In July, 1996, five young British women called the Spice Girls released their debut single: Wannabe. Little did anyone know that more than twenty years later, this group would still be icons of feminine inspiration and the biggest selling girl group of all time.

 

In 1992, Bob and Chris Herbert sent out flyers calling for girls to audition for a new girl band they were creating.

Hundreds of girls auditioned. Eventually, five girls were selected: Victoria Adams, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell and Michelle Stephenson for the group called Touch.

Before long it was clear that one particular member of the group didn’t quite fit in. Victoria, Mel C, Mel B and Geri were determined and driven to succeed in the group, while Michelle was undecided whether to continue with the group or complete her studies. Eventually, management decided that Michelle had to leave, and through networking, another girl from North London named Emma Bunton was brought in and became the fifth member of the group. The five girls were housed together in Maidenhead as they began working on their showcase.

Before long however, the girls began to wonder whether they had become involved in something they didn’t want. It became clear that their agreement with their management involved them being told what to sing, what to wear, what to do with very little control over their involvement in the band.

One night, the girls packed their things into bin liners, did a bunk from their house in Maidenhead and set out on their own.

The girls were put on to Simon Fuller at 19 Management who agreed to take them on. Soon, the group was renamed the Spice Girls (a name that came to Geri at the gym), and they signed a contract with Virgin Records.

When first presented with Wannabe, Virgin were sceptical whether it should be released, fearing that it would ruin the band before it really began. Feeling that this song was unique, the girls pushed for it to be released as their debut single.

In its first week, Wannabe went to Number 3 on the UK charts. The following week it went to Number 1, where it stayed for ten weeks. Check it out below if you feel like reliving the nostalgia of Wannabe!

Shortly after the release of Wannabe, an American pop magazine even came up with nicknames for them: Victoria was Posh Spice, Emma Baby, Mel C Sporty, Geri Ginger, and Mel B Scary, to match their appearance and personality.

In September, 1996 the album Spice was released. The singles Say You’ll Be There, 2 Become 1, Mama and Who Do You Think You Are were also released from Spice; all going to Number 1.

The following year was a whirlwind for the Spice Girls. They found themselves travelling the world doing promotion, doing advert campaigns for companies like Polaroid, Walker’s Crisps, Chupa Chups, Impulse and Pepsi. In amongst this, the girls met Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela. Later that year, the Spice Girls began filming their first movie, called Spiceworld, starring the girls and featuring celebrities like Elton John, Jennifer Saunders, Richard E. Grant and Alan Cumming.

In October 1997, as part of their endorsement with Pepsi, the Spice Girls performed their first full length live concert in Istanbul, which was a huge success. By this stage, the Spice Girls were the biggest girl band in the world, and a household name. They had everything going for them, including a world tour the following year.

 

However, in November 1997, it was announced that the Spice Girls had fired Simon Fuller, and would be managing themselves from then on in. The press thought it was the beginning of the end for the group. Nevertheless, that same month, their second album: Spiceworld was released, which also served as the soundtrack for their film. Four singles were released from this album. Spice Up Your Life, Too Much and Viva Forever all went to Number 1, while Stop peaked at Number 2.

 

In February 1998, the Spiceworld Tour opened in Dublin. The girls would be touring Europe, North America and the UK.

However, on May 31^st, after missing two concerts in Oslo, Geri Halliwell announced through her attorney that she had left the Spice Girls. At the time, little reason was given for her sudden departure apart from exhaustion and the fact that she had agreed to do an interview for breast cancer, but due to scheduling problems, the interview was cancelled.

Although they were devastated, the remaining four girls went on to complete the American and UK legs of the tour without her, concluding at Wembley Stadium in September.

 

Every other day, the tabloids were writing more stories on the possible break up of the Spice Girls since Geri’s departure. But Emma, Mel C, Victoria and Mel B were determined that girl power would live on with or without Ginger Spice. On Christmas 1998, the Spice Girls released their first single without Geri: Goodbye, which went straight to Number 1.

