Biography
While you may already be more than familiar with her, she is about to release a debut solo album, which is guaranteed to take everyone by surprise. Anticipation will be rife, and she will confound all expectation. Think re-birth, think total reinvention. And prepare yourselves for a shock.
For the past five years, Melanie C has been Sporty Spice. She was one of five girls who, together, would go on to become some of the most famous women on earth. During their reign, Spice Girls have sold over 40 million records and have had their lives microscopically detailed by the tabloids in a fashion that suggests they must be royal. Wherever they've travelled in the world, they've been fanatically received: Nelson Mandela still remembers the kiss, Prince Charles the pinch. While other band members were perhaps louder and more glamorous, Melanie C was the more mysterious. She was the quietest of the quintet, then the quietest of the quartet. Then, she capped one of her teeth in gold, and had tattoos applied to her upper arms, her lower back. She got very fit. General consensus suggested that she was the best singer of the bunch, and the most down to earth. She was likeable, but never quite shone to her full potential.
Until, that is, now.


When the Spice Girls finally booked themselves some time off recently, Melanie C took advantage of the situation and immediately decamped to Los Angeles to begin recording the solo album that had lived in her mind and her dreams these past five years.

"Spice Girls haven't had more than seven to ten days off in the last three years," she explains. "So we certainly earned the right to lie back and relax. But to be honest, it was simply too good an opportunity for me to go off and do my own stuff. I'd been writing for myself for sometime, so when the chance came along, I had to jump at it."
So she booked herself into a downtown studio, and surrounded herself with some very good company. In three months, she worked with Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers producer Rick Rubin, Madonna collaborators Marius De Vries and Rick Nowels (with whom she co-wrote several songs) William Orbit (Madonna, Blur) two members of Beck's band, Bryan Adams and Rhett Lawrence (writer & producer of hits for Mariah Carey and Monica, amongst others) with whom she wrote co-wrote the gorgeous "Never Be The Same Again", and which features Lisa Left Eye (TLC).


The calibre of talent working with me was incredible," she beams. "It's very odd being in the studio with these kind of people. What was even stranger was that they had such respect for me and for what I was trying to do - they gave me enormous confidence in myself. It was just the best time of my entire life."


The result is Northern Star, an album that doesn't merely exceed Melanie's own expectations, but also those of everyone else who hears it, Spice fanatic or not. It is exceptionally good. For starters, it sounds very little like one would expect from someone with her background. The first single, Goin' Down, crunches with spectacular malevolence and is the aural equivalent of an armoured truck. Closer is a sumptuously hypnotic ballad that is as deep and lush and fresh as an aromatherapy bath. Suddenly Monday is what an acoustic Noel Gallagher would sound like were his trousers a little tighter, and the title track is absolutely bewitching.


Her influences? "Well, I've always been into indie and rock," she explains. "That's always the direction I wanted to go in." She's a huge fan of Madonna, Hole and Garbage. She loves The Cardigans' crystalline pop, and admires Oasis and the Chili Peppers. While in Los Angeles, she caught Blur in concert and came away in awe. No Steps, then. "This album is really going to surprise people," she predicts. "When I look back at the two previous albums I have been involved in, then what I'm doing now is completely different. But that's only natural. When Spice Girls started we were still all really young. In five years you change a hell of a lot, and that's what Northern Star represents. It represents change. And I'm not the only one. Look at the rest of us. One has left, two are married and have babies. We're turning into Spice Women now, branching out."


"I'm so thankful to the Spice Girls for enabling me to be in this position because now I can go off and do what I've always dreamed about. And the best part of it is that I know I've got their full support. The girls know that this is what I've always wanted to do, and they're completely happy for me. We always encourage one another in whatever we want to do." As Melanie is now busy with a flourishing solo career, let us therefore address the obvious question: It's all over for the Spice Girls, isn't it?
"People expect us to spilt up at least once a day," she grins, "but as usual it's not true. Why would we split up? We're having the time of our lives."


And, indeed, the four Spice Girls reconvened in the studio in early August to begin recording their third album, and come winter, they will undertake yet more live shows. Melanie, meanwhile, is planning to go out on the road this autumn under the banner of From Liverpool To Leicester Square, which will actually take her far further afield than that, including America, Australia, Japan and Europe, Melanie juggling both projects as only a workaholic Spice Girl can.


