Melanie C

Melanie C
Chisholm performing in July 2019
Born
Melanie Jayne Chisholm

(1974-01-12) 12 January 1974 (age 50)
Whiston, Lancashire, England
Other names
  • Mel C
  • Sporty Spice
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Children1
RelativesPaul O'Neill (half-brother)
Musical career
Genres
Years active1994–present
Labels
Member ofSpice Girls
Websitemelaniec.net
Signature

Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), known professionally as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2000, before reuniting for a greatest hits album (2007) and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019). She is known for her unique and distinctive tone.[1]

Chisholm began a solo career in late 1998 on the single "When You're Gone" with Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams. She signed with Virgin Records to release her debut solo studio album Northern Star (1999).[2][3] After parting ways with Virgin Records, Chisholm founded her own record company, Red Girl Records, and released her second studio album, Reason (2003). Her third studio album, Beautiful Intentions, (2005), stands as her most successful album to date. It spent 9 weeks at number one in Portugal and spawned international hit singles. She continued to release albums in the following years, including This Time (2007), The Sea (2011), Stages (2012), Version of Me (2016), and Melanie C (2020).

Chisholm is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three World Music Awards, five Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, eight Billboard special awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, one MTV Video Music Award, ten ASCAP awards, and one Juno Award.[4] She has earned over 335 worldwide certifications, including 44 silver, gold, and platinum certifications as a solo artist.

In 2009, Chisholm made her stage debut in the West End musical Blood Brothers, for which she was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award.[5] Her autobiography, Who I Am: My Story,[6] was released in 2022.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Melanie C". Official Charts.
  2. ^ "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  3. ^ "Melanie C Official Chart History". Official Charts. 12 December 1998. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Simon Fuller and Judy Craymer plan Spice Girls musical". BBC News online. London. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  5. ^ Lamont, Tom (14 March 2010). "Melanie C on her Olivier nomination". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  6. ^ Sim, Harriet (20 September 2022). "Melanie C On Why Her Story Doesn't End With The Spice Girls". Marie Claire Australia. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Melanie Chisholm: how I survived Spicemania". The Times. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  8. ^ Greenberg, Emily (20 September 2022). "Spice Girls star Melanie C to appear on Friday's Late Late Show". Hotpress. Retrieved 21 September 2022.