Spice Girls

The Spice Girls (1996–1998/2000) were a British vocal girl group. They enjoyed substantial commercial success from 1996 to 2000, and it is claimed that they are the biggest-selling girl group of all time, with reported sales of over forty-five million albums and thirty million singles. They are also famous for popularising the term Girl Power. The group originally consisted of Victoria Adams, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, and Geri Halliwell. However, in 1998, Halliwell left to pursue a solo career. The remaining four members never formally broke up, but have not performed together or released any new recordings since 2000. They have each released solo material, and some have stated that they have no interest in participating in the group in the future.

In the beginning

The group was formed in 1994 when Bob Herbert and his son, Chris, advertised through The Stage newspaper. Five girls were picked out of the numerous responses to the advertisement: Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, and Michelle Stephenson. They formed a group called "Touch". However, Stephenson was not completely devoted to the group, and eventually left to pursue her education, being replaced by Emma Bunton.

Related Topics:
1994 - Bob Herbert - The Stage - Michelle Stephenson

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The five girls were placed in a house together so that they could become friends before (it was hoped) going on to become a successful girl group. Things became tough when many arguments broke out, and the tension was only increased by promises of a record contract that never seemed to materialise. Despite constant rehearsals and even a visit from a few record executives, the girls were still not given a contract, and one night they eventually walked out with no money, still hoping to find a record contract. They travelled to Sheffield, England in hopes of finding a producer or someone in the music industry to help sign them.

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Although he took some convincing, the girls were able to show record producer and successful manager of various groups, Simon Fuller, their talent. They managed to win him over, and were subsequently signed to Virgin Records.

Related Topics:
Simon Fuller - Virgin Records

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In 1996 they changed their name to "Spice Girls", and quickly gained popularity. A factor in the group's success was the ability of individual members to appeal to different types of teenage fans. The five members were dubbed "Ginger" (Halliwell), "Baby" (Bunton), "Scary" (Brown), "Posh" (Adams), and "Sporty" (Chisholm) Spice by a British pop music magazine. Though not invented by the band, the nicknames caught on with the public, so they exploited both the name and the suggested persona for each group member. Their diverse appearance and cultural backgrounds ensured broad demographic appeal.

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A cleverly constructed image combined sex appeal with post-feminist self-confidence (Labelled Girl Power) guaranteed them a large female fanbase, at least.

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