Also I must say, that just because I post an article does not mean that I support or believe what it says. I am merely putting articles on my site for your viewing pleasure. You can judge if they are true or not on your own.
From Formula 1 Online:
When F1 medical delegate Prof. Sid Watkins asked the BMW WilliamsF1 Team to support his Grand Prix Party at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this year. Little did we know that Spice Girl, Mel C, would be literally jumping up and down on her seat to bid for our prize!
Melanie C, also known as 'Sporty Spice', was so keen to buy a ticket to our official BMW WilliamsF1 Team test session at Silverstone she climbed onto her seat so she could be seen by the auctioneer! Fortunately she was seen and her bid of £8,500.00 went to the British Brain and Spine Foundation which raised £100,000 by the end of the evening.
Mel C wanted to buy this special treat in order to support the charity and allow her brother Paul, who is currently driving a Tech-Speed Peugeot 306 in the British Touring Car Championship, the chance of a lifetime. "I'm totally made up with this," said brother Paul after receiving a tour of the pit garage from Juan Pablo Montoya himself.
Melanie C
April 14, 2001
New York (Irving Plaza)
After slogging through "If That Were Me," Mel C's obligatory "We Are the World"-pop-poverty mea culpa that appears on her 1999 solo debut, "Northern Star" (Virgin), the Spice Girl dipped her hand into the front row of the sold-out New York audience and produced a shanty banner that read: "We Love Scouser." The move could have meant one of a couple of things. One, Sporty Spice merely wanted to show an industrious group of fans some love; or, two -- and more likely -- the singer had some idea what "scouser" could have stood for and wanted to comment on it.
As it turned out, a "scouser" is a Liverpuldian, as Mel C, holding the banner in front of her to the crowd, informed the clueless (Sporty, aka Melanie Chisholm, was born in Liverpool). But only die-hards, it seems, or really astute Beatles fans would have been familiar with the word.
And that's exactly what the Mel C phenomenon has become: an insider's clique with its own way of dress (tight tank tops, work-out sweats, and sneakers), its own schizophrenic sound (is it dance or is it rock?), and its own patois. This minor, Judy Garland-like cult also stands to represent one of only a few places on the radio-ready pop landscape hospitable to both young "and" old dolls "and" guys (the latter, a segment of the market as-of-yet untapped by the Spice Girls or any of the others' individual efforts).
Sporty Spice, who writes or co-writes all her material, earns a lot of the applause and affection (hats, shirts, assorted pieces of cloth) thrown her way, as her hour-long performance here indicated. Going through every song off "Northern Star" in a businesslike fashion and staying true to the sonorities of the studio material, Mel C and her band -- Paul Gendler on guitar, Fergus Gerrand on drums, Claire Nicolson on guitar and vocals, Beth Symmons on bass and vocals, and Arden Hart on keyboards and vocals -- at times turned their music into a physical presence that could neither be ignored nor readily dismissed.
Mel C, though a tad bit bulkier than what we've grown used to seeing, apparently hasn't lost any of that Spice Girls training on how to present one's self on stage. With a deadly serious expression on her face, she twirled her hands above her head as if climbing some invisible rope during the flamenco-influence riffage of "Closer," and danced a punk-inspired pogo to her handful of grungy, alt-rock jams. The crowd mimicked her moves or bopped their heads along in merry measure. They also waved their hands in the air a la the audience in "Purple Rain" during ballads "Northern Star" and the Beatles-esque "Suddenly Monday." Exuding confidence and being able to connect musically with an audience is a sure-fire way to win it over. Chalk one up for Sporty.
Arranging her set in such a way as to be done with the balladry while crowd interest and enthusiasm remained high only, to rock out into the latter half of the show, proved a smart move. The exact moment the performance began to coalesce into something resembling an honest rock'n'roll experience occurred during the last chorus of "Why," when guitarist Gendler cranked out the song's crunchy barre-chorded theme in heavy reverb.
The rest of the band, which up until this point had seemingly been satisfied with hitting its cues on time, embraced the anthemic vibe. So did Mel C, who had seemed content keeping her otherwise sturdy voice in check. After getting through "If That Were Me," the British lass had the audacity to intone the words so many an arena-rock giant has uttered before her (sans irony): "Do you know what time it is?" (Pause.) "It's time to rock!" The place went nuts. Rock -- at least as much as a Spice Girl can -- she and her band indeed did, working up a sweat on the chunky "Going Down," "Ga Ga" and, after "Suddenly Monday," the moody, ethereal "Feel the Sun," and the R&B house-shaker "Never Be the Same Again."
The pleasantness throughout the venue appeared to have been Mel C's reward for a volatile past half-a-year of less-than-perfect touring. "Northern Star" hasn't done so well, though "I Turn to You" has received a modest amount of club play. All Sporty's looking for is a little love; good thing her ubiquitous hardcore fans are willing to reciprocate.
-- Anthony Mariani, N.Y.
From the 3am column in The Mirror:
FORGET about the Caribbean - we hear Mel C has her eye on a lovely little bolt-hole on Tenerife. She's been poring over details of a swish new apartment on a hillside near Puerto de Santiago.
Article: http://www.mirror.co.uk/shtml/3AM/P23S8.shtml
From Canoe.ca:
TORONTO -- There was a Spice Girl in our midst last night. Or was there?
Melanie C, aka Sporty Spice, the group member who has wavered the most on her status in the biggest musical export from England since the Beatles, put on her second solo show in Toronto at the Guvernment.
And her casual style -- a pink sleeveless T-shirt, jeans and runners -- stripped-down stage and lights, and no-nonsense five-piece band were about as far away from Spice Girls' flash as you could get.
But that didn't stop many very young girls -- accompanied by their parents -- from turning out for last night's performance, which was almost a carbon copy of the one Mel C delivered a year-and-a-half ago at the same club around the time her solo debut, Northern Star, was released.
One big difference is that she refused to trot out a Spice Girls song -- last time it was a rocked-up version of their huge hit Wannabe --and stuck to her own solo material, including some enticing dance remixes of Feel The Sun and I Turn To You, plus her duet with Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, When You're Gone.
Adams, of course was no where to be found so Mel C asked the healthy, if not sold-out, crowd: "Will you be my Bryan?"
The answer, naturally, was a resounding: "Yes!"
Particularly after Mel C went on about how much she liked our country.
"I have this thing for Canadians," she said.
To be fair, there was a lot more animation in her performance this time out, but despite some Flashdance-worthy moves, this girl is a singer, not a dancer.
In fact, when the Spice Girls were still a going concern, she was widely considered the only one with a decent set of pipes.
Other highlights included the uptempo pop songs Go and Ga Ga, and the pretty, poignant song about the homeless, If That Were Me.
Not so good was the ill-executed rocker, Goin' Down.
Hopefully, too, as Mel C continues her solo career -- work on her second solo album is scheduled to start next month -- she'll get a bit of style.
With her messy blond hair and tattooed arms, she looked more like a pool shark than an entertainer, so when it came time for her to emote during such slow songs as Northern Star, it was kind of hard to take her seriously.
Her lack of formality certainly didn't stop audience members, a few carrying placards and wearing "I Love Melanie C" headbands, from waving their arms over their heads in time to the song.
Spice love, it seems, is forever in some quarters.
Thanks fiona33 from Dotmusic forum:
Sunday, April 8,2001 By WILL ROMANO
From Sunday's New York Post:
Amid all the hype and hoopla at the height of the Spice Girls' popularity, Melanie Jayne Chisholm (aka Sporty Spice) was the one member of the group who didn't attract attention. While other members of her beloved (and hated) band grabbed headlines, she remained in the shadows, away from the glare of the spotlight. Now, with the quartet on hiatus, Chisholm - or Melanie C, as she calls herself these days - has ventured into solo territory.
"I wanted to be recognized as an individual, not just as part of a band," she says.
Her diverse dance-rock debut, "Northern Star," proves what critics have been saying for years: Sporty is the most talented of the ladies.
Thanks to veteran producers Rick Nowels and William Orbit (Madonna's collaborator for "Ray Of Light"), "Northern Star" is more sophisticated than anything Melanie C has done in the past.
The album, which was released last October, spawned the club hit "I Turn to You." And another single, "Feels So Good," was a top-five hit on the U.K. singles chart in February.
"Going solo has meant writing more mature material," explains Melanie C, who has just embarked on her first North American tour and plays Irving Plaza Saturday.
Her success comes at a time when Spice mania has hit an all-time low. The group's last effort, "Forever," the first without Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice, who left the group in 1998), was a commercial flop. It sold a paltry 187,000 units, according to SoundScan, and the Girls did not tour in support of the record.
"We were not given the proper time to promote it, and our priorities had changed," explains Melanie C. "We missed our friends and families. Two of the girls are mums."
Considering the Spice Girls' poor showing and Melanie C's successful solo career, members of the press have been predicting that the girl from Liverpool would part ways with the group that made her career. Last month, it appeared they were right when she told Reuters, "I don't intend to do any more work with the Spice Girls."
During her interview with The Post, however, Melanie C said it wasn't so - that she wasn't going anywhere. "I'm not leaving the Spice Girls," she says.
"We have no plans of not being a band anymore. We spent so much time being the Spice Girls, we figured we wanted to dedicate time to ourselves."
Elizabeth Freund, Melanie C's publicist, offers: "[Melanie's] focus is her solo career, but that does not mean she has left the band."
Her status with the Spice Girls aside, Melanie C has not always communicated well with the media. When she canceled recent U.K. tour dates, many presumed it was because of depression, a condition that she's wrestled with for the last two years.
"I won't deny that I've suffered from depression, but the tabloids tried to make a story of it," she explains. "I canceled the shows because I got the flu."
Still, gossip persists. Always simmering under the surface are rumors about her sexual orientation. "I'm not gay," she says matter-of-factly. "My sexuality is nobody's business. Am I supposed to represent what a lesbian looks like?"
In any case, this is not the same Melanie C who once made track suits a fashion statement for her 12-year-old fans. Today's Melanie forgoes athletic garb in favor of tight, midriff-baring clothes and frosts her hair blond (she has even worn it in a short, spiked cut).
Even her fans have changed. When she takes the stage at Irving Plaza next weekend, the 27-year-old singer expects the audience will be a bit different from the masses she looked out on in her concert days as a Spice Girl.
"Spice Girls fans were quite young," she says, "but people my own age and even couples are coming to my shows now."
From The Mirror:
Spice girl Mel C worked up a real sweat as she played to a sell-out crowd in Los Angeles.
She thrilled the 500-strong crowd in the city's Roxy nightclub as part of her two-month US tour.
And playing to a packed house isn't the only way the singer has been working up some perspiration.
Since jetting to the US Mel, who has developed a powerful physique, has been keeping fit with a rigorous exercise regime.
A friend said: "Mel goes jogging whenever she can and tries to get to the gym every day. She may look a little heavy but she feels better than she has done in ages." Mel's touring hasn't been all fun though.
Last week the singer had to abandon a concert in Calgary, Canada, after her fans tried to storm the stage.
Clearly shaken, the 27-year-old singer cut her song short as the screaming teens tried to grab her.
Last month Mel said she no longer wanted to work with the Spice Girls, saying: "I just feel that I want to do things my own way and not compromise."
Article: http://www.mirror.co.uk/shtml/NEWS/P13S2.shtml
Thursday, April 5, 2001
Mel C hot on solo career as she begins next album
By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun
Melanie C, previously known as Sporty Spice, plays the Guvernment on Monday night.
Sound familiar? It should.
The fact that she played the same venue on behalf of her solo debut album, Northern Star, in October 1999, isn't lost on her either.
"It is a longer show now and it's 100 times better," she is saying down the line from London recently. "(Before) we'd only just gone out on the road. We'd only had a few weeks rehearsal and were quite new. But now we've had a lot more experience. So it is a very different show."
Mel C, who says the Spice Girls have no plans to work together for the next year, said she also feels more comfortable as a frontwoman. She's backed by a five-piece band.
"I'm just getting more experienced. I'm having a great time on stage. I've always loved it, but it's not as frenzied as it used to be. I think I'm a bit more in control now."
In other words, it's less about screaming fans and Spice Girls-style choreographed moves and more about singing.
"It's funny because I used to dance -- I was a dancer for years -- but I've never liked singing and dancing at the same time. I think so much is lost in the singing then. For me, it's about music. You're trying to express yourself with song, and it's just getting messed up by thinking about dance routines and timing and everything. I think it's a bit of a '90s thing."
Much like the Spice Girls themselves, whose last album, Forever, stiffed, leading to widespread speculation that the group would disband. Mel C's own comments, in particular, helped fuel the breakup rumours, most recently in an interview with Reuters, but the Spices remain together. All four members are pursuing solo careers, however.
"Everyone's got a fascination with all the relationships between the Spice Girls," says Mel C. "And you know, we're just like any group of friends. Sometimes we don't speak for a couple of weeks and then we'll call up each other or we'll go and hang out. It's just like any friendship, there's no big mystery to it."
But for Mel C, lingering Spice Girl memories meant that her solo album -- which has sold 40,000 copies in Canada and 2.2 million worldwide -- took a while to catch on.
"I think people were quite skeptical at first. It took a long time for them to get over the Sporty Spice tag and, like anybody, I'm not a one-dimensional person. I think just as more singles have come out and more people become aware of the music, they realize that it is good."
Her most successful markets, per capita, have been Northern Europe and Scandinavia.
"It's quite bizarre -- all northern territories went for it, so my next album's going to have to be called 'Southern something,' jokes Mel C.
She hopes to begin recording her second solo album next month and has already expressed the desire to hook up with Eminem as a duet partner. As for others on her wish list, Mel C said a duet with The Material Girl isn't in the works.
"Madonna is someone I've longed to work with for a long, long time, but I don't know whether it's the right time. She's living in London now, but I've never approached her. I'm sure she's heard the rumours, so I'd have to wait until I have enough courage to ask her, really." (More on: Spice Girls).
Mike Roberts The Province
April 1 2001.
Reuters / Spice Girl Mel C brings her solo act to Massey Theatre in New Westminster.
Melanie Chisholm is on the phone from her home in London, England.
She says to "'ang on a minute" because her cat's "going to the toilet." Then she scoots over and closes the window on the nerve-gnawing wail of a police car chase.
"Sorry," says Mel across the digitally-enhanced divide. "It's rather noisy at the moment."
Sure this sounds like a humdrum slice of urban mundanity but consider this: Just two short years ago, Sporty Spice would absolutely NOT be calling up a reporter in little old Vancouver, least of all apologizing for her pets and local constabulary.
Nor would she be headlining at a community theatre adjacent to a suburban high school in New Westminster.
For five years, Mel C (she's dropped Sporty Spice) was one-fifth of the most-famous female fivesome on Earth. Spice World. The Nelson Mandela kiss. Girl Power. The Prince Charles pinch. 40 million records sold.
'NOT SPLITTING UP'
And now, like a Chinese puzzle pulled apart, each of the Spice Girls -- Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton, Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham and Mel C has decided to focus on their respective solo careers and put the Spice Girls on hold.
"There's no way that we're going to be splitting up," insists Mel C, discounting the rumours that Spice is over. "We're happy to be together; we don't want to end that chapter just yet."
Mel C, reinvented and repackaged with her gold-capped tooth and 10 tattoos, is in the middle of a tour that brings her to Massey Theatre today singing from her two-year-old solo album, Northern Star.
The girl who grew up in Liverpool listening to Wham! and Madonna, her stepdad's Beatles records and her mom's Stevie Wonder albums says she always wanted to sing.
"I always wanted to be a pop star," she says. "But it's very different to how you imagine it when you're six years old. I never thought it would turn out like it has, being part of one the biggest bands in the world and being a phenonenom and meeting fantastic people like Nelson Mandela. It really is quite amazing where music can take ya. I'm blessed, I feel very lucky."
I ask Melanie C, the one they claim can actually sing, at which moment during the whole Spice World-wind, did she step back and say, "Wow! This is it, I've arrived!"?
"Going to America, to Hollywood when we had the movie premiere at the Chinese Theatre and there was all the crowds there and we arrived on this big bus," she replies. "That was pretty amazing. And picking up awards and going to places I'd never imagined I'd go to -- Bangkok, Singapore, the Middle East, places growing up in England you never think you're going to get to."