"It will be hectic, but I like hectic," she explains. "I still have huge fun being in the Spice Girls, we have such a laugh. And they really are my best friends. But I've also got something else to prove, which is why I'm so determined to see my solo stuff work."
And it will.


This being a biog - where gushing over the subject is something of a requisite - we could explain at length here why, exactly, Melanie C is about to take the music world by storm, but for once we really needn't bother. All the evidence is here, contained within an album that can fight all its own battles and answer every last critic.
So sit back, press play, and prepare to be very pleasantly surprised.

Personal infromataion

Full name: Melanie Jayne Chisholm (it's pronounced "Chizzum")
And yes, that IS how you spell "Chisholm"... Not Chisolm (Official website, hang your head in shame, Chislom, Chisholme, Chrisholm, or any other variant you may have seen both on and offline.

Mel or Melanie?: Melanie - she always refers to herself as Melanie, never as Mel...

Age: 25

Birthday: 12th January 1974

Birthplace: Whiston Hospital, Merseyside

Schools: Southgates Infant School, Runcorn. Brookvale Junior School & Fairfield Junior School, Widnes. Fairfield County High School, Widnes. Doreen Bird Performing Arts College, Kent.

Family home: Originally Rainhill (a suburb of Liverpool), then Widnes (a few miles further south)

New home: She's just bought herself an apartment in Liverpool, part of the Albert Dock development. If it's anything like the docklands apartments I'm familiar with, it should be a really nice place!

Another new home: To partner the flat in Liverpool, she's now added to her little collection with a London apartment in the Mount Vernon development, Hampstead. Apparently, these are very cool apartments, with price tags to match.

Family:
Mother: Joan O'Neill
Father: Alan Chisholm
Step-father: Dennis
Step-mother: Carol
Older Step-Brothers: Jad (Jarrod) and Stuart
Younger Half-Brothers: Paul, Liam and Declan
Half-Sister: Emma

Height: 5'6" (1.68m)

Weight: 9 st. (57 Kg)

Eye Colour: Hazel

Hair Colour: Naturally a medium brown, but went through a long phase of being dyed black, black with blue streaks or black with red streaks (my favourite, especially in a ponytail. Currently a mix of brown and blonde, the exact shade depending on the time of day, phase of the moon, or something like that...

Shoe size: 6 (UK)








Music

Favourite song from Spice: "Who Do You Think You Are" - this girl has taste :-)


Favourite song from SpiceWorld: "Too Much" - It's also her favourite Spice Girls song...


Ex-favourite song: Song 2, by Blur


Current favourite song: Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles


Favourite Spice Girls video: Say You'll Be There


Favourite video: Vogue, by Madonna. She used to dance along to it when she was at dance school.



Musical Tastes: "Yeah, I've got really different tastes, but at the moment I'm really into the Britpop scene, you know, Blur, Oasis, Supergrass. I kinda like all the big guitar bands, but my favourite artist of all times is Stevie Wonder. But I'm a big Madonna fan as well, so it varies."


Come on Melanie, what else???: Bruce Willis. She's got two of his albums...
"Under the boardwalk, down by the seeeeeeaaaaa......"
First record she bought: The Kids from Fame album. "I'd do the show in my front room."


Melanie on Bryan Adams: "We couldn't believe how dinky he was..."


On winning two Ivor Novello awards: "This is a very special award for us. It means a lot to be recognised for our song writing and music."


On Oasis: "If Oasis are bigger than God, what does that make us? Bigger than Buddha? Because we are a darn sight bigger than Oasis."


Any musical ambitions?: "I really want to learn to play guitar. I've got one, I've got me a semi-acoustic. I know a few chords and stuff. At the moment I'm just writing vocally and it's frustrating. I don't want to see the Spice Girls turn into Blur, but it'd be nice to play an instrument."


On the "Spice Up Your Life" video...: "I enjoyed shooting it because it was filmed in New York, which is one of my favourite places. We had mad outfits - we were all in black combat-style gear. I got into trouble because I forgot to wear my goggles for half the shoot! I ruined the continuity, but we didn't have time to reshoot, so if you watch the video closely, you'll see that sometimes I've got them on and sometimes they're nowhere to be seen. It was quite a physical video and I especially enjoyed knocking the man out in the boxing ring. We had to film a few takes, so I got to punch him over and over again! I was a bit disappointed with the outcome, though. We knew it was going to be very dark, but it wasn't quite what we imagined."


