oh, my goodness, my biggest ech? Oh?
Do you know what I hate? I hate people who
go I tell it like it is. Oh that that's
so it's like funny. Oh, it just annoys me. It's
like you tell it like it is, Yeah, you're just

(54:32):
me or I think that's for other people to say
what you are not you do you know?

Speaker 2 (54:38):
It's also like it's on part of people that say, hey,
no offense, you fu.

Speaker 3 (54:44):
I think it's more like when you're dating and the
person that like this only happened for me with guys
where they'd be like, I'm a really nice guy. And
I remember getting to the point where I was like,
do you know what, Actually, that's for me to determine
that's actually not for yourself identifying.

Speaker 1 (54:57):
You won't need to tell me.

Speaker 4 (55:00):
Yeah that self awareness? Do you know what I mean?
It's like, don't patronize me. I view you.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
Here's the spice girl that you would trust the most
to take your daughter on a holiday.

Speaker 4 (55:13):
Hmmm, that's a good question. It's funny actually because Melby
she's I love you, ma, he's get a rap and listen.
One my daughter would probably like to go on holiday
the most with, but one that.

Speaker 1 (55:28):
Because that's the same holiday they're most likely to get arrested.

Speaker 4 (55:31):
Yeah, exactly, exactly. Well, we have we have this joke,
like me and male because my daughter's really sassy, and
even when she was little, we'd be like, shouldn't she
be your daughter? You know what I mean? She's a
little bit like you. I would trust all of the
girls with my child, to be honest with you, I
think she would. Who would she? Yeah, she did enjoy

(55:52):
going on holiday with Melanie the most, probably, but then
Victoria probably. I'm sure that'll be a pretty nice Yeah.

Speaker 1 (56:00):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (56:00):
If I was a teenager, I think i'd be going
with Victoria.

Speaker 1 (56:06):
Last question, who's the most famous person you've kissed?

Speaker 4 (56:10):
Oh my god, it's such old old news, isn't it.
I suppose it would be Robbie's would it? That's not
a secret, is it? I love it?

Speaker 2 (56:18):
Yes?

Speaker 4 (56:20):
You know. I worked.

Speaker 2 (56:21):
I was security at his first concert. When you know,
as a security out there, isn't that Is that not
the funniest thing? I was like, I would have blown
away in the wind. I wasn't stopping anyone, but my
only way to see him was to work it. And
so I got a job on the security team and
I was like stopping people from getting in and.

Speaker 4 (56:36):
That was how well.

Speaker 3 (56:39):
I am so grateful that you've taken the time to
speak with us. You had just I hope this comes
across in the way that I mean for it too.
You're so normal, like you're just such a normal, lovely
person to have a conversation with it and you just
tell it how it is.

Speaker 1 (56:52):
It's like tell it out. He's just a nice person.

Speaker 4 (57:00):
Yea.

Speaker 1 (57:00):
You actually are very down.

Speaker 3 (57:01):
To earth though, And I think I will speak for
both of us when I say that we so hope
that we run into you on Bondai Beach at the playground.

Speaker 1 (57:09):
That's what we call the other.

Speaker 7 (57:10):
Run into us. I'm taking you to Totti's. Hit me
up next time you're back. Oh my god, I love
Totti Haward's the Bread. Just before I left Sydney, that
was like, where'd you want to go? And I was like, yeah,
that's where we want to go.

Speaker 4 (57:21):
After I shut the video, I was like, I want
to go to Totti's and order all the potatoes.

Speaker 1 (57:26):
All the bread.

Speaker 4 (57:27):
Yeah, all the bread, all the potatoes.

Speaker 2 (57:29):
Ah Yeah, we're thrilled. I feel like Australia has adopted
you in a way. You've been coming here for so
long and you're on our TV screens, you're dating one
of us, like we were good enough to make it
into your world, which we are thrilled about.

Speaker 1 (57:40):
And I am. I'm genuinely, absolutely thrilled.

Speaker 2 (57:43):
That we got to the chance to speak to you
because you've been such a huge part of my childhood
but so many people's childhood and just to hear that
you're such a nice, normal person as well is wonderful.
But I cannot wait to hear the rest of the
album for everyone that wants to hear it. It's May
one May first, sweat will be dropping like it's hot,
and I can only hope you spend some time here

(58:05):
playing and doing some shows because you know that it'll
be a sellout.

Speaker 4 (58:09):
Well you know that's in my plan. Singles out right
now and yeah, videos out there and I'll be back
really really soon.

Speaker 1 (58:17):
We love it. There'll be links to all of that,
plusnal social media you.

Speaker 4 (58:20):
Know, show notes for anyone to pick.

Speaker 1 (58:22):
Very thank you, so much.

Speaker 4 (58:23):
Thank you. Oh, I've really enjoyed it, so I hope,
I hope all your viewers and listens enjoyed it. And yeah,
I see you soon. And yeah, if we we're not
just going to bump into each other, we're going to
we're going to plan it, we're going to see each
other going back,