Despite the jet-setting, flashbulb, A-list lifestyle, the attention and adoration of Spice fans (which she finds "comical" but "very flattering"), Melanie C says her private life is a down-to-earth affair.
"I do yoga," she says. "I generally like just chilling out, watching films, watching TV, going out with my friends for dinner -- not many of my friends are celebrities, I've got lots of good friends from school, from college -- regular stuff.
"In England, most people recognize me, like 95 per cent," she adds. "But people are cool, you know, they shout, 'Sporty!' or whatever. I get a lot of people coming up to me and giving me compliments 'cause I do get a hard time by the press here."
Like all her Spice sisters, Mel C has taken her knocks from the British tabloids.
PALS WITH BRYAN
"It's weird; they do build you up to knock you down," she says. "And then they build you up again. They just want you to play the game and I'm not interested. It's just a very, very personal thing. I'm quite a sensitive person and sometimes it really, really hurts. I used to enjoy reading magazines, music magazines, girl magazines and newspapers. But even in girl magazines they can have cruel comments about you and it just upsets me."
Still, between upsets, Mel C finds time to pal around with Nicole and Natalie Appleton of All Saints fame, pop diva Madonna and Vancouver's own Bryan Adams.
I ask Mel C about Bryan, her friend and musical collaborator who now, like Madonna, calls London home.
"Mr. Adams?" she says. "I spoke to him about a month ago. I was telling him that I was touring there (Vancouver) but our dates hadn't been confirmed at the time. I need to give him a call and let him know because he was saying, 'You've gotta play Vancouver, Mel!'"
Adams, along with Beastie Boys/Red Hot Chili Peppers producer Rick Rubin, Madonna collaborator Marius De Vries, members of Black Grape, Beck and Blur, is just one of the knob-twirlers on Mel C's solo album.
"It was very individual to me so, of course, it's going to be very different from anything I've done with the Spice Girls," says Mel C, of an album that touches on everything from R&B to trance. "Visually I've changed in lots of ways but really just because of things that happened in my life, or I've got bored with the colour of my hair, or fashion changes. It's not really that premeditated, the whole image thing."
Whether the component parts of a Chinese puzzle are as fascinating as the whole remains to be seen. But I ask Mel C what the Spice sisters think of her debut solo effort.
"They're cool," she says. "Everyone says they like my stuff. Everyone's been working on their own stuff and it's all quite different. We're all just really excited. It'd be great if we could be successful solo artists as well as being the Spice Girls."
Mel C surprises with an entertaining show
Mike Roberts The Province
April 2th 2001.
"Angie! Angie! Wait up! Wait up!"
With that -- and several hundred other high-pitched hollers -- the three security dudes sitting down on the job in front of Mel C's stage last night were taken completely off guard.
A collective burst of pubescent energy surged down the aisles of New Westminster's Massey Theatre just moments before the former Sporty Spice clipped on her sound rig and launched into an evening that would surprise many, including this relentless Spice basher.
It would be pretty easy to criticize Mel C and her attempts to ride the ebbing tide of Spice glory with her solo album (Northern Star) and international tour, and I was fully prepared to do it.
But last night, Melanie C put on a crowd-pleasing show that punched all the buttons and hit all the marks.
There were kids riding their dads' shoulders, twentysomethings waving glowsticks, guys in Hooters and Maple Leafs jerseys screaming: "We love you Mel!" No kidding.
Mel C, who has filled out considerably since her last visit to Vancouver, still managed to shake and shimmy like the sex-charged singer she became during her five years with the Spice sisters.
She opened the concert first with "Go!" and "Northern Star" and then "Be the One." The crowd ate it up. Then she launched into "Closer," a salsa/R&B-flavoured number that had this cynic's neck tingling.
The band was glamorous and groovin' and kept the mood in a constant state of flux. Mel C rocked right out (she even did the Wayne's World air guitar routine several times) with "Why" and "Goin' Down," a high-voltage, massive-impact number which was one of the evening's highlights, and about as far from Spice's sugar pop as it gets.
Mel was obviously having a great time of it, accepting bouquets during ballads, fisting the air and slapping fans' hands during the heavier numbers.
By press time, she had not tapped into anything off the Spice rack but she didn't have to. Listening to Mel C sing last night like she did on the trance-flavoured, industrial-dance-edged song "Feel the Sun" and it was obvious Mel C's got the chops to put Spice behind her.
From All Pop:
Friday, March 30, 2001
By STEVE TILLEY -- Edmonton Sun
As a Spice Girl, she's enjoyed and endured both ends of the celebrity scrutiny spectrum - from legions of loyal fans hanging off her every move to the media snarkily speculating about her weight, sexuality and mental health.
Somehow, Melanie Chisholm, a.k.a. Mel C, a.k.a. Sporty Spice, manages to remain surprisingly chipper through it all. From the tracksuit-wearing, jump-kicking, soccer-loving Spice Girl to a somewhat rangier, raunchier, solo rocker-chick (who still loves soccer), Melanie has "C-een" it all. Including that really bad pun.
Mel C plays the Winspear Centre tonight to perform tracks from her solo album Northern Star, a far cry from the HMV stage at Der Mega Mall where she played last December.
We caught up with her by phone while she was recuperating at her London pad between tour stops.
SUN: Almost since the beginning you've been singled out as the most talented of the Spice Girls. Has it ever caused tension within the group?
MEL C: We've all had lots of compliments but we've all had lots of put-downs as well. To keep our feet on the ground, we've always tried not to listen to any of it, really, and just gone on and done what we've wanted to. All the Spice Girls are very talented, I don't think we would have been as successful as we were if there were any weak links.
SUN: Are you satisfied with the sales of Northern Star?
MEL C: It's done brilliantly. I hadn't envisaged how successful I wanted it to be, I just kind of went with the flow. It was quite a slow start and it took quite a while for some people to see me as more than Sporty Spice. But I think it's a great album and I'm very proud of it.
SUN: A couple of your bandmates are now Spice Moms. Any plans to get hitched and start a brood of little Mels?
MEL C: No, I'm quite happy. I'm just kind of dating guys and stuff and I'm having fun and being youthful.
SUN: Since you've struck out on your own, has the attention from the British popular press let up at all?
MEL C: It feels like it's getting worse. Not personally, but just generally. They're becoming more and more cruel, offensive and intrusive. It comes in waves. All they need is a comment I've said so they can blow it out of proportion, or a picture that isn't very flattering of me and they make (a big deal) out of that.
More recently I had to postpone some dates on the UK tour because I was recovering from an illness where I'd lost my voice. That was purely the reason why I was doing it, but they (the British papers) just put it down to mental problems and my depression returning, which was completely untrue.
SUN: Would you have preferred to have kept your bout with depression out of the media entirely? (Newspapers revealed last October that Chisholm was taking antidepressants. She says she's since recovered.)
MEL C: I definitely wouldn't have spoke about it in the tabloids. Maybe in my own time when I felt ready to talk about it I would have chosen a good publication and a good journalist to speak to about it. But somebody leaked to the newspaper that I was taking antidepressants.
I think it's a very serious subject and it's pushed under the carpet in this country, and people wrongly think it's something to be ashamed of.
SUN: What do you think of the whole Popstars phenomenon, and the fact record companies no longer even try to pretend that they're not prefabricating bands?
MEL C: I think it makes everything we've done look cheap, and people think that's the way the Spice Girls started. It was not like that at all. I just hope (the Popstars winners) are happy. They're in a very controlled environment, I feel like they've already been exploited by having shown all their emotions on TV.
It's just so easy for a record company or a management company to invest in some kids with an ounce of talent, and work them to death to make them famous, and then drop everything in a few years when they've milked everything they can out of it.
SUN: I'm going to name some Canadian female music stars, and I'd like you to tell me if you've heard them. First, Alanis Morissette.
MEL C: I love Alanis Morissette, she's great. I went to see her show two years ago when I was in L.A. and she just blew me away.
SUN: Shania Twain.
MEL C: She's not really my taste, but I really respect her for what she's done.
SUN: Nelly Furtado.
MEL C: No, I don't know ... oh, yes I do! Does she sing that song, 'I'm like a bird ...' Yeah, I love her! She's been on MTV all over the place and we're all singing it, it's a really catchy song. Lovely! I didn't know she was Canadian. We were all trying to figure out where she was from.
SUN: And how about Mitsou?
MEL C: Um ... no.
Article: http://www.canoe.ca/AllPop-MelC/010330_int-sun.html
From All Pop:
Thursday, March 29, 2001
U.K. solo star and Spice Girl Mel C joined her fans for a live chat on Thursday, March 29. We have the full transcript!
Animal56: Hi Mel! My daughter and I both think your spiffy! (I think your are beautiful too! Shh!). Our question is: What do you think of Canada?
Mel C: I love Canada and I've spent quite a bit of time here. I've got family in Toronto and I also came because of the Spice Girls, all my fans have been really supportive. But Alberta always seems to be cold when I'm here. I have to come back when it's warmer.
Allyson: Hi Melanie ....I just wanna tell you that your the best singer and your my idol!!!!well here's my question: I have heard that maybe you will make a song with Madonna well i really don't know if this is true and only you can tell ...but i think this can be too much good ...well c ya in april in montreal!!!!! Love ya AllysoNxx A big fan!!!
Mel C: Thank you! I'd love to do a song with Madonna and I hope that one day that will be possible but there are no plans at the moment.
Christine Cope: What kind of sound is gonna be on the new album? Is it going to be similar to Northern Star?
Mel C: I think its going to be similar in a lot of ways mainly because I want to keep it quite eclectic, I'm going to work with some of the same people and some different people too. I don't wanna say yet who cause I'm not sure yet. I don't want to jinx it.
James: do you prefer playing small or large shows?
Mel C: It's very different and very enjoyable for different reasons. In a large venue...the size of it makes you become more animated and free but small venues have better acoustics and its more intimate with the crowd. I think that's my favourite.
Joy: What's one song you're really looking forward to singing on the tour? Do you have an special memories connected with it?
Mel C: Actually, probably the best song in the show because its such a great big hit and its a dance song..I always look forward to I Turn To You.
Tenille Jackson: Hi Melanie! I just wanted to say that I love the new video for "If That Were Me" and I can't wait for another solo album from you. My question is, what has been the most significant moment of your life thus far? Thanks
Mel C: Wow! I think my life so far has been so amazing, I've been so blessed, the Spice Girls were amazing, but being successful as an individual is something that's really important to me...it makes me feel like I'm able to carry on and continue working in music for the rest of my life hopefully.
Jenni: Hi, Melanie. How do you feel about the "Popstars" shows around the world? What do you think of Hear'Say and Eden's Crush? Thank you.
Mel C: The only one I'm familiar with is Hearsay, I watch the show, I thought it was quite difficult for the people involved. I thought they were very exploited, it was a great big publicity stunt. It makes pop music in a very bad state cause its so contrived and manufactured. The kids in the groups are very talented but the people behind them are exploiting them. I wish the kids all the luck in the world but I don't really like the ones behind them who are actually making the money.
Jamenda: How does it feel to be a solo artist and also be in a group? Plus, so you have any advice to give to anybody who would like to become a pop star like you?
Mel C: First of all, I feel very lucky to even...to be a Spice Girl...also, to be able to go on and have a solo career alongside it is lucky. As far as aspiring to a music career, I think really you need to have lots of faith in yourself,keep trying, lots of people will tell you you're rubbish but it happened for me so it can happen for me too.
Heleen and Marloes: are there any plans to collaborate with other artists?
Mel C: There are lots of people I'd like to collaborate with. I'd like to work with Dr. Dre and Eminem, I'd love to work with Lenny Kravitz one day and of course Madonna, but I don't have any plans as yet.
Bergen: Thanks for sharing the great voice! It's one of my favourites. Can you tell me, who are a few of your favourite voices, past or present?
Mel C: WOW! Ummm, Annie Lennox, I love Fiona Apple, Aretha Franklin, Whitney, Mariah, Christina Aguilera, Tina Turner, I like people who are individual, an individual style. Stevie Wonder, Oh my God I love his voice.
Paula: Hi Melanie, I love your solo album!! just wondering if you really are "sporty" (you look like you are in great shape) and what sport do you like to play?
Mel C: I used to be very sporty when I was younger. When I was at school I was in gymnastics, football, hockey but now I go to the gym, I lift weights and I do yoga. I'm not as sporty but I'm still quite active.
Harry Wong: Hey Melanie! I am one of your BIGGEST fans and I'll be watching you perform here in Vancouver. I was wondering what are some of your goals and what you'd like to accomplish in the future of your career?
Mel C: For me, I've been so lucky to achieve so many of my dreams, but I never stop dreaming. My goal is to maintain a successful solo career and hopefully surpass it and be happy. The second album will be out in 2002, maybe fall.
Nick: I love your tattoos! Where do you get them done, how many do you have, and do you plan on getting any more? Where will you get your next one?
Mel C: I've got 10 , I have them in different places, I got quite a few in L.A., one in Italy, one in London, one in Amsterdam, one in Manchester. I don't have any plans at the moment for another one but I might change my mind. Usually my favourite are my latest ones - on my wrist, they say love and happiness in Tibetan.
SSC: Hi Melanie! Glad you're chatting with us! What did you think of working with Bryan Adams on "When you're gone"
Mel C: I'm very happy to be chatting! I adore Bryan. I was very flattered to sing on a track with him. Since then we've become really good friends. He's taught me so much. I'm happy to be good friends with a good Canadian.
w & j: Melanie, we'll be at your Toronto gig...how would you describe your live shows?
Mel C: If you like the album you'll love the show. We play all the songs, some of them are a bit different live. It's a real emotional roller coaster. My stuff is very different in style, I just hope to make you as exhausted as I am by the end of the night. It's got lots of energy and emotion and a wicked band.
Youm: Hi Melanie! What music cd in your cd player right now?
Mel C: I was in the gym today and I was listening to The Offspring. I like them, I'm quite hooked on the first one (cd) it gets me motivated.
L.K. from Canada: What are the worst habits you have?
Mel C: Well, I used to crack my knuckles but I stopped that...ummmmm...actually I'm a bit of a perfectionist, everything I do, it's never good enough, I always think I should have done better. That can be annoying for people around me.
chris hannam: next time the spice girls tour do you think that you will mix the show with solo and spice material?
Mel C: That's something that we've discussed. I don't think we'd ever do that really. We feel they're really separate projects. If the Spice Girls tour again it will be a Spice Girls show. The story so far is all Spice Girls are concentrating on solo careers but nobody has left the band, we're still together but we have no plans at the moment.
Christine Cope: Hey Mel!! Thanks a bunch for asking my question I got another one, how long does it take you to write a song? P.S YOU ROCK!! & Can't wait to see u in 12 days
Mel C: That really depends, some songs, Wannabe we wrote in about 20 minutes. But sometimes it can take a day, 3 days, you can start it and come back to it a week later. It depends. Generally, the best songs are the ones that just happen very quickly and they just flow really quickly.
Jen: Hiya Melanie!!! I saw you at MuchMusic back in December and you were wicked!!! Is there one thing you would change in the past? If so what would it be?
Mel C: I don't think so, I'm in a really great place right now. I'm proud to be able to tour as a solo artist. I don't think I've made career mistakes. I have personal things like I wish I hadn't had that donut.
Chad : Any opening acts for the tour? Are you planning on "discovering" a new group or artist as so many performers are doing now?
Mel C: What I'm doing in Canada is using some local talent. They'll be various plans playing at the gigs. Its been difficult to find people who are available and appropriate. But there are lots of people I'd like to tour with.
TJ Millin : He Mel!!! Being from Liverpool did the Beatles any influence on you?
Mel C: I was very lucky when I was young that my mom and step-dad are both musicians so I was introduced to a lot of great music early on and the Beatles were one of the bands I listened to. I still listen to them quite a lot. I used to listen to a lot of Stevie Wonder and Motown stuff, Deep Purple, quite an unusual mixture, Ike & Tina Turner.
joel: Hi, how are you, what do you do after a show?
