20 Things The Spice Girls Have Done Since Their '90s Fame
More than twenty years ago, the Spice Girls were celebrated as one of the greatest female pop groups. Their characters: Scary, Baby, Ginger, Sporty, and Posh represented different personalities that spoke to every kind of girl. They branded themselves as feminists who inspired women everywhere to embrace girl power -and to sing along to their catchy singles.
The Spice Girls sold millions of records as a group. And when it came time to put down their microphones and put away their platform sandals, fans everywhere felt a sense of loss. But in the two decades that have followed, the women behind the group, Geri Halliwell, Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, and Melanie Chisholm, never completely disappeared. In fact, they've proven that they can do a lot more than sing.
Some of the former members decided to pen books about their time as a Spice Girl, others have appeared on the small screen, or Broadway and London's West End. And now, ahead of their upcoming reunion tour (minus Victoria Beckham who has a fashion empire and won't be taking part), we take a look at the 20 things that the Spice Girls have been up to since their '90s fame.
20 First Things First, They Are Embarking On A Reunion Tour
First things first, let's get to why the Spice Girls are on everyone's radar again: after decades, they have finally decided to go on tour again! According to Elle, the reunion will consist of Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, and Melanie Brown. Victoria Beckham has chosen not to tour.
The tour is scheduled for 2019 and is set to start in May through June. Their destinations will include Dublin, London, Bristol, Coventry, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Sunderland, and Manchester, with ticket information available at Ticketmaster.
19 The Spice Girls Briefly Got Together To Perform At The Closing Ceremony Of The London 2012 Olympics
Although the Spice Girls are now set to perform on a larger scale, it's not the first time they have reunited. In 2012, they performed at the closing ceremony for the London Olympics.
Mel C spoke about the performance and revealed that at the time, the group was afraid to perform again. According to Daily Mail, she said, “The band had rehearsed for a week-and-a-half but we were still absolutely petrified. The routine was quite technical, which added an element of danger. We still have a big fan base and we were determined not to let them down.”
18 Mel C Has Fallen In Love With Stage Acting And Critics Have Fallen In Love With Her
Mel C is a woman of many talents. After she stopped being Sporty Spice, she started performing musicals and was featured in the West End stage production of Blood Brothers.
She debuted in 2009, and her performance was met with rave reviews, with Evening Standard noting that she left them “really, really wanting more” and had critics on their feet applauding her.
She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier award a few months into her role. The Guardian notes that she was celebrated for her performance in what everyone considered her first acting role, but she reminded them that she was also in the Spice Girls movie, Spice World, back in 1997.
17 Geri Halliwell Left The Band First, And She Wrote About Why In Her Autobiography
Geri Halliwell left the Spice Girls first, and quite abruptly in 1998.
In Halliwell's memoir, If Only (via News.com.au), she revealed that she wanted to leave because she had “had enough.” In her second biography, she sheds more light on her decision to leave and how the intense schedules had been taking a toll on her well-being.
In her 2002 autobiography, Just For The Record, she wrote, “One thing that was clear at the time I decided to leave was that inside Ginger Spice, underneath the make-up, the big hair, the giant platforms, and the headline-grabbing dresses, there was a real girl and she was being suffocated.”
16 All Of The Former Spice Girls Are Now Mommies
All five members of the Spice Girls have become dedicated moms; Geri Halliwell has two children, Victoria Beckham and David Beckham are parents to four, Mel C is a mother to a daughter who she shares with Thomas Starr, and Mel B has daughters from three different relationships.
Emma Bunton is also a mom to two sons with longtime partner Jade Jones, although she is very secretive about them and doesn't like to share much on social media to protect their privacy.
15 Mel B Opened Her Life Up To The World When She Made Her Way Into Reality TV
Mel B opened up her life to the rest of the world with her TV show, Mel B: It's a Scary World. The show debuted in 2010 on Style Network and ran for one season, documenting Mel B's life as a mother, a wife (at the time she was married to her now-ex-husband Stephen -Belafonte), and an entertainer.