In December 1999, the Spice Girls performed several shows around Britain titled: Christmas in Spiceworld. In November 2000, the Spice Girls released their third album: Forever. Two singles: Holler and Let Love Lead the Way were released, peaking at Number 1.

In early 2001, the Spice Girls announced that they would be taking a break to pursue solo careers.

 

In June 2007, after years of rumours and speculation, Geri, Emma, Victoria, Mel B and Mel C held a press conference announcing that they were reuniting for a world tour and a greatest hits album. The tour, titled The Return of the Spice Girls started in December 2007, and toured the UK and North America. The reunion was important to Geri more than anyone else, because to her, this was a symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation.

 

In 2012, the Spice Girls reunited once again for a creative project called Viva Forever The Musical, with the help of Jennifer Saunders and Judy Craymer. That same year, the group delighted audiences with a performance at the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony. Check it out below!

Since then, news on the Spice Girls has been speculative and inconsistent.

 

In 2016, after talk of a possible reunion and both Victoria and Mel C flatly refusing to consider another reunion, a video was posted to social media by Geri, Emma and Mel B, calling themselves “Gem”, and promising “a party” in celebration of Wannabe’s 20th anniversary.

In February this year, photos were released after the five girls and Simon Fuller had lunch together, igniting more rumours of a reunion. Speculation of a reunion tour, album, and even a Spice Girls book have surfaced, yet nothing has been confirmed.

 

The Spice Girls are one of many girl bands to come and go over the past twenty years, yet people continue to wonder why they are such prominent figures in the music industry. I think many don’t actually realise how many barriers these five ordinary girls broke down in their beginning of their quest. At the time, the entire music industry was saturated with boy bands. In the then male dominated music industry, the Spice Girls were initially told that they couldn’t be put on the cover of a magazine because “girls don’t sell magazines”, then after winning this battle, went on to sell the most that particular magazine had ever sold.

 

It was conflicts like these which ultimately led the girls to their catch phrase: “Girl Power”. They fought hard for their place on the charts, with their fun, catchy songs which they wrote themselves, and their normal, everyday backgrounds. I feel that this was one of the biggest attractions of the Spice Girls. They were living proof that five ordinary girls could in fact make a difference in the world. It always seemed to be the tabloid press in the UK which seemed to spread the most negativity about the girls. The most significant instances were during the 1997 Brits when Geri’s boobs fell out of her dress, and in 1998, when topless images surfaced of Geri from her previous glamour modelling career. Another was the insistence by the media that the Spice Girls were nothing but a manufactured money-making scheme, and that the girls couldn’t even sing.

The girls proved this theory wrong at their first live show in Istanbul, where they sang completely live. This was in 1997. Just over twenty years ago, why was there so much negativity towards a girl band whose goal was to produce music, but ended up doing much more than that? Were they such a threat to their male counterparts that some were hellbent on bringing them down?

 

In 2018, we are living in a time when most people in our western society like to think that acceptance is high, and societal differences like gender, race, ethnicity, religion and sexuality is high. So, going back over twenty years to a girl group who changed the music industry forever, I ask: Do we still need girl power?

 

Speaking personally, the Spice Girls were appealing in many ways. While the ‘Girl Power’ slogan, by definition, was not commercially designed for me as a male, the vibe is contagious. Their entire attitude and energy was a picture of fun, the ability to be who you want to be and do what you want to do but being sure of yourself. Furthermore, in my opinion, the Spice Girls songs are catchy, and have stood the test of time.

To this day, there are still many closet Spice Girls fans. Some might say that they are history, but I must ask: Why the demand for a reunion? Why did the first shows from the 2007 world tour sell out in just 38 seconds?

My answer to that question is a big YES.

Whether or not the Spice Girls will actually reunite for another tour or album is still unknown. However, for me, like many others, this could well be the last opportunity to see my greatest sources of inspiration perform my favourite songs, live in person. Regardless, I can say with conviction that these five women have had a great impact on my life, and I feel that many people feel the same way.

All the best for Easter!

xoxo Brett