Mel C: IAfter the show, generally there aren't too many parties I can go to cause I've got to jump on a bus. I like to take it easy. I like to sit on the bus and giggle about the show and relax because its been a long day.
Catou: I'd like to be a singer, do you have any advice?
Mel C: My advice would be to her: If you're serious about being a singer, you need to protect your voice. Don't smoke, don't drink too much. Exercise your voice. Don't let yourself get cold. Then, professionally, keep singing and meet lots of people and keep trying and good luck!
Mel C: I just want to thank everybody for logging on. I hope my answers were sufficient and I'm very excited to be here in Canada and I hope to see lots of you at my show.
Article: http://www.canoe.ca/AllPop-MelC/010329_chat-can.html
From The Calgary Sun, Canada today...
thanks Liverbird_SA from dotmusic:
March 30, 2001
By LISA WILTON -- Calgary Sun She may be a member of one of the most successful girl groups of all time, but judging from the less-than sold-out crowd at the Jack Singer Concert Hall last night, Melanie Chisholm -- a.k.a. Mel C a.k.a. Sporty Spice --has some distance to go before she's fully accepted on her own.
While her first solo album Northern Star is uneven, there are sparks of creative energy which were present last night as she entertained the receptive and excited crowd of about 1,100.
Mel C -- who was dubbed Indie Spice by the British press for having more street cred than the other Spices -- has an undeniably strong and admirable stage presence. While most of the sexy, choreographed Spice moves were gone -- replaced with a few spirited James Brown-esque moves -- there was still a few leftover hip shakes.
Clad in worn blue jeans and a sleeveless green T-shirt, Mel C exuded an unsinkable enthusiasm that captivated the audience. Mel C is a competent and confident performer and an extremely accomplished vocalist. Backed by a well-oiled five piece band, she ran the gamut of pop and heavier alternative rock -- to even a bluesy number.
By STEVE TILLEY -- Edmonton Sun
EDMONTON -- It's almost too bad that Melanie Chisholm is a Spice Girl.
That's a lot of baggage for any performer to carry, even one as peppy as She Who Shall Be Called Sporty.
Luckily, Melanie C was more than up to the task of proving she's not some sad Ringo Starr-esque novelty act when she bounded onto the stage at the stately Winspear Centre last night, glowing like a Liverpudlian Easter bunny making an early visit.
Backed by a watertight five-piece band, Melanie C gave the mostly female, mostly under-18 crowd exactly what they (presumably) came for - a solid hour-and-a-bit of music, performing her entire solo debut Northern Star from one end to the other and mixing it up with some chatty banter and lots of shakin' of her blue-jean-clad booty.
Kicking off with the first two tracks on her album, Go and Northern Star, Mel C spent some time getting the audience up to Sporty speed. Maybe it was the keep-your-bum-in-your-seat rule of the Winspear or maybe it was the percentage of slightly wary parents in the crowd, but it wasn't until Mel was sweatin' through her sleeveless pink top that the fans seemed to really get into her groove.
Battling a sound mix that didn't give her voice the space it deserved - at times it seemed like her microphone was off completely, and only lung power was getting the song across - the solo Spice wiggled, strutted and windmilled her way through all the tricks in her bag, from the melancholy homelessness tune If That Were Me to the trance-flavoured Feel the Sun to the tasty pop confection Suddenly Monday to the loud n' raunchy Goin' Down. (Earlier on, when Melanie flipped a double bird while singing about mean men, you could practically hear the parental types in the audience squirming in their seats. This isn't your eldest daughter's Spice Girl!)
The only weird point - not counting Mel C getting randy with a mike stand in front of an auditorium of teenage girls - was When You're Gone, her duet with Bryan Adams ... minus Bryan Adams. The feedback squeal at the end didn't help, either. (Fire the sound guy, please.)
For Never Be the Same Again, the final song before her encore, Mel C told Winspear security to chill and ordered everyone out of their seats. And when the audience sang the final verse, a cappella and in perfect unison - hell, it sounded like a children's church choir. Lumpy throat time.
Opening act Tariq, a funky folkster from Calgary, was perfectly solid and engaging. Lots of variety. The Spice of life.
From Dotmusic:
Sat 31 Mar 2001
Mel C cut a performance in Canada short when she stormed off as excited fans rushed the stage.
15 Canadian fans at Calgary's Jack Singer Concert Hall made a dash for the stage and grabbed the Spice Girl mid-song.
Mel was clearly shaken by the incident and dashed from the stage, cutting her encore short as the screaming teens attempted to get hold of her.
"She was just singing 'I Turn To You' when the kids climbed up onto the stage," an onlooker explained. "It must have been pretty scary for her."
"The concert hall is usually used for classical concerts so I suppose the security wasn't expecting anything like that to happen. But she looked really shaken, and when one of the girls grabbed on to her to give her a hug she walked off stage."
Article: http://www.dotmusic.co.uk/news/March2001/news18971.asp
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to write a few words to let you know I'm still around, I'm still thinking about you and I haven't collapsed from tour exhaustion!!
The last few days have been really brilliant. I've been touring hard and it's been great. I love being on the road, I just love it. On 17 March we played at the Kremlin Palace, which is an incredible venue. It wasn't a full gig - just a few songs - but it was excellent fun and you'll be able to see it on MTV sometime soon. The following day was a really special one for me - I played to my largest audience ever as a solo artist. We packed over 9000 fans into The Ice Palace in St Petersburg, Russia and had a fantastic show - it felt amazing to be on stage looking out at so many people!!
After playing in Tallinn (Estonia) and then Helsinki, I finally made it back home to London for a few days of chilling. But as usual, I didn’t stay very long and I’m currently relaxing my body and throat in Texas, USA, before making my way up to Calgary for the first gig of the American/Canadian tour on 29 March. Check out the dates below to keep up with my movements for the next few weeks.
Right, I'm off to read as many of your emails as I can! Watch out for a letters page update in the next few days.
Loads of Love
Melanie C
xx
From Dominic Mohan's 'bizarre' column in The Sun:
FOOT-In-Mouth Spice Mel C, right, is in troubled water again - by saying Hear'Say make the Spice Girls look tacky.
Before a gig in Canada she said: "People think that's how the Spice Girls started. But it was not like that at all.
"I think it makes everything we've done look cheap. I hope Hear'Say are happy. They're in a very controlled environment, I feel like they've already been exploited."
Meanwhile, Hear'Say look set to become the first band to have their debut album and single top the charts at the same time this Sunday.
Pure And Simple is still No1 with 46,405 sales, while the album Popstars has sold 194,599.
Article: http://www.thesun.co.uk/bizarre/
Thanks SVETA:
MELANIE C WAS IN MOSCOW IN HER FIRST EVER RUSSIAN CONCERT .THE SHOW WAS IN THE KREMLIN 17 OF MARCH. SHE GAVE AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW TO NEWS BLOCK ON RUSSIAN MTV:
MEL- Hello, I'm Melanie C and I'm today with Alexander from MTV Russia. And I'm going to ask him, because he ask me lots! So tell me how are you?
VJ- I'm fine, glad to see you!
MEL- Well I'm fine too, I'm here for great concert. I'm very exciting .It is gonna be fine day. All my band is in this mood, therefore it will be great concert!
VJ- Do you like sweets?
MEL- I like sweets, but I try to not eat very much.
VJ- What kind of music do you like, I mean in time of rest?
MEL- I'm listening music a lot, I don't understand people who don't listen music, because it is universal means to raise mood and make you feel good. And I'm listening different music, for example, Dido, I've heard her album "NO ANGEL" recently. And I like Phiona Apple and generally women chant: Anni Lennoks, Tina Terner, Madonna. By the way I like Bloodhound Gang, they are cool guys, deride aptly American mode of life. One day I met... God I forget the name of the group... Uh, with Offspring, here they are cool guys, it was very funny with them.
VJ- Who is your idol, tell me this secret?
Mel- It is not a secret quite, everybody know that it is Madonna - she is always inspired me. In the childhood I dreamt to be a singer.
VJ- Tell us about your new album.
Mel- So new album... I will be recording it in England and a little in America with the same people with whom I recorded "Northern Star", though there will be some new people, so this album will be differ then previous.
VJ- Tell us about what styles of clothes do you wear: sporty?
Mel- Well, you know,it is my normal life. My normal life consists of television interviews and appearances. And I have clothes for appearances, for shopping, for partys is in one style and I don't make differences.
VJ- Can I assign you personal question?
Mel- Yes, but I may not to answer.
VJ- It is true that you were meeting with J from "Five"?
Mel- Ha Ha Ha (she is laughing loud)
VJ- It is very interesting to spectators, they are writing letters and asking. They are, not me!
MEL- I met J last year at Brits.
VJ- So it was Brit Awards.
Mel- We spent together a couple of months, that's all - it was not a romance .We are spending time cool together - nothing else.
VJ- I swear I didn't ask him, only you!
MEL- So did you or not?
VJ- I was talking with "Five" in Moscow, but I didn't ask this question.
Mel- Ah, that's OK.
VJ- And now another question: with whom do you now?
Mel- (she is laughing not loud)
VJ- Melanie, everybody wants to know it!
Mel- Everybody ask this question, is this have such a large mean? Everybody asking this questions, and I'm only laughing.....
VJ- Melanie, everybody wants to hear it!
Mel- It is very personal question. I don't have very serious relations with somebody, but I will keep my private life in secret!
VJ- What are you doing in your free time?
Mel- Well I'm very busy like everybody, but when I have it I spend it home, because I don't spend many time in England, as I want to. It is very nice to sit home, meet with friends, go to the restaurants...
VJ- And what about sport?
Mel- I like to watch football, frankly speaking I didn't watch it long and I don't play football as well - I have no time!
VJ- And a couple of exercises in a morning?
Mel- I try, and I go to yoga. I try to keep fit.
VJ- What is your favourite movie?
Mel- I have many favourites: I like movies that I watched in childhood - movies of 80th and I like movies of Quentin Tarantino, I like romantic comedies, sometimes movies for teenagers.
VJ- And cartoons?
Mel- I like "South park", sometimes I watch "Simpsons", but it was very long ago!
VJ- Who are your friends?
Mel- I have some friends with whom I learnt at school, with whom we friends from 8 - it is my 3 closest friends and people with whom I'm working - all my band - it is my friends! Everybody is my friends! And all my fans! Hey - you are my friends!
VJ- Wish me luck!
Mel- What for?
VJ- I'm going to do a program about you!
Mel- Ok, good luck, make it good! Ha,Ha (laughing)
Wednesday, March 28, 2001
Excess baggage
By MIKE BELL -- Calgary Sun
CALGARY -- Two words, five women and more baggage than a carousel at O'Hare on December 24: Spice Girls.
The music, the movie, the tours, the hit records, the magazine covers -- the mind reels at everything they accomplished and experienced in the past five years.
"On days when I do think about everything we've achieved, it does freak you out a little bit," says Melanie Chisholm (a.k.a. Sporty Spice, a.k.a. Melanie C), one of the four remaining Spice Girls.
"But when it becomes distant and it's further away since those crazy Spice Girls days in '96, '97, it's like, it feels like it didn't really happen."
But it did happen, for better or for worse, and now Chisholm and her mates are left to deal with the repercussions of being associated with one of the most famous pop music acts ever, even when they're doing something that's out from under the umbrella of the Spice Girls name.
Or maybe, as Chisholm found when she released her debut solo record Northern Star, that's especially when doing something non-Spice.
"I really didn't know what reaction I was going to get," Chisholm says from her London flat. "I think I was quite naive when I first embarked on releasing a solo record, because I thought people would give me a fair listening.
"I thought they'd listen and be quite open-minded, and I got the feeling that people were quite excited to hear what I'd done.
"But I forgot that a lot of people were very cynical, and it took quite a long time for people to realize that there is actually more to me than Sporty Spice. And I'm not a one-dimensional character."
Since its release in 1999, the eclectic and musically diverse Northern Star has now gone on to sell quite well at home and abroad for Chisholm, who performs tomorrow night at the Jack Singer Concert Hall.
And more importantly, it's also helped reach a new section of the population who might not have liked where she came from but could appreciate where she was going.
"As time has gone on people are very positive. I've won over a lot more fans and I've got a much wider audience," she says.
"I'm just pleased and I think now the album is getting the recognition it deserves."
Part of the reason for that could be because of the people she chose to collaborate with on her debut.
The immense list of producers, mixers and co-writers, includes everyone from electronic superstar William Orbit, who breathed new life into Madonna's career on her Ray of Light disc, to Def Jam mastermind Rick Rubin, who has worked with such diverse artists as Johnny Cash, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Slayer.
It says something about Chisholm's talent -- and clout -- that she could gather such a respected group of artists.
So too does it reveal a great deal about her that she saw the need to rely on so many others. "I think it's great, and I've got a lot of admiration for people who produce their own tracks, and they write them and they play all their instruments -- there are some amazing artists who do things like that," she says. "But I think I always like to use a collaboration because it brings something new and brings something out of you that you couldn't achieve on your own.
"So I'm the kind of person who likes to work with other people ... because I'm still quite young and I've still got a lot to learn in music."
What she's learned since the release of Northern Star will probably see the light of day early next year. As to what fans, new and old, can expect from her next outing, Chisholm says it will follow the path of her first -- the unexpected.
"It's really difficult to define what musical style I want to do because I'm really enjoying experimenting and doing different things at the moment."
Send in questions for the Mel C chat on March 29 @1p.m. (ET). Ask questions here.
http://www.allpop.com/AllPop-MelC/010328_melc-sun.html
Show: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Episode: 04/06/2001
Network: (NBC) National Broadcasting Company
Date: Friday - April 06, 2001
Time: 11:35 pm - 12:35 am ET
Featured Artists
Melanie C, Spice Girls
About: 04/06/2001
Music by Mel C.
Posted by Anki at Worldpop:
Melanie C to perform in Stockholm on the 31st of May. She will be the opening act at the Bon Jovi concert.
Wednesday 21 March 2001
Heath Jon McCoy
Dean Freeman photo, Virgin Music Canada / Melanie C, formerly Sporty Spice, had an international hit with her solo album Northern Star, but North American success still eludes her. She has said her Spice Girl days are definitely over.
"I love all the things the Spice Girls have done, but. . . I feel a bit old to be singing 'zigazig-ha' (Spice Girls' first hit, Wannabe) . . . How long can you sing that? Just the thought of it exhausts me."
Melanie C will perform at Jack Singer Concert Hall March 29. Tickets: $25 plus service charge, available at all TicketMaster outlets, 777-0000.
Back when she was Sporty Spice, Melanie Chisholm seemed like the down-to-earth Spice Girl.
She usually came across as sweet and she seemed sincere in interviews. While the other Spice Girls were dressed up as million dollar tarts, Chisholm looked like she was off to an aerobics class.
No snooty Londoner, she wore her tough northerner status (she's from Liverpool) proudly. She spoke with a lower-class accent and once playfully challenged scrappy Oasis singer Liam Gallagher to a tussle on the Brit Awards.
Sporty Spice was recognized simultaneously as the least glamorous and the most talented of the bunch, with a strong, fairly soulful singing voice.
Down-to-earth is not the best description for Chisholm, 27, or Melanie C, as she wants to be called these days. Loose cannon is more like it: she has kicked off a solo career amidst highly public struggles with depression, an eating disorder, and a Spicy past she trashes one minute and reluctantly defends the next.
The once bony, bubbly brunette has bulked up and found an edge. She's blonde now, with a gold-capped tooth, and she's covered in tattoos -- Chinese characters meaning woman and strength, a Celtic cross, a phoenix and a dragon among them.
Chisholm's true love is her solo career. Her 1999 solo debut, Northern Star, was an international smash, selling about 2.5 million copies.
But that success didn't translate into North America where the disc has sold only moderately well so far.
Here, it's mostly the ongoing soap opera that keeps her in the news. Will she bear up under the media cruelty haunting her, the mocking comments about her weight, mental state and supposed lesbianism, or will she snap one day?
"I love making music," said Chisholm in a recent phone interview with the Herald to promote her March 29 appearance at Jack Singer Concert Hall.
"If I give up and be a recluse or a hermit, then they would've won. All they're trying to do is sell newspapers and they don't really care how they affect people, so I generally try to ignore it.
