The Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were the first major British pop music phenomenon
of the mid-90s to not have a debt to independent pop-rock.
Instead, the all-female quintet derived from the dance-pop
tradition that made Take That the most popular British group of
the early 90s, but there was one crucial difference . . .
The Spice Girls used dance-pop as a musical base, but they
infused the music with a fiercely independent, feminist stance
that was equal parts Madonna, post-riot-grrrl alternative-rock
feminism, and a co-opting of the good-times-all-the-time stance of
England's new lad culture.
Their proud, all-girl image and catchy dance-pop appealed to
younger listeners, while their colourful, sexy personalities and
sense of humour appealed to older music fans, making The Spice
Girls a cross-generational success.
Every member of The Spice Girls was given a specific identity
from the outset, and each label was as much an extension of their
own personality as it was a marketing tool. Geri Halliwell (a
former gameshow hostess on Turkish television) was the sexy
'Ginger' Spice, Melanie Brown was 'Scary' Spice, Victoria Adams
was 'Posh' Spice, Scouser Melanie Chisholm was 'Sporty'
Spice and Emma Bunton was 'Baby' Spice.
If all of the invented personalties made The Spice Girls seem
manufactured, that's because they were. Every member of the group
was active in England's theatrical, film and modelling circuit,
and they all responded to an advertisement requesting "five
lively girls" for a musical group in the summer of 1993.
The manager who placed the ad chose all five members of the
Spice Girls, yet the women rejected his plans for their career and
set out on their own two months after forming. For the next two
years, the Girls fought to get a record contract, since most
record labels insisted that the band pick one member as a clear
leader - something the group refused. All five girls moved
into a house together and went on the dole as they searched for a
manager and record deal.
Eventually The Spice Girls signed a contract with Virgin, and
by the end of 1995 had signed with Annie Lennox's manager Simon
Fuller.
 Each of their specific personas was exploited in the
group's press articles and videos, which helped send their
first single, Wannabe, to the top of the charts upon
its summer release in 1996.
It became the first debut single by an all-female band to enter
the charts at number one in England, and remained at number one
for seven weeks. By the end of the year, Wannabe had hit
number one in 21 other countries.
The Spice Girls became media icons in Britain almost
immediately, as stories of their encounters with other celebrities
became fodder for the tabloids, as did nude photos of Geri that
she posed for earlier in her career.
All of this added to the
group's momentum, and their second single, Say You'll Be There,
entered the charts at number one in the autumn, selling 200,000
copies a week.
Spice, their debut album, was released at the end of
the year, accompanied by their first ballad, 2 Become 1.
Both the album and single went directly to number one, staying
there for several weeks. Both records were also at number one over
the Christmas week, making The Spice Girls one of only three
artists to achieve that feat.
In November 1997, The Spice Girls released their second
album, Spiceworld. The album was a global best seller
and set a new record for the fastest-selling album when it shipped
seven million copies over the course of two weeks.
The album went on to sell over 10 million copies in
Europe, Canada and the US combined, and 20 million
copies worldwide. At the close of 97 The Spice Girls decided
to take over the running of the group themselves, and fired their
manager Simon Fuller.
In May 1998, Halliwell left the group in the middle of numerous
rumours. She was made a goodwill ambassador by the United Nations
in October of the same year.
The four remaining members released the third album Forever,
but went their separate ways in November 2000 to focus on their
solo careers.
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