...and "Too Much"...: "As soon as you go on set, you know whether it's going to be a good video or not, and I got such a good feeling about it that I knew it would be brilliant. I think it's the best Spice Girls video - we all look absolutely gorgeous, we had great costumes and sets, and with the movie inserts added in, it's a good fun video.
It was funny because all the blokes around me were real karate experts and there I was in the middle, beating them all up, although I've only had two karate lessons in my life."


On the Istanbul concerts: "After all the promotion, the interviews, the work, we finally found ourselves on stage. It was too much for me and I burst into tears. I couldn't get the words for the first song out of my mouth. It wasn't stage fright. It was just a welling up of emotion. Once the first number was over I loved every second on stage."


We aren't the only ones waiting for the tour...: "Singing live was the reason I joined the Spice Girls. I've been frustrated because up to now it's been the thing we've spent the least time doing."
On the world tour...


...any pre-show rituals?: "When we're nervous and excited we all handle it in different ways. Mel B gets really boisterous, whereas I just sit in the corner and don't speak to anyone!"


...any plans for a backstage documentary?: "We'd like to do something like that, but then again, sometimes when you're backstage and you're trying to get sorted, you don't want a camera stuck in your face."


...what do you miss being on the road?: "I miss the silly things like Heinz baked beans and just nipping down to Sainsburys!"


...do you ever get lonely?: "You can't get lonely when there's five of you travelling around together. We have such a giggle, and even when we work, it's fun. We're always laughing."


And some more...: "Every single night's different. The first night I was in a frenzy, panicking about what comes next, what to sing next, what dance moves to do next, but the excitement just took over. It was like a roller-coaster, it was so fast. The next night seemed a lot slower, I had a chance to think what comes next. You just get lost in your own little world - there might be thousands of people watching you, but you're on your own. Every night I have this fear that I can't do it, but as soon as them doors open it's all right."
"I'm very career-minded and hard working, but I like a good time like everyone else. This tour is really important to me. If I give a bad performance - even if I didn't know anybody in the house - I'm the one I'm trying to please and I'm never pleased. You can never stop, you can never sit back and think you've done great. If it did stop then I would be so disappointed. There's so much more I want to achieve."
"It's going to be very theatrical - we want to rock!"
"I never thought I'd get to travel. Not so long ago it was a big deal for me to go to London. I ring home now and say, 'I'm in Japan' or 'We're just leaving New York' and it feels so strange as I say it."











Favourites

Favourite Football Team: Liverpool (like you didn't already know :-)


Favourite Footballer: Steve McManaman (a Liverpool player, oddly enough...)


Favourite Saying: "You'll Never Walk Alone!"


Favourite TV Show: Brookside. "All those Scouse accents make me feel better whenever I get homesick."


Favourite Film: Toy Story


Favourite cat food: Whiskas
Still don't know which brand of dog biscuits she prefers though :-)


Favourite Animal: Giraffe


Favourite athlete: Linford Christie


Favourite athletics events: 100m hurdles, 200m and high jump








Love and Romance (and all that...)


Fancies: Jamie Redknapp. "He`s gorgeous, whenever he speaks to me I just go to pieces. Recently he`s been looking even more gorgeous with his long hair. Ooh God."
I don't stand a chance, do I...
and... "I have a soft spot for shy and melancholy types. I just can't resist dark and sad eyes."


Melanie's Perfect Man : "You won`t get me on your side by asking me to a fancy restaurant or any of that sissy stuff. What would interest me is an invitation to a football match."
That could be arranged...
and... "I don't like macho guys. I love confident men who believe in themselves."


Boy pulling methods: "I give him a shy glance then flex my biceps. I'd chat him up with 'I've got two tickets for a Liverpool match, do you fancy coming?'"
but... "I'm quite shy and I find it difficult approaching guys."
so... If Melanie fancies a bloke, Mel B wouldn't wait for him to come over, she'd charge on in with "my mate fancies you!".
What are friends for :-)


Sad Spice???: "I haven't met anyone yet who interests me. My idea of the perfect night would be to go down the pub, have a few beers, go to a football match, then back to the pub for a few more beers." And she's renamed herself Sad Spice, since she's been so unlucky in love...
Would you snog anyone to get your own way? "No, never. I've never been asked and I don't think anyone would want to snog me anyway."
Umm, Melanie, think again!