"And I like a bit of a battle, so if people have bad things to say about me, I'm more than happy to prove them wrong."
Then there's the media's other fascination -- will she lash out, claws bared at the Spice Girls stigma she obviously feels suffocated by, or will she grin and play along?
Last November the Spice Girls released their latest disc, Forever, a critical and commercial bust that struggled to reach a million in sales -- radically unimpressive for a band that's sold 38 million albums worldwide. The same month Forever hit stores, the Spice Girls announced they would not tour to promote the record.
In an interview on British television, Chisholm let it slip she was unsatisfied being a Spice Girl, adding that her life had improved since she left the group. "I've been luckier since I left -- well, since I've been doing my own thing," she said. Then, she quickly corrected herself -- "Oh, I'm glad you didn't pick up on that."
The British press did pick up on it though, and almost immediately Chisholm issued a statement claiming her comments were taken out of context.
It's a dance with the media that continues to this day. Chisholm told the Herald: "We're friends, we're business partners and we're a band. At the moment we're not doing any work as a band, but we're still very much together."
But that same day, CNN.com reported Chisholm told Reuters she did not plan to keep working with the band.
"I don't intend to do any more work with the Spice Girls. . . . I've not been comfortable being in the Spice Girls for the last two years. . . . We're still linked business-wise. . . but I don't really consider myself to work as a band anymore."
The next day Melanie C took it back. Again, she said her comments were blown out of proportion.
Still, signs of a rift are clear. In an interview last month she told the Times of London she was angry with her fellow Spice Girls for playing nice with the paparazzi at the CD release party for Forever.
"Although I love the Spice Girls, I hate the media circus that surrounds them," she said.
"I wasn't prepared to be nice to certain journalists because they'd been openly disgusting. . . so I just told them to get out of my party. And I was angry that the other Girls were being polite to them. I didn't want them to do that.
"I'm sorry if that's not very professional, but my standards are higher than that. I thought the whole party was a pile of crap, so I decided to get very drunk."
She added: "I love all the things the Spice Girls have done, but . . . I feel a bit old to be singing 'zigazig-ha' (as she did on the Spice Girls' breakthrough hit, Wannabe). How long can you sing that? Just the thought of it exhausts me."
Melanie C also told the Herald the failure of Forever, panned for its bland, soft R&B turn, had more to do with the Girls' lack of promotion than the quality of the album. And, while she maintains she was very committed to the Spice Girls' new direction, she admits, "There was quite a lot of time I couldn't spend in the studio because I had other commitments with my solo record."
When asked how she felt about her solo record competing with and even surpassing the Spice Girls' latest, she replied: "With the Spice Girls we were such a huge phenomenon. . . I can't imagine that ever happening again in my life. It was wonderful while it lasted, but I feel it's time to move on.
"I feel like I've started all over again with this new record."
She added, with a slight trace of sarcasm: "It's unfortunate Forever wasn't as successful as we all hoped, but nothing lasts forever."
Her enthusiasm for the Spice Girls also looks dubious considering the direction she's taken as a solo artist. Northern Star is a credible, entertaining, Britpop platter, much of it reflecting Chisholm's alt-rock loves such as Garbage and Blur. Collaborations with the likes of Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers producer Rick Rubin and Madonna producer William Orbit yielded standout tracks like Go! and Suddenly Monday, which many critics have praised as superior to the Spice Girls' shallow bubblegum pop.
To be sure, a Melanie C show will be different from the Spice Girls' gala concerts.
"There's no elaborate set, no costume changes. I've got a great band. I've got me jeans on, and a T-shirt and I'll be up there rocking. . . . I've never thought to do anything Spicy."
Another reason for Chisholm's rocky relationship with her past is quite likely the more painful memories associated with the Spice Girls' heyday.
"Our lives changed dramatically in two or three months," Chisholm says. "We were all on the verge of burnout. We were exhausted. We lost contact with our family and friends. It was hard dealing with that, and having your life scrutinized and splashed all over the papers. . .
"I was growing up and I never felt very attractive. I never felt like I should be a pop star. I tried to make myself as attractive as I could, but in the process I was very unhappy. . . . For a long time I didn't eat and it ruins your life. Not only is it very dangerous physically. . . but then I became very depressed along with it."
With the onset of clinical depression, her diet took another turn and suddenly the woman who had lived on adrenaline, eating no carbohydrates or proteins, as she told the The Times of London, was binging on food. The "sporty one," the agile fitness enthusiast, stopped working out and the weight piled on. Overnight the British press dubbed her Sumo Spice.
For Chisholm, moving on might be a necessity.
These days, she's feeling much better. She's taking mild anti-depressants, undergoing therapy and she's back in the gym.
"I am very active and I love jumping around. My stage shows are very physical and I need to be fit for that. I don't like anything holding me back."
And that seems to the main issue these days for Melanie C, in more ways than one.
Article: http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/stories/010321/5042254.html
Yesterday Mel C came to Moscow; she gave an exclusive interview to MTV Russia:
MTV: How are the relationships among the Spice Girls?
MC: They are well now. We are good friends, as always, Mel B's and Emma's Albums are ready; Victoria's album will be in the end of the year. Everything is cool, and we shall be working together. I'm very excited, it's my first visit in Russia and I know nothing about Russian people, but I know that I have many fans here.
MTV: Have you decided what you will sing on the concert?
MC: Yes, I have, It will be songs from my album "Northern star", it will Be famous songs..(VJ show her album).. Oh, I like it very much, But I don't want to call these songs now, let it be a surprise.
.......................................................................
Mel C "I turn to you" is on the 10 position in "Top 20 on Russia MTV"
A very big thanks to SVETA from Russia for this transcript: its a small part of the inteview and Sveta will come up with some more later next week!
.......................................................................
Girl Power in the Kremlin
Former Spice Girl Melanie C smiles during a press conference in Moscow. Source: Russia Today
"Former Spice Girl"?.....It seems like this Russian journalist is not up to date about Melanie, perhaps he/she should tjeck my page now and then..hehe. I hope I can find more news about Melanie in Russia, but I can't read Russian so ill have to stick to the few online Russian newspapers in English.
Tonight Melanie will be doing her gig in St Petersberg Ledovi Dvoretz (Ice Palace)(Russia)
______________________________________
17 March 2001
Melanie is now in Moscow (Russia). And tonight, 7 p.m. at the Kremlin Palace, she will be on a big concert with other stars like Baby Bunt, Alsu, Chicherina, Linda, Sasha, Ruki Vverkh, Otpetive Moshenniki, Vopli Vidoplyasova and others, ....uhmm I don't know anyone of them!!
Source: Moscow Times http://www.geocites.com/wow_fandk/
Yahoo! Sport Formula One
Saturday March 3, 09:37 PM
The Jordan Grand Prix team will launch its official magazine, 'J' in Ireland on March 15th enabling Irish Formula One fans to follow their national team and read about the world of Formula One.
With no Formula One magazines currently specialising for Irish fans Jordan hopes that 'J' will tap into the enormous enthusiasm for the sport within Jordan's home market.
The version of 'J' magazine that will be put on sale for the public will feature information on Jordan, other Formula One topics, general sports and celebrity features. The issue which will be produced for the launch of the magazine will feature an interview with Jordan's new Technical Chief Eghbal Hamidy, a profile of Eddie Irvine, and an interview with Spice Girl Mel C and her brother about their passion for motor sport.
"We have always had a massive following in Ireland," said team chief Eddie Jordan. "The launch of 'J' gives us the opportunity to reach our fans and also those who want to read about more than just Jordan.
"Since 'J' has been launched for our sponsors, media, VIP guests and members of Club Jordan, it has been very popular. It is a natural extension for us to take the magazine into my home country, and I hope we give our supporters plenty to enjoy."
Although based at Silverstone in England, the Jordan team is registered with the FIA as being an Irish team.
Posted by Spiceboy 4000:
Saturday, March 10, 2001
By MIKE BELL -- Calgary Sun
When you're a Spice Girl, the world is your oyster. Unfortunately, it's also your petri dish.
While the popularity of the all-girl English pop act has been on the wane of late -- Forever, their newest release has met with lukewarm reviews and sales -- that doesn't mean that everyone has stopped listening.
"It's something that we've had to accept. All of the Spice Girls have had a lot of attention from the world's media and especially coming from the place that has the worst media," says Melanie Chisholm (a.k.a. Melanie C), who learned the hard way this week when comments she made about her solo career were taken to mean she was leaving the band.
"We sort of accept it, but it's very unfortunate that that's the way it is. It's like sometimes I say, 'Oh it's a small price to pay,' but then when you have days like today, it's like 'Why do I have to pay this price?' " she tells the Sun.
Up until now, Chisholm, 27, has been spared some of the intense scrutiny her mates have been put under.
The artist, who performs in Calgary on March 29 to support her album Northern Star, is considered the quiet one of the group and admits that has made a difference in her treatment.
"Usually I'm quite lucky because they've never really taken that much interest in me," she says. "My life is a bit more private than some of the other girls.
"I think I'm more of a private person. I don't really go out that much .... I'm not into clubbing and being seen in the trendiest hangouts. I'd rather have the quiet life."
Another reason she's retained a modicum of privacy is that unlike the others -- most notably Victoria Adams who married soccer star David Beckham -- her love life has been kept virtually off the front pages, or any pages for that matter.
"I am seeing somebody at the moment, but it's very early days so it's no big deal," she says.
Chisholm says that most of the men she's dated since her celebrity have been friends of friends or in the business themselves, so they know what to expect. And more importantly, it's her they expect and not a Spice Girl.
"I think you just have to use your instincts and not be too paranoid. I think it would be really sad if you couldn't trust anybody in life," she says.
"I believe that good people attract good people, so I've been quite lucky up until now.
"I've never been burned in that respect -- in the respect of being a celebrity -- but boys are still sh--s."
From NME.COM:
SPICE GIRL MEL C has spoken out this morning to deny yesterday's reports that the band were on the verge of splitting.
Tabloids yesterday quoted an interview with Mel conducted by news agency Reuters in which she said she felt "uncomfortable" in the band and wouldn't be returning to work with them. Most took it to mean that it meant the Spice Girls were over - despite denials from the band's spokespeople.
But speaking in a telephone interview on this morning's CD:UK show on ITV, which coincidentally featured fellow Spice Girl Emma Bunton performing her new solo single, Mel C insisted she was still in the band.
She said: "At the moment, we're concentrating on solo stuff , but no-one has left the band. I've not left the Spice Girls, we're still together.
"I'm very sorry to let the media down but I'm sure our fans won't bother."
When asked by presenter Cat Deeley whether there was a future for Spice Girls, Mel responded: "Of course there is!"
As reported yesterday on NME.COM, rumours have been rife about the future of the Spice Girls for some time following the poor chart performance of their last album 'Forever', which failed to go straight into the charts at Number One, and which crashed out of the Top 40 weeks later.
The band also shelved plans to release a third single from the album.
But yesterday, a spokesperson for the band denied the split rumours, saying: "It ain't over 'til it's over."
Article: http://www.nme.com/NME/External/News/News_Story/
0,1004,20162,00.html
Here is another article on Mel C denying a break up:
Worldpop story: http://www.worldpop.com/news/news_story.cfm?newsid=4130
Saturday March 10, 12:06 AM
By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - The Spice Girls have insisted that Girl Power still rules OK -- even if the feisty five may now be whittled down to three.
Melanie Chisholm, a.k.a. Sporty Spice, provoked pop bedlam when she told Reuters on Thursday she had no plans to keep working with Britain's biggest pop phenomenon since The Beatles.
"Really I've not been comfortable being in the Spice Girls for probably the last two years. It doesn't really feel that natural to me anymore," said Chisholm, now concentrating on her solo career.
Her feelings were perhaps most eloquently portrayed to paparazzi camped outside her London home -- she gave them an obscene one-figure gesture as she sped away by car.
Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell abruptly quit the band in 1998 amid internal disagreements. Sporty Spice could now be next to go -- even if their record company vociferously denied the end was nigh.
And the news certainly seemed to have taken the rest of the band by surprise.
"As far as I know, we haven't split up," Scary Spice Mel B told Saturday's edition of the Sun, which invited readers to phone in and listen to a tape of the Sporty Spice interview.
Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham vowed that the group, who have sold 38 million albums worldwide since 1995, would sing on without Mel C.
"I don't know what Mel said but I talk to the other two girls all the time. All three of us want to keep going with the band. I'm completely certain of that, " she told the Mirror.
"We are definitely going to carry on. I would be the first to know if we were breaking up and we're not."
But Posh Spice, interviewed recently in Cannes by Reuters, did also admit that their solo careers were taking priority right now.
Her sights are firmly set on her own solo album. "I have been working on it for the last year," she said. Her first single from the album comes out in May.
Chisholm, 27, is widely considered to be the biggest individual talent in the group and has developed a successful solo career eclipsing that of her colleagues.
Her 1999 solo debut "Northern Star" emerged as a big international hit, except in the United States, selling around 2.5 million copies worldwide to date.
Article: http://www.reuters.com
Here is some more articles on the Spice Girls response:
The Mirror story: http://www.mirror.co.uk/shtml/NEWS/P5S2.shtml
The Sun story: http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13471650
From the Spice Girls official site:
SpiceHQ have given the following statement in response to the speculation in the tabloids this morning (9th March 01) :
"This is nothing new, the girls always planned to lay low as their solo projects were happening. The girls ARE still together, they are still the best of mates and Melanie C's comments have been mis-interpretated by the media. Right now, everything is right with Spice!"
Article: http://www.spicegirlsforever.co.uk/html/news_latest.html
Spice Girls publicists have denied the group is splitting up. They spoke out after comments by Mel C which sparked fears for the future of the pop phenomenon.
Spice Girls spokesman Alan Edwards denied that Mel C has left the band.
He said: "Everyone wants to say it's over but it isn't, the group have still got strong ties.
"What she said is that we've got no plans at the moment and it's been exaggerated into the final split and it isn't the final split.
"As everyone knows, the Spice Girls are pursuing their own solo projects but the Spice Girls still exists.
"It ain't over until it's over and it ain't over."
Earlier, the 27-year-old Mel C told Reuters news agency in a telephone interview: "I don't intend to do any more work with the Spice Girls ... Really, I've not been comfortable being in the Spice Girls for probably the last two years.
"It doesn't really feel that natural to me anymore.
"I've grown up, and I just feel that I want to do things my own way and not compromise."
Here is another article on the Publicists response:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1210000/1210127.stm
March 8, 2001
Web posted at: 3:24 p.m. EST (2024 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Bye-bye, Spice Girls.
Melanie Chisholm, aka Sporty Spice, told Reuters Thursday she does not plan to keep working with Britain's biggest pop phenomenon since the Beatles and will instead focus on her burgeoning solo career.
Her decision could effectively mark the end for a mega-selling act whose rallying cry of "Girl Power!" reverberated around the world when they burst on the scene six years ago.
Chisholm, 27, who is widely considered the best singer in the group and has developed a solo career, said in a telephone interview there were no plans for a new Spice Girls album.
While she vowed that, "I'll always be a Spice Girl," she added, "I don't intend to do any more work with the Spice Girls .... Really, I've not been comfortable being in the Spice Girls for probably the last two years. It doesn't really feel that natural to me anymore."
She added. "I've grown up, and I just feel that I want to do things my own way and not compromise.
Chisholm was philosophical about the group's demise, and said she did not consider it the end of an era.
"We were such a huge phenomenon, and there's not really anywhere else to go with that. It was a question of sacrificing our lives and trying to maintain the success, or just being honest with ourselves. We've all been very honest and we all wanted to pursue solo careers."
With global sales of 38 million albums since they broke through in 1995, the Spice Girls launched a cultural revolution. The cheeky group, originally a quintet, scored with high-energy anthems such as "Wannabe" and "Say You'll Be There," made a feature film, and dominated the tabloids.
Everyone had their favorite Spice Girl: Sporty, Baby (Emma Bunton), Scary (Melanie Brown), Ginger (Geri Halliwell) or Posh (Victoria Beckham).
However, Ginger Spice abruptly quit the band in 1998 amid internal disagreements, and the group's optimistically titled third album, "Forever," was a big flop when it was released last November.