She gave fans a glimpse into what she was up to post Spice Girls fame, and according to The Mirror, the singer spoke about the show in 2015 and explained that she wouldn't have a problem with having her life filmed again. She said, “I'd -definitely be open to doing It's a Scary World again. It's just crazy family life everyone relates to.”
14 She's Also Got Impressive Dancing Skills And Came Second On 'Dancing With The Stars'
Mel B is a woman of many talents and she proved this when she took part in Dancing with the Stars in 2007. She was paired with pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and did very well during the show, making it to second place overall, Daily Mail reports.
Although the publication quotes Mel Bs saying that winning would have been “everything” to her, and that "coming in second or third is not an option for me," she later admitted that despite not winning the mirror ball trophy she "enjoyed all of it.”
13 Victoria Beckham Took Over The Fashion Industry - And Her Success Continues
Victoria Beckham has chosen to leave her singing days behind, in pursuit of her fashion career.
In 2008 she launched her eponymous brand, which has since been featured on the runways of prestigious Fashion Weeks. She also has an impressive fan following, including celebrity clients who have worn her garments.
According to her website, Beckham's brand is now stocked in more than 400 stores across 50 countries, and she has been the recipient of multiple awards recognizing her role in the industry. These awards include Best Designer Brand and Brand of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.
12 Victoria Has A Fashion Advice Guide Called 'That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between'
Victoria Beckham is definitely a woman who knows a thing or two about fashion, so why not write an advice book on the subject? This is exactly what she did in 2006 when she released the book, That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels, and Everything in Between, which offers her advice on how to find the best buys.
According to Harper Collins, an excerpt from the book reads: “I've come a long way in the last ten years, but this book isn't my attempt to tell you what or what not to do. It's just to share some of what I've learned.”
11 Emma Bunton Has A Knack For Comedy And Showed Us This With Her Role In 'Ab Fab'
Emma Bunton has a talent for acting and appeared in a recurring role on the hit comedy series, Absolutely Fabulous. Bunton also featured in the 2016 movie titled, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
Prior to the film being produced, Bunton made it clear she wanted a role (suggesting that she definitely enjoys acting). In an interview with The Guardian, she expressed her desire to star in the film saying, “I am hoping there might be a part in it for me. I feel like a part of the Ab Fab family as I have done a few cameos for the television series.”
10 If You Heard A Familiar Voice In Animated Film 'Blazing Samurai' It Was Mel B
Mel B has a very distinctive voice and has lent it to the action-comedy animated film, Blazing Samurai. The film, according to Variety, was directed by Chris Bailey, the same person responsible for Kung Fu Panda.
Mel B voiced the character Giraffe and was cast among other big industry names including Mel Brooks, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Cera.
The film was produced by Robert Minkoff, who was thrilled with the stars he got on board for the film, stating that they had “assembled some extraordinarily strong comedic talent.”
9 Geri Halliwell Has Penned A Best-Selling Book, 'If Only,' And She's Also A Children's Book Author
As previously mentioned, Geri Halliwell has penned two autobiographies, the first titled, If Only, and the second, Just For The Record. Both of these books offered a glimpse into Halliwell's life both as a Spice Girl and after. According to GoodReads, If Only was an “honest” account of her life story.
While most fans recognize her two autobiographies, fewer know that Halliwell is a children's book author. According to The Telegraph, she penned the Ugenia Lavender books, six of them in total, about a “sassy heroine.”
8 TV Clearly Loves Mel B Because She's Also A Judge On 'America's Got Talent'
Mel B is clearly comfortable in front of the camera, and since her Spice Girls fame, she has not disappeared from the limelight, working as a judge on America's Got Talent. Mel B has developed a close friendship with fellow judge, Heidi Klum, and the pair seems to have a lot of fun working together.
E! News notes that the two women have a lot in common; they are both divorced mothers raising their children. They also both started working on the show at the same time.