Are you a good kisser?: "I think I probably was when I was getting a bit of practice, but I've probably got worse since. Anyone out there I can practice on?"
Ask a stupid question...


Any holiday romances?: "I met a rather dishy guy called Andy in a bar in Spain in 1990. Even though I don't smoke I borrowed a cigarette from a friend and offered him one to break the ice. We got on really well, we danced, we laughed and generally had a jolly good time. We kept in touch until Christmas when he mysteriously disappeared. Sadly that was the end of him!"
Doh, Andy... Chance of a lifetime and you blew it. Bet you're kicking yourself now :-)
Girlie crushes... Melanie used to fancy ol' Prince Charming himself, Adam Ant...


Finding romance...:"It's difficult because I spend so much time working. I just haven't met my Mr. Right yet."










Famous Fans...

From the world of music...

Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds): "I like to be original, whether it's in my music or whether it's fancying Sporty Spice..."
Not that original, but welcome to the club anyway :-)


Tim Burgess (Charlatans): "She can do all those acrobatics. What a girl!"


Lee Missen (Code Red): Used to like Geri, but now likes Melanie.


Lee Brennan (911): "Yum, I'd give her 9/10 cos she's got a fit bod and she's a real sweetheart when you talk to her. But I know Kavana likes her so I'll stay well away."


Spike (911): "I like American babes but Mel C is great cos she likes footie."


Pete Wiggs (St.Etienne): "My favourites are Mel C and Mel B..."


Deni Hines : "I like Sporty cos she's the only one who can sing."


Rene (Aqua) : "I think Sporty Spice would look cool as a baldie."


and... : "I had a dream about Sporty Spice. I think she must have had a dream about me, 'cos normally when you dream about someone they also dream about you. It wasn't rude, though - we were just hanging out."


Soren (Aqua) : "She's really pretty."


Tom Dumont (No Doubt) : Until the site redesign, he even mentioned her in his "favourite things" bit of the official No Doubt website...


Saffron (Republica) : "She's really sweet."


Bryan Adams : Well, he certainly doesn't hate her... unless he's in the habit of only doing duets with people he doesn't like :-)


William Orbit : Producer of one of the tracks on Northern Star, he says he was quite surprised with how professional she was: "She was great. She's got the pipes, as they say - i.e. she really can sing, she was really very professional and we had a good time doing it". He also said Melanie had a lot of creative input into what he did too: "In the songwriting sense, very creative input. We kind of wrote it together and as far as the knob twiddling was concerned, I mean she wasn't as interested in it as the songwriting. But she was very involved in the whole thing".




...films...

Winona Ryder : She always "plays" Melanie when she and some of her Hollywood friends get together for Spice Girls nights... the mind boggles :-)


Bruce Willis : Paying to fly her halfway across America just so she can sing with him for a few minutes doesn't sound like the sort of thing a non-fan would do...




...radio...

Chris Moyles (Radio 1) : "I think she's the prettiest one in the band."




...and television

Vincent Pellegrino (Casualty, BBC): Says Melanie is his fave Spice


Jonathan Kerrigan (Casualty, BBC): "She's definitely the prettiest".
This next bunch have been mentioned to me by some of my American visitors...


Conan O'Brien (Host of Late Night, NBC): Keeps saying she's his favourite whenever the Spice Girls are mentioned on the show...


Andy Richter (Conan's sidekick on Late Night): also appears to be a bit of a Melanie fan. Maybe I should get myself a job on the show :-)


Dennis Miller (Dennis Miller Live, HBO): Makes countless references to Melanie - "the least superficial one" - mentioning amongst other things, her talent and good looks. Sounds like a decent bloke...


Tonya Charles & Tom Donovan (NBC's Nightside): Main presenters of this news show, they apparently couldn't stop mentioning Melanie when they were reporting on the US tour. And like Dennis M, the references are mainly based around her vocal talents and looks.


A.J.Hammer (VH-1): Makes constant references to her being his favourite whenever he plays a Spice Girls song on his show.


Kurt Loder (MTV)


Janeane Garofalo (HBO)


Debbie Matenopoulos ("The View", ABC): "[Mel C] is definitely the prettiest."