Each of the Spice Girls pursued side projects along the way, with Chisholm enjoying the most success. Her 1999 solo debut "Northern Star" emerged as a big international hit, except in the United States. It has sold about 2.5 million copies worldwide to date, according to a publicist.
Chisholm said that she would remain close to her colleagues. "We're still linked business-wise and we're still friends, but I don't really consider myself to work as a band any more."
Chisholm has just completed the Asian leg of a solo world tour, and will start the North American leg in Calgary, Canada, on March 29. She hoped the new single, "I Turn To You," would take her over the top in the United States.
"I've still got a lot of fans over there. We get lots of hits on the Web site and lots of e-mails and lots of fan mail from America, so hopefully the tour's going to be a success, and hopefully we'll have some sellouts just to get this going, get people excited about the album."
After she finishes the U.K. leg of the tour at the end of May, she will start work on a new solo album, which she hopes to release by fall 2002. She expects to maintain her eclectic brand of pop, rock and R&B but wants to delve more into each genre. She will record the album mostly in London, and will reunite with some of her "Northern Star" producers like Rick Nowels, Phil Thornalley and Marius De Vries.
Chisholm has not begun songwriting yet, but has plenty of life experiences to draw from. The naturally muscular Chisholm endured plenty of press attention last year when she put on weight and was instantly dubbed "Sumo Spice." She also was dogged by rumors she was a lesbian, which she has denied, though she did disclose that she was battling an eating disorder and depression.
She told Reuters she was feeling much better, was taking mild anti-depressants and undergoing a lot of therapy. News reports have linked her to British filmmaker Dan Cadan, but she suggested it was more platonic. "He's lovely and he's a friend, but I'm away a lot and I don't really know him that well."
Article: http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/08/
spice.girls.reut/index.html
I posted only this article because this is the most accurate story because this is the paper Melanie told these things to.
Here are many more articles on Melanie leaving:
MTV.com story: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441408/20010308/spice_girls.jhtml?headlines=true
NME.com story: http://www.nme.com/NME/External/News/News_Story/
0,1004,19982,00.html
The Sun story: http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13467789
From Mel C's Official Website:
Not content with just piling on the dates for her US and Canada Tour, Melanie has made two new additions to her UK tour: Reading and Newport!
So, the complete list for tour dates in May 2001 is as follows:
May
6 Royal Court Liverpool (SOLD OUT)
8 Colston Hall Bristol
9 Centre Brighton
10 Pavillions Plymouth
12 Rivermead Reading (NEW) - 01189 015 000
13 Civic Hall Wolverhampton
14 Royal Centre Nottingham
16 Barbican York (SOLD OUT)
17 Apollo Manchester
18 Newport Centre Newport, Gwent (NEW) - 01633 662 662
20 Olympia Dublin
21 Waterfront Hall Belfast
22 Playhouse Edinburgh
*Please contact the venue directly for ticket information, or you can order online through www.gigsandtours.com
**This was taken straight from Melanie C's Official Site
From the Daily Record:
SPICE Girl Mel C was caught up in panic at Bangkok airport after an assassination attempt on the nation's prime minister.
The star, who is on a solo tour of south east Asia, was on board a plane which landed just after a bomb explosion ripped apart another jet on the tarmac.
A Thai Airways Boeing 737 burst into flames, killing an air steward and injuring seven other crew and ground staff.
It's believed the bomb was meant for the Thai leader who was about to board the plane.
Sporty Spice arrived in the country's capital 10 minutes after the bomb reduced the jet to a blackened steel frame.Mel, 27, was immediately rushed through the VIP area and into a waiting limousine.
She was due to appear at Bangkok's Dance Fever entertainment complex on Saturday night.
But before the performance, Mel was told about the steward's death.
She said: "I feel very sorry. My heart goes out to his family."
A spokesman added later: "When it all sank in Mel found it very upsetting. It could have been very nasty indeed."
Flight TG 114 had been scheduled to fly to Chiang Mai at 3.15pm with 149 passengers, including the Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, his son and 20 officials.
He was waiting in the VIP lounge when the bomb exploded.
The seats at the front of the plane had been reserved for the leader.
A tour spokesman said: "Mel C was in no danger."
Article: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/shtml/NEWS/P21S5.shtml
Melanie has been nominated for two awards at the International Dance Music Awards. They are as follows:
Best Hi NRG/Euro 12-Inch
Melanie C, "I Turn to You"
Alice Deejay, "Better Off Alone"
DJ Jurgen, "Higher & Higher"
Ariel, "Women in Love"
Best New Dance Artist Solo
Melanie C
Sonique
Anastacia
Alice Deejay
posted by WoW at Chisholmism club.
By Samuel Lee
WTC-Harbour Pavilion
Wednesday
It was a night of M&M at the Harbour Pavilion on Wednesday - Melanie Chisholm and special guests Madison Avenue live, under one roof.
We're so sexy... not! Cheyne Coates and her dancers couldn't raise the temperature even with Coates' daring outfit. -- TERENCE TAN
This concert attracted spectators in excess of 2,000. They ranged from girls sitting atop their daddies' shoulders to working professionals and even some greying heads.
Madison Avenue's Cheyne Coates opened the show with a house version of Reminiscing, a hit by fellow Aussies, Little River Band. The conspicuous absence of Andy Van, her better half, gave the impression that Coates was jiving to a minus-one as she traipsed through tunes from the Melbourne dance duo's debut album, The Polyester Embassy.
Coates, accompanied by four sexy female dancers garbed in shimmery fuchsia bikini outfits, attempted to raise the temperature in the auditorium, but to no avail.
Her post-performance panting, at first audible, was drowned eventually, in a sonorous sea of ''We want Mel C'' chants. It was plain to see which M mattered for the majority that night.
Twenty minutes later, the erstwhile Sporty Spice emerged with a stomping version of Go! - the opening track on her debut album, Northern Star - backed by a tight four-piece band.
The rumours were true. My, how Chisholm had grown. But the crowd appeared oblivious, rocking it all out with her.
Matching her bulk was her powerful yet sweet and crystalline voice, a reminder that Madison Avenue's Coates still trailed behind in terms of vocal presence.
And Chisholm's larger-than-life presence did not compromise her agility either. She still pranced, head-banged and gyrated.
Mel mesmerises her fans with a gamut of hit songs from When You're Gone to Never Be The Same Again. -- TERENCE TAN
''I can see you all now. You're a very nice crowd. Sorry I'm a bit out of breath,'' she panted into the mike after the high-octane anthem, Something's Gonna Happen.
Her crisp rendition of the stunning Northern Star silenced the crowd into reverence. But it was the flamenco guitar-driven Closer that brought out the power in Chisholm's vocals.
Fast, slow, purring or just plain angry, her palette of emotions carried them all convincingly.
And when she cooed back an ''I love you too'' to a rabid fan, you wanted to believe she was for real. Especially when she obliged a die-hard Japanese fan who had followed her here with the number, Independence Day.
The Beatlesque Suddenly Monday and her middle-of-the-road hit duet with Bryan Adams, When You're Gone were also aired to rapturous response. Switching back to quasi-heavy metal territory on Goin' Down, she dropped the mike and swore at it, but did her fans mind?
No, there was, in fact, emphatic laughter in the house when the F-word was uttered, right in front of kids, too.
The evening ended with the audience joining her in a cappella unison towards the end of the rousing finale, Never Be The Same Again, leaving you convinced as to which M mattered at the end of the day.
Mel C Due March 29
From JAM! Showbiz:
Wednesday, February 28, 2001
By MIKE BELL -- Calgary Sun
It looks like those Spice Girls fans who missed out on seeing Melanie C's intimate contest winners-only show this past December will get another chance.
Sources tell the Sun that Sporty Spice (a.k.a. Melanie Chisholm) will be stopping in Calgary for a larger, ticketed show at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Thursday, March 29.
The gig will be one of several Canadian dates -- including Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto -- on her North American tour to support her debut solo CD, Northern Star.
In December, the Liverpool-born artist signed autographs at a local music store for approximately 450 fans and then, later that evening, performed six songs from Northern Star for a crowd of 200 Power 107 listeners at the Engineered Air Theatre. At that time Melanie C. indicated that a March return was in the works.
Stay tuned for ticket information.
Article: http://www.canoe.ca/JamSpiceGirls/feb28_melc-sun.html
In Raising Over $517,000 For Australia's Kids Helpline
From Virgin Music Australia:
February 28, 2001
Melanie C's brand new single "If That Were Me" (the feature song of the Today/Austereo Radio Network's Kids Helpline Radiothon over the weekend), hit stores yesterday with Melanie and Virgin Records donating their profits to the already successful, Kids Helpline Charity.
Melanie was a key celebrity endorser of the Kids Helpline Appeal across the weekend having taken part in an hour-long Hour Of Power with Barry Bissell which was heard across 2DayFM Sydney, FoxFM Melbourne, SAFM Adelaide, NXFM Newcastle , B105 Brisbane and PMFM Perth. In a frank and open interview she talked of the highs and lows of fame and her belief in the Kids Helpline Charity.
"If That Were Me" is Melanie's 5th UK Smash Hit from her album "Northern Star" which has sold over 2.5 million in worldwide sales. Melanie has now sold almost a quarter of a million singles in Australia alone as a solo artist! Her last two smash hit singles here in Australia, ("Never Be The Same Again" & "I Turn To You"), have reached Double Platinum & Platinum respectively.
Kids Helpline Charity, which is a 24 hour helpline for Australia's Kids and their parents, is a charity organisation desperately short of staff and appropriate funding. The Today/Austereo Radio Network raised over $517,000 (without the forthcoming donation from Virgin and Melanie C).
Article:http://www.virginmusic.com.au/display_text_popup.asp?TableName=tblgeneralnews&DataFieldName1=headline&Data
FieldName2=body&SelectionCriteria=newsid=3115
Wednesday, February 28, 2001 at 2.18pm AEST - [LukeP]
You may have read/heard that in the recent interview Melanie C did for Australian radio(Story - http://www.spicenews.com/#melcausinterview ), she basically said that she would like to tour Australia, but at the moment doesn't really have any plans to do so.
Now I know that as a fact there are quite a few Australians out there (like myself), that visit this site and do like Melanie C, and would love to see her tour Australia, right? Any of those kinds of people out there? Perhaps?
Well if so, why don't you go on over to this site and sign the petition , http://www.petitiononline.com/melcaus/ that will in the end be sent to Virgin Records so that they and Melanie C know that there is quite a demand for her Down Under. Then with a bit of luck, and according to plan then pretty soon Melanie C will be announcing a tour of Australia, because of 'popular demand' or something like that. Hopefully.
Sooo, what are you still here for?!?! Get over there, and sign it, NOW! http://www.petitiononline.com/melcaus/ There's no time to lose! Spread the word, my children! Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi! :)
Thanks Di Down Under Spice
Article: SpiceNews
posted by WoW at Chisholmism club:
February 26 2001 at 02:25PM
By Boyd Webb
Mel C
At Carnival City, Brakpan, Gauteng
What started off as a toe-tapping night out with English pop star Mel C climaxed into a crescendo of music and screams from the audience.
Thousands of fans piled into the arena at Carnival City to see the Spice Girl known as Sporty Spice strut her stuff on Saturday. A really cosmopolitan crowd that would have left Nelson Mandela smiling with satisfaction cheered the singer on and gave her a right royal South African welcome.
Take To The Aisles
But despite the eagerness of her faithfuls, who were straining at the security rail in front of the stage just to get closer to their star, it took a while to get the rest of the audience motivated.
Those seated on the balcony seemed to find their seats rather hard for the first half of the performance, but as the rhythms eventually made it through to their souls, most decided to abandon them and take to the aisles.
As the crowd warmed up, so Mel seemed to relax and enjoy her own show with violent hip thrusts and head swings that would have left mere mortals with dislocated appendages.
Her song Northern Star was well received and she followed it up with Why and Never Be the Same Again.
At this stage the cool fringe of the audience seemed to start bubbling slightly, with toe-tapping replacing the "why-am-I-here?" looks.
The end arrived suddenly and cries of "encore" had Mel and her band back on stage for a powerful rendition of I Turn To You - which had her old fans stunned and her new fans thinking that maybe the price of the ticket was acceptable after all.
Source:Independent Online
Typed and posted by Limey 10 on the CHISHOLMISH club at Yahoo:
24/02/01
Mel C was interviewed by 2DayFM DJ Barry Bistle at 12 noon today – here’s the transcript I’ve done. SORRY for any spelling mistakes or anything – it took me ages so there’s bound to be some mistakes.
Interviewer: Welcome to Hour of Power with Mel C - part of our Austereo Kids Helpline appeal weekend. Mel C’s in a studio in London town. Mel, welcome to Australia.
Mel: Thank you very much. I only wish I could be there in person.
I: So do I - it’s summer over here, you’d be loving it.
Mel: I know. The weather is awful in England.
I: Is it really cold?
M: No it’s not too cold it’s just very wet.
I: OK. Hey listen what have u been up to? What’s happening with winter in the UK? What are you doing with yourself?
M: Well I was away for New Year. I had a nice holiday in Barbados. And then I’ve just come home and I’ve started rehearsals and I’m going out on the road and doing a bit of touring.
I: Fantastic.
M: Yeah!
I: Now doing all the stuff from Northern Star?
M: Yeah that’s right. This is just you know 1 of the last parts of the tour. I’m also gonna be going to America and Canada. And I’ve got some British gigs to play as well, but I should be finished touring in June and then I’m gonna start work on my second album.
I: Fantastic. Have you written any songs yet?
M: Erm I’ve got lots of ideas and things written down here and there but I’ve got no songs recorded yet.
I: Now listen, r u happy now after the success of northern star cos it took a while didn’t it and u got a bit of a caning from the critics early on?
M: yeah I had a lot of faith in the album and I just kept working hard because I knew I had to prove to people that it was something worth listening to. So eventually it has become very successful and I’m very happy with it. But erm, you know we like a challenge. It’s nice to get criticised – you wouldn’t just want everyone to think you were great all the time cos u would never feel like you were working for it.
I: Exactly. You gotta have thick skin though sometimes to deal with it don’t you?
M: You certainly do, but people can be very cruel.
I:How do you deal with that? What do you do to shove that off?
M: Well I think I’m very lucky. I’ve got very supportive family and friends. I think the thing is here in England, especially the tabloid press, no-one takes them that seriously because everyone kinda knows the way they exploit things and they tell a lot of lies, and so really the general public are on your side, even if the media aren’t.
I: It must have been hurtful at some stage though with some of the stuff that gets written about you?
M: Yeah it’s been very very difficult for me, especially last year there was lots of very personal things that they wrote about me. You know, I think the thing to remember is it’s only 1 persons opinion, and they don’t know you. Do you know what I mean? It’s just somebody out there just doing their job., Their editor wants them to dish dirt and if there’s no dirt to dish they’ll just make it up. So it’s quite good to have people supportive and strong around you, and just to believe in you more than they believe in the journalist.
I: There might be only 1 person digging it but there’s millions of people reading it, that’s the problem.
M: yeah and also once something is written it’s too late really because it goes all over the world and all rumors start and then they just get expanded, and it’s just all over the place. And I can be on the other side of the earth and get asked a question about something that never involved me or something I’ve never heard about. SO it’s quite sad really for my fans cos u get a lot of false information so that’s why I like to do lots of interviews where they can hear things from horses mouth and u know get out and do shows and write music cos that’s what it’s all about. At the end of the day my private life has nothing to do with my music. If you like my music then that’s cool, but it’s not anybody’s business what I do at home.
(Break)
I: Now Mel the song that really kicked northern star over the top and became a massive hit all over the world for you well after the album was released, was the duet with Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes NBTSA. I have to say I still love that song.
M: Yeah. I think I’ve been quite lucky with that one cos it’s one of those songs that u don’t get sick of. Which has been a good thing cos it has been played an awful lot and I was really pleased that that was a hit.
I: What was Lisa Lopes like?
M: She’s lovely actually we had a good time. I was a little bit star-struck at first cos I’ve always been a really big fan of TLC and Lisa was always my favorite. And erm but we got together and u know she’s very professional and she’s a very sweet girl. We just had fun - we made the video together, we’ve done promotion together, and we had a good time.