Mel B had this to say about their job: "We are having fun. We laugh, we like each other.”
7 Victoria Beckham Is The Only Member Without A No. 1 Single
After the Spice Girls went their separate ways, all the women tried their luck at a solo career, and according to News.com.au, Victoria Beckham is the only woman who did not enjoy success in this venture. The publication notes that her album was underwhelming and she is the only former member without “a #1 solo single to her name.”
According to News.com.au, Beckham acknowledged that during her time in the Spice Girls she was not considered the strongest performer, and told Vogue, “They used to turn it off [microphone] and just let the others sing.”
6 Emma Bunton Became A Morning Person And Was Named Radio Presenter of the Year
Emma Bunton has proved that she's quite the force to be reckoned with in the world of radio, and according to Inside Edition, was awarded the title of Radio Presenter of the Year at the Television and Radio Industries Club in 2017.
Bunton worked with the Heart FM Breakfast show, a strange role for her because she never used to be a morning person.
According to Daily Mail, in 2013 she said: “I was speaking to Mel C and she was like 'Emma you're not a morning person!'”
5 Geri Halliwell Got To Experience Australia When She Became A Judge On 'Australia's Got Talent'
Geri Halliwell has also taken a role in front of the cameras; in 2013 she joined Australia's Got Talent as a judge.
She admitted she was a fan of the show, and she and her daughter Bluebell intended to make the most of their time in the country, according to News.com.au.
They intended to explore “nature and the outdoors.” She also explained that she wanted to go “mono-skiing on the Nepean River” and visit the Taronga Zoo.
4 Geri Also Appealed To Young People With Her Work As A Goodwill Ambassador For The United Nations
Geri Halliwell has done a lot over the two decades since she was Ginger Spice including being a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations.
In 1998, The Independent reported that Halliwell was to take on this role to promote awareness of reproductive health in Britain, as well as work with the Marie Stopes charity.
Aged 26 at the time, having her as an ambassador was thought to appeal to the younger generations, with UN population fund's deputy director Alex Marshall saying, "She will be a great ambassador for young people."
3 The 'Chicago' Broadway Musical Included Mel B As Roxie Hart
Mel B tried her hand at stage acting, when in 2016, she joined the cast of Broadway's Chicago, playing the role of Roxie Hart. According to Billboard, she played the role from Dec. 28 through Feb. 19 at New York's Ambassador Theater.
She spoke to BroadwayBox about her decision to take to the stage, and when asked what excited her the most, she replied, “I think just performing every single night (and sometimes twice a night) is so exciting to me. Even though it's going to be tiring, you get that buzz and you get to express yourself and sing out loud for two hours.”
2 Mel C Didn't Always Think They Should Reunite -That Has Since Changed
This point is not so much about what Mel C has done since her Spice Girls fame, but rather the feelings she has expressed about it in the years following their career. And there was once a time when she didn't think the Spice Girls should reunite, writing in an essay for LOVE (via The Sun),
“Didn't we reach a peak with the Olympics? There's a lot to be said for bowing out on a high note.”
She continued, “For me, the absolute pinnacle of my Spice existence was being watched by a billion people around the globe belting out "Spice up Your Life" on top of a black cab at the 2012 London Olympics. Anything less than the full line-up just didn't feel like we'd be doing justice to the band or the fans.”
1 The Spice Girls Signed A Lucrative Contract With Tesco To Appear In Their Ads
British retailer Tesco opted to use the former Spice Girls in several of their ads, including a minute-long TV commercial for Christmas in 2007. According to The Telegraph, after their second ad for the company, it was reported that each of the women would receive a £1 million (roughly $1.28 million) deal as the new faces of the chain.
The company also released a statement about their excitement at having the Spice Girls onboard, saying, "We are thrilled to be working with the Spice Girls for our Christmas campaign. We feel that the new commercials really emphasize Tesco's commitment to offering something different and exciting this Christmas."
References: Elle, Ticketmaster, Daily Mail, Evening Standard, The Guardian