I: That’s funny saying you’re star-struck. You’re one of the biggest stars in the world, how can u be star-struck?
M: Well I think it’s something u don’t think about personally. It’s like anybody – if I meet someone from a soap opera I’m a bit like “ooh ooh look, there’s thingy”. So You know you don’t think of yourself as a star, a personality or celebrity whatever. I’m just a young girl and I get excited when I meet famous people too.
I: Who have u met recently that’s interesting?
M: Erm oh gosh, I’ve met lots of people. Before Christmas I met Michael Jackson, which was very interesting yeah. I didn’t really get to speak to him but we were on the same show so he introduced himself to everyone. So that was pretty amazing. Of course I met Madonna a few times which was fantastic cos u know, she’s my idol.
I: Did u get an invite to the wedding?
M: I didn’t I’m afraid. But I was busy that day anyway.
I: Yeah me too (both laugh).
(NBTSA played)
I: Now you’ve got a pretty broad spectrum of taste when it comes to music, don’t you? I know you love everything – a bit of kick-butt rock, a bit of hip-hop the whole works. What are u listening to at the moment?
M: At the moment…well I went to see Eminem in concert on Saturday, so I’ve been listening to a lot of Eminem. I love pink’s record. I am forever listening to the Beatles and Stevie wonder. I love Fiona Apple. And Dido – I’ve got Dido’s record and I really like that too.
I: That’s a great record it’s only just been released here.
M: Yeah, yeah.
I: Eminem’s an interesting one. What do u think, cos he cops so much flack in America for his lyrics?
M: Well he’s been getting an awful lot of stick here which I think is, you know, it’s a very good point his lyrics are very disturbing. But the way I see it he’s expressing a feeling and all I can do…oh god it’s such a difficult one cos u know I don’t believe in what he raps about but I think he’s a lyrical and musical genius. You know he’s very clever with what he does. I do find his lyrics very questionable but I do admire his realism and his guts really.
I: Now we’re going to talk about the Kids Helpline for a minute here. Now with your new single If That were me, which almost could have been written for this weekend here for kids in help. You’re giving your royalties and so is virgin to kids helpline appeal over the weekend which is very generous of you. Thank you very much for that.
M: Well it’s a pleasure to be able to give something back. When I originally wrote this song, it was from homeless people I was actually inspired. I’ve witnessed a lot of that growing up in England in Liverpool where I’m from and then moving to London. Then traveling all over the world with the spice girl its such a huge problem in most places in the world. I always wanted to release this single for it to be a charity record. It feels good to be able to do that and I just hope it’s a big seller, especially for the cause.
I: yeah it’s a great cause, it’s basically for kids who really need someone to turn to and they don’t have anyone to turn to. Which brings me to I know you’re very close with your Mum, Joan aren’t you?
M: Yeah. hehe it sounds funny someone saying my mum’s name (both laugh)
I: Who do u talk to? Do u go to her when u have those moments when you’re just not dealing with things?
M: yeah I’ve got quite a few people I speak to. I’ve got very good friends. Yeah my mum and my brother, so whoever I feel is appropriate for whatever the problem is.
I: Now the lyrics of ITWM, well the film clip rather than the lyrics. The film clip is so bleak isn’t it? Because it kinda ekes of that desperation of what the song is all about. Was that a bit of a tricky step for you cos it’s very far from anything remotely resembling glam and pop isn’t it?
M: Well that’s exactly what I wanted to achieve. I didn’t want to be singing about something that was very sad and a lot of people are suffering, and look all fantastic and glamorous and spend loads of money on the video. I was very lucky, a lot of people donated their services for free like my director, and people involved with styling and hair and make-up and everyone really really pitched in on this one, and I think we created exactly the feel we wanted on the video. It was very cheap to make but it still had the right effect that we wanted to I think I achieved what I set out to.
I: yeah u certainly did. It’s a wonderful song and we’re playing it right across the weekend because it lent itself so well to this Kids Helpline Radiothon.
(ITWM played)
I: Mel just listening to the lyrics of that song and thinking about your life, do u ever think if it weren’t for a lot of circumstances, that could be you?
M: Absolutely. I think that’s something we should all remember, and it’s not as if I’m safe for the rest of my life. You never know what’s around the corner and I just like to treat people the way I like to be treated. If anything like that did happen to me I’d hope people could help me out too.
I: Do u ever wonder what you would have done if the spice girls hadn’t come along, if this career hadn’t presented itself to you? What do u think you’d be doing now?
M: I have nooo idea. I don’t think about it too much I just think I’m very lucky. I count my lucky stars that it did come along and I really don’t know how things would have worked out without the spice girls.
I: Did u have jobs while you were in school?
M: I used to work in a chip shop. But really I was always studying. I was studying to be a dancer, so my mum and I used to save my money so I could go down there. So I was a very busy girl but I didn’t get much opportunity to work. I used to babysit my little brother.
I: And you got paid for that?
M: Yeah but not very well (both laugh)
I: What was the first record u ever bought?
M: The first album I ever bought was the Kids from Fame. Unfortunately. Ah but that was cool though. I’ve never bought singles. My Mum’s a musician as well and she was always saying to me “wait for the album. Wait for the album”. U know value for money, but of course now everybody has so many remixes, I think if u buy the album it’s worth buying the singles too cos there’s so many different mixes of the song.
I: What did your Mum sing?
M: About what?
I: What sort of singer was she?
M: Oh what does she sing? My Mum sings a lot of rock and soul. She’s been working with a band since she was 14 so she’s been doing it a long time. She sounds a little like Tina Turner.
I: Do u ever sing together?
M: We have sung together in the past.
I: What was the first gig u went to?
M: Probably one of my mum’s gigs actually. When I was quite young I used to enjoy going to watch her when she used to play clubs and stuff. But the first big concert I went to was Madonna’s Girlie Show in 1990, at Wembley Stadium so I hadn’t really been to many gigs until I moved down to London.
I: How r things in Spiceland? How r the other girls? Are you seeing much of the others at the moment?
M: Everybody’s great. I’ve not seen Victoria for a while but I saw Emma a couple of weeks ago, it was her birthday and I saw Melanie last week. Everybody’s great, everybody looks great. Having a great time, all working on solo stuff. So things are good in Spiceworld.
I: A couple of them are nesting – u haven’t got the vibe for that? I heard u just had a break-up I heard?
M: Oh did you?
I: Yes I did.
M: yeah I split up with my boyfriend at Christmas.
I: Oh that’s a pity.
M: Oh no it’s not, there’s plenty more fish in the sea. (both laugh)
(ITTY played)
I: We’re talking about you and your holidays. You obviously love a good holiday destination. Where have u been recently that u really love?
M: Well I’m quite in love with Barbados at the moment cos it was my most recent holiday and I did have a great time there. I went up there with a few friends from school and my parents and my brother. So that was a good holiday. But I don’t know…I’m holidayed out at the moment. I wanna get back to work so I’m very much looking forward to getting back on the road and singing live.
I: That’s a nice way to be. How long are these gigs gonna go for? There’s just a few b4 u start recording again I gather?
M: yeah I’m doing about 10. I’m going to eastern Europe, the middle east and South Africa - Some places I don’t often get big shows so that’s gonna be fun. Then America and Canada for a few weeks, then the UK. S I’ll be touring off and on until June.
I: You’re gonna be busy aren’t you?
M: Mmmm.
I: I saw that you’d love at some stage to maybe work in movies. Is that still a big desire for you?
M: I wouldn’t say I’m very interested in acting, cos I don’t feel like I’m a very good actress. Maybe musically I’d love to write a song for a movie or something like that, but I don’t think I’d really enjoy having a role in a movie.
I: Do u see a lot of movies?
M: Yeah on-and-off I usually watch a lot of movies on planes.
I: Now listen any plans to get back to Australia in the near future?
M: Oh gosh I can’t wait. Unfortunately this tour isn’t brining us over to Australia which I’m really unhappy about. But fingers crossed I’ll be there soon cos it’s been a long long time so I need to get back there and see my fans.
I: Maybe when u get a new album?
M: yeah that’s a very good idea.
I: Probably the end of the year, are you hoping to do something then?
M: I think it’s gonna be earlier next year now. I wanna take my time and make a really good album.
I: Well good luck with that. Mel thanks for talking to us, it’s been great. And thanks also for your contribution to the Kids Helpline Radiothon.
M: Good luck! I hope it’s a successful weekend.
I: And we look forward to hearing something new from you in the near future.
M: Yeah can’t wait. I’ll see you soon.
I: Take care.
M: Thank you. Bye bye.
From MTV UK:
23 February 2001
A1 have launched a bitter attack on Mel C, fed up with her constant bitching about everything from British tabloids to indie rockers to fellow pop acts. Watch a1's rant here http://146.101.162.227:554/ramgen/wc/mtv/a1/interview_060201/
popstars_300.rm
Singer Ben Adams ripped into the Spice Girl during a recent interview with MTV.co.uk. "I have a message for Mel C and I think it's from the rest of the band. We think that you should shut up cos you're not really that great yourself so I don't think you've got any place to slag off any body else whether they're crap or they're good, so shut up!"
The tirade began when the guys heard Mel C's thoughts on the 'Popstars' group, Hear'Say, who she claimed were being exploited. a1's Mark Read disagreed, adding he believed Hear'Say had the makings of a successful group, as long as they survived the inevitable 'Popstars' backlash. "Things are fads - everyone's seen that with the 'Big Brother', where the UK got behind 'Big Brother' and all of a sudden they're bored with them, so when the country is bored with all the Popstar hype, then hopefully they can get it together and let their music tell the story," he said.
Luckily, the guys have no need to fear any instant reprisals, as Mel is on tour in Africa and the Middle East. Meanwhile, a1's single, 'No More', should debut in the top five this Sunday, before the guys find out if they've won Best Newcomer at Monday night's Brit Awards. Watch a1's full interview with MTV.co.uk, here http://www.mtv.co.uk/watch.asp?content=features\\a1\\interview
Article: http://yourmum.mtv.co.uk/mtv.co.uk/en/search/news/news_story.jhtml?newsId=8500492
From Melanie C's official site:
Here's the big 11 you've all been waiting for:
Please contact the venue directly for ticket information.
April
01 Massey Hall New Westminster, B.C. Canada
03 Bimbo's 365 Club San Francisco, California
04 House of Blues Anaheim, California
05 Roxy Theatre Los Angeles, California
08 House of Blues Chicago, Illinois
09 The Guvernment Toronto, Ontario
10 Club Soda Montreal, Quebec, Canada
14 Irving Plaza New York, New York
16 Roxy Theatre Atlanta, Georgia
17 House of Blues (SC) N.Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
18 Carefree Theater West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
*This is straight from Melanie's Official Site in the News section.
From the Gulf Daily News:
A sell out crowd of over 2,300 people last night braved the winter cold to watch international pop superstar Melanie C at Le Royal Meridien Hotel, the sixth stop of her first solo world tour.
The concert, presented by Mirage Promotions in association with the hotel, featured the pop divas hits from her critically acclaimed debut album Northern Star, such as Go!, Never Be The Same Again, I Turn To You and her latest release If That Were Me and a few other surprises.
Earlier, Mel C, also popularly called Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls, met some of her fans and mediapersons at a Press conference at the hotels Al Ghazal Ballroom.
She expressed pleasure on being in Bahrain. The Bahrain concert is the sixth in my first world tour and everything is just going great.
Mel Cs tour began on February 14 in Ljubliana, Slovenia, and has so far taken her to Athens and Salonika, Greece; Tel Aviv, Israel; Dubai, UAE, before coming to Bahrain.
Im just so excited about the whole thing. I was quite ill over Christmas with a nasty flu, but my vocal cords are getting better, she told the GDN.
UK tabloids had published reports that the star was suffering from severe depression.
Sadly the Press can be quite vicious at times and there have been so many things written about me and the other Spice Girls which are not true.
It can be pretty difficult actually, but you learn to cope with it. Personally, I just try to ignore them.
Mel C expressed great admiration for Victoria Beckham (nee Adams), known as Posh Spice of the group, for withstanding several nasty rumours.
I just admire Victoria and her husband David (soccer star of Manchester United) for how they deal with all the bad things being said about them.
They have a great relationship and they help each other get through things.
As for her work, she said Northern Star has done extremely well.
It all started in late 1998 when the Spice Girls decided to get some time off.
Mel C took advantage of the situation and immediately went to Los Angeles, California, US, to record her first solo album a long cherished desire.
Her latest single, If That Were Me, was not only praised for its quality but also helps support a cause.
Its a song about the homeless and the royalties from it go directly to charities in the UK.
I do lots of charity work, she said. I usually support cancer research and homeless charities. As Spice Girls, we endorse charities we all feel strongly about.
One track entitled Never Be The Same Again, featuring guest singer Lisa Left Eye Lopes from TLC, reached No 1 on the charts.
Lisa was a joy to work with, said the Spice Girl.
Mel C also worked with Canadian singer Bryan Adams on When Youre Gone.
Bryan is great and hes a really good friend. I feel so happy to have worked with him.
On her friendship with Geri Halliwell, formerly Ginger Spice, she said there are no hard feelings between them and the rest of the group.
I cant say Im not friends with Geri. I dont see her very often but I spoke to her a month ago.
Ten years from now, Mel C said she hopes to continue making music. I love what I am doing and I want to be a popular solo artist for the rest of my life.
She also has a message to her Bahrain fans.
I am glad to be in Bahrain. Unfortunately I am not here long, but I hope to come back definitely.
I hope those who could not come to my concert will be able to next time.
I will tell the rest of the Spice Girls about my tour and suggest to visit Bahrain on our next world tour.
Mel C was supported by the Radio Bahrain Roadshow and DJ Dougie Vee during her concert.
As part of the Roadshow, DJ Paul Fraser also helped raise funds for disabled children by having his head tonsured on stage in under three minutes by hair stylist Stephen Herschel.
The money raised will be used to help sponsor a disabled children, particularly those attached to the Rehabilitation Home in Isa Town.
By EUNICE del ROSARIO
Article: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/v1/local/ln4.asp
Posted By Luke on SpiceList2@yahoogroups.com
Kids Helpline Radiothon is having an Auction and one of the items they're selling is an autographed Mambo tshirt [which I think she wore] signed by her, and you can find the auction site here - http://www.b105.com.au/promotions/2001/khl/fox.php
Melanie's shirt is here - http://www.b105.com.au/promotions/2001/khl/categories/music/melc.php
I think you may have to be from Australia to place a bid though, but maybe not.
From Ananova:
Melanie C has not let the violence in the Middle East deter her from bringing her music to Israel.
Speaking in Tel Aviv, Sporty Spice said she was not afraid to be there.
The Spice Girl says she is currently focusing on her solo career, but will always be a Spice Girl.
"I am not at all afraid to be here," she says.
"I have seen reports of what is going on in this country.
"I have fans here, and if they are living here and are OK, then I'm OK, too."
Most of the Israeli-Palestinian fighting has been in Palestinian territories, though there have been several bomb attacks in Israel.
Daily television footage, photographs and newspaper stories about the unrest have frightened most tourists away.
Last updated: 10:49 Wednesday 21st February 2001
Article: http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_214986.html
From the Gulf Daily News:
Tickets for Melanie C's Bahrain concert are almost sold out!
By this morning, they may well be all gone, say organizers.
Mirage Promotions managing director Elissa Murtaza said less than 50 tickets remained.
The response the concert has been receiving has been superb. Ticket sales are going so fast, she said.
The concert venue, at Le Royal Meridien Hotels garden area, will be able to accommodate more than 2,300 people.
This will be the first Bahrain concert for Mel C, who is also known as Sporty Spice of the popular UK band Spice Girls.
Part of her first world tour to promote her top-rated solo debut album Northern Star, the concert tomorrow evening is being presented by Mirage in association with the hotel.
Mel C achieved world-wide fame with the Spice Girls and is now carving a solo career.
Northern Star reached number one status in the album charts and has yielded five Top 10 hits, including two number one singles.
She has collaborated with Bryan Adams on When You Were Gone and with Lisa Left Eye Lopez (of TLC) on Never Be The Same Again.
Other original singles she has popularized include Go!(I must inform you that this article is mistaken on that point, I guess they meant Goin' Down. Go! was never a single), Northern Star, I Turn To You and the recent release If That Were Me.
To support Mel C, the Radio Bahrain Roadshow and a visiting UK DJ will be the evenings special guests.
The Radio Bahrain Roadshow will feature Paul Fraser, Krazy Kevin and Sammi the Whammy along with award-winning international DJ Dougie Vee.
As part of the roadshow, DJ Paul is all set to have his hair shaven in just under three minutes by hair stylist Steven Herschel on stage.
The popular Scottish DJ will be doing this extraordinary feat in order to help raise funds for disabled children in Bahrain.
As this is for a good cause, people are invited to donate money by making pledges either by contacting Radio Bahrain on 780780 or Mirage on 715277 and leaving their names and contact numbers.
Bahrain Disabled Sports Committee (BDSC) liaison officer Dreena Rogers MBE said money raised would be used to help sponsor a disabled child or children, particularly the ones who are attached to the Rehabilitation Home in Isa Town.
Pledges will also be taken on the night of the concert.
Fans are being reminded that no video cameras are allowed for the concert.
Only small cameras for taking photographs are allowed.
Doors open at 7pm and concert begins at 9pm.
Tickets are BD14 per person.
People can inquire about ticket availability by checking at the hotels box office, which is open from 5pm to 8pm, at Hava Java in Seef Mall and Al Osra Supermarket branches near the Pearl Roundabout and in Saar.
The concert is being supported by DHL, Bahrain Duty Free, Hava Java, Norwich Properties and Batelco.
Fans can also get a chance to win prizes by logging on to www.inet.com.bh.
Children under 12-years-old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For further information, contact Mirage Promotions on 715277 or fax 715377 or website www.miragepromtiononlne.com
Article: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/v1/local/ln13.asp
Posted by CostasChisholm at Dotmusic forum:
I know that many of you want to learn every word that comes out from the mouth of Melanie C, don't you? Well here is the interview that Melanie C gave to a Greek newspaper last Sunday (11th of February). [Q=question, M=Melanie C]
Q: Lets start with your childhood...
M: I was born in Liverpool, where I was raised and where I first went to school. When I was 16 I went to a College in London to study singing and ballet. When I finished the College I had no job. Then I met the girls and… Well you know the rest!
Q: So, you had quite tough years...
M: Yes, definitely, especially when I was going to school. My parents had divorced when I was 3 years old and they both had their own families. I was living with two families and I had to change schools very often.
Q: But then you became famous quite quickly...
M: We had a lot of success very soon and we had worked hard for this. Success became a reality from our very first single and it was really unbelievable. It wasn't very easy for us to come to terms with this big change in our lives. But five years have passed since then and we have a lot of time to get used to it. We are older now and we can make things better than before.
Q: What did it mean ''Sporty Spice'' for you? Is this just an attitude than you had to follow?
M: I was always very sporty, I love gym and I was also a member of a football club. This name fitted me quite a lot. Actually these names were just nicks that a teenage magazine used for us, it was something like a joke. They don't mean anything actually.
Q: How do you spend your day?
M: Everyday is completely different from the other. Today for example I was so busy talking to people from Greece that were really worried because they thought that I was going to cancel my live show there and I had to ensure them that nothing is going to stop me from my tour. Then I've done some yoga and in a little while I am going to meet some of my friends.
Q: Tell me your favorite moment on stage and your worst experience ever on stage.
M: Well, my favorite moment on stage is whenever I sing ''I Turn To You''. Many people love this song and every time that I sing this song I see many people dancing and singing it. I was so lucky not to have many bad moments on stage. I can remember once that my microphone was switched off, so no one could hear me singing during the first minutes of my show!
Q: You represent a specific image. Are there any times that this image exists only on your photos?
M: Of course. All the photos of celebrities that we see all around show a really well groomed image. People are not like this all the time and you know it. We all put on weight, we all have pimples and we all have flaws sometimes. The photographers can make you look so much better than you really are.
Q: Do you think that this image is quite undertaking for you and your music? Do you think that you could sing something else than pop music?
M: Well I don't think about this much. I just live my life as I always did and I try to do it as normal as I can. Whatever you see on stage is just me. After so many interviews in so many newspapers and magazines people think that this is just a fake image and not the real me. I live my life as happily as I can. I am a human being too, you know.
Q: Do you feel like a slave of music industry, which sometimes take the decisions instead of you?
M: I really feel totally free to do whatever I want. We were also free with the rest of the girls to take our decisions. I am going solo now and I feel even more free to do what I really want. I always hear what people say to me but I always follow my heart.
Q: When you'll grow up you won't be so young and so fresh. Do you think that things may change for you?
M: I hope not! I really don't see a reason why things should actually change. We grow up day by day and we leave many things behind us. I am not afraid of the time that goes by… see what we have done till now!
This was posted by Namullin at Dotmusic forum:
>> The Spice Girls have no plans together for the next couple of years. They want to spend the same amount of time on solo work that they spent on the first two albums.
>> "Westlife used to be pretty" and now they just suck. She said that the UK and Boy Groups don't work together. She says the Americans do a better job at that.
>> She hasn't started her new album, although it will be as diverse as the first one.
>> She doesn't agree with Napster, and she's happy that something is finally being done about it. Although the "Internet is good in certain ways to get music to lots of people quickly"
>> She said that Emma's album is "Folky" and Victoria's album is more "R&B", but she didn't talk to long about it, because it is not her album, and she'll let Emma & Victoria talk about them.
It is rumored that Melanie C will be coming to Orlando on her US/Canada tour. Here's the info:
Mel C
Tue 04/17/01 8:30PM
House Of Blues
Orlando FL
*Also tickets for Chicago have gone on sale, so get 'em quick!
From Virgin Music Australia:
February 19, 2001
Melanie C's brand new single "If That Were Me" was originally due for release today, Monday February 19 but has been put back at the last minute due to strong public demand off the back of Melanie C's involvement in the National Kids Helpline Charity.
"If That Were Me" is the official song for the Kids Helpline Radiothon which runs National across all Today/Austereo Network from this Friday afternoon Feb 23 ending on Sunday night. You can also hear the song in the Radio and TV Ads which are running Nationally for Kids Helpline. Kids Helpline is a National 24 Hour Telephone Counseling Service for Children and Young People in Australia which is in need of everyone's help. The Today/Austereo Radiothon is hoping to raise around half a million dollars! You can find out more at www.kidshelp.com.au or by making a donation on 1800 50 5437.
"If That Were Me" is Melanie's 5th UK Smash Hit from her album "Northern Star" which has sold over 2.5 million in worldwide sales. Melanie has now sold almost a quarter million singles in Australia alone as a solo artist! Her last two singles here in Australia ("Never Be The Same Again" & "I Turn To You") have both been Platinum Smash Hits and both were UK #1 singles.
Melanie is currently on her 2nd sold-out UK & European tour (she's in rehearsals this week). In the USA "I Turn To You" is the 1st single from the album and it's been a #1 Billboard Dance Chart Hit and is currently "breaking out" at USA Radio. The single isn't released there till next month.
Australian fans should keep em peeled for the brilliant new video clip. The Australian single features exclusive tracks including ...
1. If That Were Me (remix radio edit)
2. When You're Gone with Bryan Adams (live)
3. If That Were Me (acoustic version)
4. I Turn To You (Damien leGassick remix)
5. cd rom component with clip, links to all the latest Melanie C news and to the Kids Helpline Charity.
Melanie C and Virgin Records are donating their profit from the single to the very important Kids Helpline Charity which is a 24 hour helpline for Australia's Kids and their parents. The Today/Austereo Radio Network is running a National Kids Helpline weekend on Feb 23/24/25 where all stations around the country including 2dayFM, FoxFM, SAFM, NXFM, B105 & PMFM. The station hope to raise over half a million dollars. You can find out more by logging into their website at www.kidshelp.com.au
There will be some major celebrities donating their time to help raise awareness (we hear inside rumors of Kylie and 2 very big USA Superstars from Virgin!!!) but the main superstar endorser of the campaign is our own Melanie C. She's doing an exclusive interview down the line tonight with the Austereo Network's Barry Bissell (voice of the Top 40 countdown and FOXFM's morning show with Bridgette Duclos).
This interview will run on a National Hour Of Power - Melanie C/Kids Helpline Special this Friday at 3pm so tune in on ...
2dayFM, Sydney
FOXFM, Melbourne
B105, Brisbane
SAFM, Adelaide
PMFM 92.9, Perth
FM104.7, Canberra
NXFM, Newcastle
In news just off the press, "If That Were Me" will be SINGLE OF THE WEEK in all HMV STORES and will be available everywhere for under 5 dollars!
Article: http://www.virginmusic.com.au/artist.asp?newsid=1900&artistid=55
From Ananova:
Mel C says she would like to perform with Eminem - even though he called the Spice Girls fat and ugly.
Speaking on tour in Greece, she said Eminem was great, although she felt some of his lyrics were "very questionable"
She also said she would be happy to team up with Madonna.
Mel C is in Greece as part of a world tour to promote her solo album Northern Star.
She made the comments during an online news conference hosted by Greece's Flash radio.
Mel denied rumors that the Spice Girls were close to breaking up, but said they had "no plans to work together at the moment".
Article: http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_211568.html
Mon 02/19/01 Tel Aviv, ISR Cinerama
Wed 02/21/01 Dubai, UAE Jumiera Beach Hotel
Thu 02/22/01 Bahrain, BHR Le Royal Meridian Hotel
Sat 02/24/01 Johannesburg, SAF Big Top Arena
Wed 02/28/01 Singapore, SIN Harbour Pavilion
Fri 03/02/01 Kuala Lumpur, MAL Merdaka Hall
Sun 03/04/01 Bangkok, THA Dance Fever
Wed 04/04/01 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
Thu 04/05/01 West Hollywood, CA Roxy Theatre
Sun 05/06/01 Liverpool, UK Royal Court Theatre
Tue 05/08/01 Bristol, UK Colston Hall
Wed 05/09/01 Brighton, UK Brighton Centre
Thu 05/10/01 Plymouth, UK Plymouth Pavilions
Sat 05/12/01 Reading, UK Rivermead Centre
Sun 05/13/01 Wolverhampton, UK Civic Hall
Mon 05/14/01 Nottingham, UK Royal Centre
Wed 05/16/01 York, UK Barbican Centre
Thu 05/17/01 Manchester, UK Apollo Manchester
Fri 05/18/01 Newport, UK Newport Centre
Sun 05/20/01 Dublin, IRE Olympia Theatre
Mon 05/21/01 Belfast, UK Waterfront Hall
Tue 05/22/01 Edinburgh, UK Edinburgh Playhouse
*These dates are from PollStar.COM - Mel C
**Thanks to Lisette for finding and posting these dates.
From Virgin Music Australia:
February 12, 2001
Melanie C's brand new single "If That Were Me" is released next Monday February 19. "If That Were Me" is Melanie's 5th UK Smash Hit from her album "Northern Star" which has sold over 2.5 million in worldwide sales. Melanie has now sold almost a quarter million singles in Australia alone as a solo artist! Her last two singles here in Australia ("Never Be The Same Again" & "I Turn To You") have both been Platinum Smash Hits and both were UK #1 singles.
Melanie is about to start her 2nd sold-out UK & European tour (she's in rehearsals this week). In the USA "I Turn To You" is the 1st single from the album and it's been a #1 Billboard Dance Chart Hit and is currently "breaking out" at USA Radio. The single isn't released there till next month.
Australian fans should keep em peeled for the brilliant new video clip. The Australian single features exclusive tracks including ...
1. If That Were Me (remix radio edit)
2. When You're Gone with Bryan Adams (live)
3. If That Were Me (acoustic version)
4. I Turn To You (Damien leGassick remix)
5. cd rom component with clip, links to all the latest Melanie C news and to the Kids Helpline Charity.
Melanie C and Virgin Records are donating their profit from the single to the very important Kids Helpline Charity which is a 24 hour helpline for Australia's Kids and their parents. The Today/Austereo Radio Network is running a National Kids Helpline weekend on Feb 23/24/25 where all stations around the country including 2dayFM, FoxFM, SAFM, NXFM, B105 & PMFM. The station hope to raise over half a million dollars. You can find out more by logging into their website at www.kidshelplind.com.au
There will be some major celebrities donating their time to help raise awareness (we hear inside rumours of Kylie and 2 very big USA Superstars from Virgin!!!) but the main superstar endorser of the campaign is our own Melanie C. She's doing an exclusive interview down the line tonight with the Austereo Network's Barry Bissell (voice of the Top 40 countdown and FOXFM's morning show with Bridgette Duclos).
This interview will run next week on a National Hour Of Power - Melanie C/Kids Helpline Special.
We'll let you know what day and what time real soon...or you can ring your local station for more!!
In news just off the press, "If That Were Me" will be SINGLE OF THE WEEK in all HMV STORES and will be available everywhere for under 5 dollars!
Article: http://www.virginmusic.com.au/artist.asp?newsid=1867&artistid=55
posted by WoW at Worldpop forum:
The first thing that Mel C thinks of when she thinks of Greece? "The Olympics," she said at yesterday's press conference. Sporty Spice is finally here and will be performing tonight at the Olympic Stadium while tomorrow she travels up north to Thessaloniki to perform at the Mikra Sports Hall.
The former Spice Girl appeared looking youthful, without lots make-up and "star" attitude, and said she was proud of her solo career. "It's scary to think that some people may only think of me as a member of a group or a 'girl'," she said. Mel C prefers to think of herself as one of the Spice Girls, who went solo. She denies any future plans to work together again. At the press conference the sporty singer sang part of "I Turn to You", and spoke of her inspiration as coming from many female artists. She also expressed her wish to work with the likes of Madonna and Eminem in the future. Virgin Records awarded Mel C for Northern Star's success. She worked with Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers producer Rick Rubin, Madonna collaborators Marius De Vries, Rick Nowels, William Orbit and Bryan Adams amongst others on Northern Star. Melanie C and the remaining Spice Girls conquered the world. During their reign, they've sold over 40 million records but while other band members were perhaps louder and more glamorous, Melanie C was more mysterious. She was the quietest of the quintet. General consensus suggested that she was the best singer of the bunch, and the most down to earth.
* Catch Mel C at the Olympic Stadium in Maroussi at 8.30pm. Tickets at 10,000 drs are available at the venue and at major record stores. Thessaloniki's concert takes place at the Mikra Sports Hall (Nea Krini, Kalamaria). Tickets are 8,000 drs and are available at major records stores around town.
This was posted by Rotem_Beckham in the Dotmusic forum:
T:if you are suffering so much from the tabloids, and what they are writing about you, why don't you just sue them???
MEL:it is very simple, it's because it will take too much time and money! i know a lot of celebs that sued papers because of what they wrote about them, and after it ended, the stories started again.
maybe one day, when i'll have time i'll deal with it...in the mean time, i just don't read papers, 'cause when you are famous, they write a lot of rubbish about you that is not true, and this is your only way to live, i don't even know what they write about me.
T:they write that you........
MEL: no thanks.
T:is there anything that you said through out your career, and you regret it?
MEL: i did and said a lot of things i regret...
T:like???
MEL: i'm not going to say, all i can say is that a lot of the things people say i said, i didn't, and in the end of the day it's not worth energy to waste on...
- they wrote about the throat problems....
T: how are you now?
MEL: i'm recovering, i couldn't speak for a few days, but now i'm alright.
T: you canceled your UK tour, will you perform in israel? MEL: now i'm strong, but the gigs in the uk were too close to my illness, so i had to re-schedule them.
T: where you in israel before?
MEL: no, but i've got a few Israeli friend who are now living in the US. T: do you know whats going on in israel?
MEL: i know that my album is selling brilliantly, and that people really love me there.
T: and other then that, do you know any thing about the politics and crisis in israel?
MEL: not so much, i don't read the papers so i really don't know whats going on.
T: great! if you knew, maybe you would have joined to the artist who canceled their gigs here..
MEL: oh, really???? what is going on?
T: going...but it's not as horrible as it look in the media.
MEL: this is exactly why i don't read the papers, i know that what they are writing about me is not true, and if it's like that with me, why should it be different with israel?!
T: are you still a Liverpool fan??
MEL: of course!!! i'll never change my team, it's a rule in the english league.
T: in the Israeli league aswell, do you go to see games?
MEL: i used to go a lot, the truth is that i didn't get the chance to go for 2 years, you know, i'm a busy women and all that....
T: if you'll come earlier, in 2 days you'll be able to see a game in israel.
MEL: uuummm.... the thing is that i'm really under a tight schedule,i'll probably be performing in another country in the game's day....the truth is that i wont have a lot of time in israel, but i'm hoping to see as much as i can
T: is it true that you were dreaming to be a footballer when you were a little girl?
MEL: it was when i was about 8! it was a time when i was really fanatic about Liverpool, but it passed, and i wanted to be a singer.
-you can't ask her about the spice girls!!! she said not to!
T: so you wont be singing any songs from the group that you are part of for 5 years?
MEL: NO way!!! it's MY show!
T:do you get to see vic's and mel b's babies?
MEL: ..........NO.
T: do you ever find time for your family?
MEL: i try, i've got a complicated family. my folks divorced when i was little and i've got 5 brothers and 2 sister, each one of them is a half brother. and they all live in different places. i don't get to see them a lot, but i see my mom which lives in Liverpool a lot! T: and what about time for yourself?
MEL: you need to find time for yourself. i love taking care of myself, and to hang with friends. but i have to work, and it takes most of my time.
T: who is the person you love the most?
MEL: my mom
T: what do you wish for yourself?
MEL: to be happy, healthy and to continue to be successful as a solo.
T: and why there are so many questions that i can't ask you?
MEL: just because!
Melanie C :
"Yes, its true. In early April this year I'm flying over the Atlantic to play to my American and Canadian fans. I'll be there for 3 weeks and i'll be cramming in as many gigs as I possibly can.
I can't tell you the exact dates and venues yet, but you'll be the first to know as soon as the schedule's sorted early next week. Don't miss 'em!
Lots of Love
Melanie
These dates are the only ones confirmed so far, come back for updates
Melanie C
Wed 04/04/01 9:00PM
House Of Blues
Anaheim, CA
Melanie C
Thu 04/05/01 8:00PM
Roxy Theatre
Hollywood, CA
Melanie C
Sun 04/08/01 7:45PM
House Of Blues
Chicago, IL
Melanie C
Sat 04/14/01 8:00PM
Irving Plaza
New York, NY
*These dates were taken from Ticket Master.com
**The note from Mel C was taken straight from Melanie C's Official Site
Dashing Dan Brings Spice Back To Mel
From The Mirror:
She has endured the heartache of splitting from her boyfriend and suffered cruel gossip that she may not even be interested in men at all.
But after calling it a day with singer Dan Williams, Spice Girl Mel C has found her perfect Valentine.
Last week 3AM revealed how Mel had the time of her life in a holiday romance with film director Dan Cadan. And how Dan - an assistant to Guy Ritchie on his hit movie Snatch - is equally smitten with Sporty Spice.
Some dared to doubt our exclusive story. But now you know. NEVER take 3AM lightly.
After they fell for each other during the January break in Barbados, Mel and her Dan enjoyed a fun Monday night back in London.
The lovebirds looked blissfully happy as they left the trendy Met Bar.
And the nation's No1 gossip column can also reveal that to celebrate their blossoming romance Dan is flying to meet his new girl on her European tour so the pair can enjoy a romantic Valentine's break.
Dan, 26, has made all the arrangements and, like a true gent, he's footing the bill. But that shouldn't be a problem - his stepfather is a millionaire industrialist from Huddersfield.
He and Mel made their first London appearance earlier in the evening at a Formula One party at the Royal Garden Hotel.
In a charity auction Sporty sportingly bid pounds 8,500 for a test session at Silverstone.
Mel, 26, dressed in a Sex Pistols T-shirt, partied with fellow stars including Gabrielle and Jools Holland. She and Dan kissed and cuddled outside the Kensington venue before partying at the Met into the early hours.
One fellow reveller disclosed: "They were glued to each other all night." A friend of Mel said: "It's early days but Mel and Dan are very happy together."
Meanwhile, for any of our tired old rivals who seem so desperate to find out - please allow us to put you out of your misery.
The mystery girl Mel was pictured with leaving the Kabaret club the other night was her childhood pal Rachel Marsh.
Last year generous Mel bought Rachel a plush flat in London's Hampstead to thank her for being such a loyal friend.
On their Saturday night out the two girls rather naughtily held hands for the paparazzi.
Mel always was a bit on the mischievous side!
Article: http://www.mirror.co.uk/shtml/NEWS/P3S1.shtml
Popstars Five Hit Back At Mel C
From music365:
The five young hopefuls who made the final line-up of ITV's Popstars have hit back at Mel C's claim that they're being exploited.
Speaking at Heathrow airport after returning from a recording session in Norway, the group, who were finally unveiled on Saturday night's (February 3) edition of the ratings hit, were bemused by the Spice Girl's description of them as "those poor kids".
"Didn't she start out like this?" asked Kym Marsh. "Thanks for the advice, Mel, but we'll carry on. We're happy the way we are."
Kym's bandmate Myleene Klass added: "We won't be exploited. We have friends and family behind us and have got a lot to offer."
Nicki Chapman, one of the trio of judges who whittled down more than 2,000 applicants to the final five, said: "Mel C has had some problems recently. I think she is suffering from short-term memory loss, because it's well-documented how the Spice Girls were brought together.
Although there has been no official announcement of the band's name, tabloid reports claim they will be called Hearsay. Their first single, 'Pure And Simple', is due out on March 12, and they are expected to make their TV performing debut on the Saturday morning show CD:UK on February 26.
Spice For A Fuller Flavour
The Times
MONDAY, 05 FEBRUARY, 2001
Melanie Chisholm is looking beyond the Spice Girls. David Sinclair finds out what she really really wants.
If the wages of sin is death, the wages of fame in the 21st century would seem to be a long, lingering roasting in the laser glare of the media spotlight. And the process is starting earlier all the time, as the queue of wannabes, eagerly fluttering like moths around the flame to receive their dose of ritual humiliation on the weekly Popstars TV series, are finding out to their cost.
“I think it’s such an exploitation of those poor kids,” says Melanie Chisholm, no stranger to the audition process herself before becoming a Spice Girl and now a solo star in her own right.
“To be honest, I think the ones who haven’t got through are the lucky ones. Mel B and I were talking about it the other day, and we both agreed how glad we were that it wasn’t us, which it could so easily have been. Those kids are going through hell and the way it's set up they won’t have anything to show for it.”
Ironically, it was the Spice Girls - initially convened in 1994 through an open audition ad in The Stage magazine - who were in no small part responsible for sparking off the craze for “instant” pop bands and the rise of the latterday uber-celebrity.
But having tasted the fruits of fame, including financial rewards beyond most people’s wildest dreams, Melanie Chisholm has since felt the uncomfortable heat of the media spotlight more fiercely than most. After a year in which she has suffered and recovered from depression, an eating disorder and the wheels finally coming off the Spice Girls bandwagon, she was forced to postpone her solo British tour last month because of a viral throat infection.
“The specialist told me that if I went ahead with the tour, as planned, I probably wouldn't get through it, and also I might never sing again,” she says. “It wasn’t a particularly difficult choice to make.” What she found a lot harder to take were the subsequent newspaper reports which insisted that the real reason she had pulled the shows was that she was still in the grip of a clinical depression, and was psychologically too fragile to go on tour.
“I don’t read the tabloids any more, which is very good for my health. But no matter how long I’ve been in the music industry and no matter how much rubbish I’ve had thrown at me, still piss me off. I’m fully recovered from my depression, so why are they trying to drag me down again? I’m sure they had a lot to do with it last time. I love touring, that’s my refuge. For one thing, when I’m abroad it gets me away from them.”
With the rescheduled dates announced today and her voice back to full strength, Chisholm is once again in bright and bonny form. Wearing brown-rimmed glasses and dressed in jeans and a black, sleeveless T-shirt, she is now what would be considered a “normal” size in any walk of life other than the stick-insect world of modern showbiz. Her tattooed forearms and biceps are obviously a lot more powerful than your average secretarial type, the result of the obsessive training and weight-lifting which helped her to maintain an unnaturally slender figure for so many years.
“I got very obsessed with health and fitness magazines,” she says. “And my diet became so limited that at one point I was eating no protein, no carbohydrate, and God knows how I survived on the schedule we had with the Spice Girls. I think I was living on adrenaline. Eventually I was exhausted and my body just snapped. It was like a catapult that had been stretched as far as it could go and then it was suddenly released. Then came depression, bingeing. I couldn’t exercise because I was so ashamed of myself. The weight piled on. I went through a period of hating myself.” While sympathizing with her plight, was it not the case that the Spice Girls themselves were guilty of contributing to the pressure on young girls to conform to a skinny stereotype? “I think we were victims of it, well Geri and I were. I think overall the group had quite a healthy difference in shapes and sizes and the other three girls were just naturally the shape they were. Maybe I’m guilty of putting pressure on little girls who loved Sporty. But if so, I was a victim of previous people who defined how I thought I had to look to be accepted in the pop world. Perhaps it was a case of the victim becoming the perpetrator, which is a pattern you often find.”
With the help of prescription drugs, therapy and the moral support of family and friends, Chisholm eventually dragged herself back to full health, but whether due to the illness or to other adjustments in her circumstances, a change seemed to have come over her along the way. Whereas she had once been the quietest of the Spice Girls, happy to go along with the policy decisions and media statements issued by the more powerful personalities of Geri Halliwell and Melanie B, in recent times a more confident, garrulous side to her personality has emerged. At the launch party for the Spice Girls latest album, Forever, last November, she revealed a bolshy streak that took most observers by surprise, regaling various journalists and photographers with a heroic display of forthright epithets and two-fingered salutes that put something of a new spin on Girl Power.
“I didn’t want to go to the launch party, because although I love the Spice Girls, I hate the media circus that surrounds them. I wasn’t prepared to be nice to certain journalists because they’d been openly disgusting to me and my friends, so I just told them to f off and get out of my party. And I was angry that the other Girls were being polite to them. I didn’t want them to do that. I’m sorry if that’s not very professional, but my standards are higher than that. I thought the whole party was a pile of s, so I decided to get very drunk. And when I went outside and the paparazzi were there, I simply thought I’d show them what I thought of them. And I don’t regret it one bit.” It’s all a long way from the conciliatory tone and ultra-bright, kids-friendly style of the Spice Girls in their heyday, and with Geri now long departed, it is clear that Melanie C has become very much the loose cannon on the deck. Part of her reluctance to toe the group line is possibly a subconscious reaction to her success as a solo act. Her own album, Northern Star, has now sold two million copies, as many and possibly even more than Forever.
The difference is that whereas Chisholm’s album is perceived as the successful foundation of a future career, the Spice Girls latest offering has been regarded as the underperforming swansong of a group that is on the skids. Isn’t part of Chisholm’s problem that she feels torn between wanting to get on and pursue her own career while not wanting to “do a Geri” and leave the other Spices in the lurch? “In the beginning I didn’t much mind not getting my opinion heard because I was quite young and I was scared anyway, but as I grew older it started to niggle me more and more. Then, as the solo work went on, I was saying things in interviews that the Girls weren’t too happy with. But I want to be an individual.
“ I don’t want people to know me as ‘Sporty’ the rest of my life. I’m Melanie. And this is what Melanie has to say. But I would never ‘do a Geri’. What she did was shocking to all of us, because it was a lack of communication. I mean, c’mon, Geri is such a fantastic talker — it was just mindblowing that she walked away with nothing to say.” It is a rare moment, in her current mood, when Chisholm has nothing to say. She talks in such a rush that the words come tumbling out almost too fast for my recording machine to scoop them all up. The transcript of the interview is about double the average word length yielded over the same period of time.
Little bits of gossip surface, here and there. She cheerfully announces that she has recently been dumped by her latest boyfriend Dan Williams from the boy band Tomcat. She now has ten tattoos and wonders whether that makes men frightened to approach her. She regards herself as fearless in most situations except where spiders are involved. She lays the blame for the disappointing sales of the Spice Girls album at the door of the group itself. “I think it’s a good album, but we didn’t work on it as hard as we did on the others. We barely did any promotion. If you want to sell loads of records then you have to do a Westlife and fly around the country and do a big media thing. We’re all too tired to go through that again.”
Did their new R’n’B direction cause them to lose touch with their pop fans? “We felt it was time to move on and it seemed the healthiest way to go. I love all the things the Spice Girls have done, but I’m 27 now. I feel a bit old to be singing “Zigazig-ha”. How long can you sing that? Just the thought of it exhausts me.”
The Spice Girls currently have no plans to tour or release a second single from the Forever album. So is it now time to start talking about the group in the past tense? “We’ve got no plans to make another record. But we’ve got no plans to split up either.”
So are the Girls still functioning as a group? “We’re not not together, but we are not actually doing anything.”
I see. What does that mean? “We’re still together, but we’re just not working. So that’s the way that it stands.”
Right! So what, after all that she’s been through, does Melanie C really, really want now? “I want happiness in whatever form it might take. Even if it means not singing any more. I just want to be happy. Because I’ve been unhappy for a very, very long time.”
Spice Girl Mel C Has Pop
From The Sun:
MONDAY, 05 FEBRUARY, 2001
SPICE GIRL MEL C HAS A POP
SPORTY Spice Mel C yesterday launched a bizarre attack on Popstars.
Despite the fact the Spice Girls were also chosen in open auditions, she claimed: "I think it is such an exploitation of those poor kids.
"Mel B and I both agreed how glad we were it wasn't us, which it could so easily have been. The ones who haven't got through are the lucky ones."
She added: "Those kids are going through hell and they won't have anything to show for it."
Article: http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13361314
Rescheduled Tour Dates
Melanie is extremely upset to announce that she has been forced to postpone her forthcoming UK and Ireland tour dates due to start on 28 January. She has been suffering from a throat problem lately and the doctor has advised her not to tour if she is to avoid more serious damage. These shows will be rescheduled for May this year and all tickets held will remain valid, so please hold on to them. If you would prefer a full refund please contact the box office where you purchased them originally.
With several tabloids printing rubbish that she is currently suffering from "severe depression" and that she told an aide she "just couldn't face it" when asked why she was cancelling the UK and Ireland tour dates, Melanie wanted to put up the following message to clear a few things up:
»I just wanted to let my fans know the truth because you're the important ones. The truth is I've been very ill over Christmas with that nasty flu that everyone has had. Sadly, my vocal cords haven't recovered in time for me to do the UK and Ireland section of the tour. I'm very upset and disappointed about this but I'm in no way depressed. Thank you for your kind concern, I'm just taking it easy for a couple of weeks and then I'll be out there fighting fit and performing the tour like you've never seen it before. "Just couldn't face it".....are they mad???«
Love Melanie xx
Melanie C has confirmed that she will be playing the following dates this year.
February
14 Hala Tivoli Ljubliana
16 Sports Hall George Kassimatis Athens
17 Mikra Sports Hall Salonika
19 Cinerama Tel Aviv
21 Jumeriah Beach Hotel Dubai
22 Le Royal Meridian Hotel Bahrain
24 The Big Top Arena Johannesburg
28 Singapore Harbour Pavillion Singapore
March
2 Merdaka Hall Kuala Lumpur
4 Dance Fever Bangkok
Re-Scheduled Dates May
6 Royal Court, Liverpool
8 Colston Hall, Bristol
9 Centre, Brighton
10 Pavillions, Plymouth
13 Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
14 Royal Centre, Nottingham
16 Barbican, York
17 Apollo, Manchester
20 Olympia, Dublin
21 Waterfront Hall, Belfast
22 Playhouse, Edinburgh
*Don't forget that all tickets held will remain valid, so please hold on to them. If you would prefer a full refund please contact the box office where you purchased them originally.
**This was taken straight from Melanie C's Official Site
For older news not found here go to Spice News.com then go to archive. It will have older news and also recent news on the home page!