NEWS

Mel has announced that she has NOT left the Spice Girls!

10-03-01

During an interview with Emma on the UK's CDTV, Mel phoned in to deny rumours that the Spice Girls have spilt. This goes against all the current rumours in the British Press that the Band had split.

Melanie has announced that she will be playing to fans across the pond!!

18-02-01

"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

worldpop chats with Mel B and Mel C

30 January, 2001

While we were expecting to meet up with Mel B to chat about her new single Feels So Good, we didn't expect to be greeted by Mel C who was on babysitting duty looking after Phoenix Chi. Quashing tabloid rumours that she's cancelled her forthcoming tour due to depression, Mel C told us that she's just got her voice back after losing it for two weeks but is still unable to sing. 'The dates are being rescheduled for May, so you'll still be able to see the shows,' Mel C explained.

Meanwhile, Mel B told worldpop about recording Feels So Good in Minneapolis with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. 'Jimmy Jam just said, 'Here's a bit of music, write whatever you want to write and I'll be back in a couple of hours,'' Mel B remembered. 'So I just wrote about a really special love, even though I didn't have that then. I wrote about something that was very ideal in my own head about how a relationship should be.'

Mel B also revealed that Feels So Good will be released on Phoenix's second birthday, although she's not nervous about dealing with 'terrible twos' tantrums. 'I think she's already got them early,' she laughed. 'She goes to nursery and she's been moved up to the terrible two class already!'

Feels So Good is out on 19 February.

MelC Not Depressed

The following update has been made to Melanie C's official site:
January 26
Judging from the many messages you've sent to us in the past few hours it seems you're all very concerned about Melanie.
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
From Northern-Star.co.uk
January 20
Melanie C has added a section to her website. You can now email her letters. They will post a few letters on the website every month, so get scribbling.

Emma: Melanie C Should Have Been Nominated
January 19
Emma Bunton has blasted Brits organisers for not nominating Spice pal Melanie C in the best female category. She said Mel was far more deserving than nominees such as Jamelia and PJ Harvey. Baby Spice said: "It makes me furious. Mel's been extremely successful this last year. PJ Harvey? I can't remember anything she's done for years."
EXCLUSIVE by MARY HOWE MELANIE CHISHOLM is the first to admit that the year 2000 was pretty toilet for her.
january 16,2001
Actually her words are stronger than that. But whichever way you phrase it, Sporty Spice didn't have a good time. Gossip and rumours about her sexuality, her weight gain and her excessive partying saw the usually cheerful Scouser ending the year with depression and violent public outbursts that only added fuel to the flames. This year Mel is determined that things are going to be different.....full story

Grammy Nominations
january 3,2001
Melanie C, Hex Hector has been nominated for a Grammy for 'Remixer of the Year' for work on Melanie C's 'I Turn To You'. Find out who else is in Click Here...

Mum Knows Best As Sporty Heads Home
5thDec2000
Melanie C is taking two weeks out of the limelight after mum Joan told her to come home for Christmas. Sporty will go to Liverpool to try and sort her head out after her recent unusual behaviour threatened to spiral out of control. "Mel needs to get away from it all," a pal said. "She'll switch

MEL C - I CRIED AND CRIED WHEN THEY CALLED ME BEEFY SPICE
5thDec00
From todays daily mirror - 3AM INTERVIEW: MEL C - I CRIED AND CRIED WHEN THEY CALLED ME BEEFY SPICE ..THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO KICK ME WHEN I WAS DOWN EXCLUSIVE: HOW CRUEL INSULTS DROVE MEL C TO DESPAIR IT WAS an extraordinary interview even by our standards. There we were, innocently powdering our noses in the toilets backstage at Madonna's sell-out show, when we were accosted by a superstar in crisis. Spice Girl Mel C was ready to talk. And she wanted to talk to 3am. The last time we met, she dismissed us with a snarl, bellowing: "You're f****** ****s." This time, at the Brixton Academy in South London, it was very different. In a remarkable 30-minute outpour, the troubled singer made her peace with us and spoke frankly about the demons which possess her glamorous life. She talked for the first time of her deep depression, her alleged pill-popping and the erratic behaviour which is worrying her friends and fans. While other toilet-seeking celebs Sara Cox, Donna Air and Natalie Appleton looked on, Mel, 26, was all smiles as she buried the hatchet. She grabbed us and declared: "Let's make peace - I don't want to be your enemy. Why don't we stop all this nonsense and just be friends?" She offered us her hand and we all shook on it. Then she stood with us by the wash-basins for 30 mesmerising minutes in which she talked from the heart as never before. She said: "No one knows me at all, and everyone seems to have had their go at slagging me off. "But no one knows what it is really like to be in my shoes. "I have cried about the things people have said about me. I HAVE been in tears when I've been called fat and a lesbian. It's hurtful, and no one but me really has a clue about my life. Like any woman, I'm not happy that I've put on a bit of weight, but no one has the right to criticise me so unpleasantly about it." Mel has been suffering from depression since January and last month confessed to The Mirror she was on Prozac, the powerful anti-depressant drug. She said: "Yes, I have been depressed and I want to stand up to everyone and say: 'I am suffering from depression but it's all right to be depressed.' I'm not trying to cover anything up about my life. I try to be as open as I can, because I do understand I am in a special position. "But sometimes I think: 'Why do I have to tell everyone about who I'm going out with?' "Can't I be left alone - at least sometimes?" Mel has admitted she turned to Prozac to beat the deadly cycle of starving and binge-eating. She told us: "I spent a long time trying to give myself self-esteem through dieting and keeping fit. There was no fat in my diet. And no alcohol. "I didn't want to carry on like that. I wanted to come to terms with what I really am - not some image of what I think I ought to be. "I know I've flown off the handle a few times lately - especially to you. "But I'm getting it together. Things are going to be OK." In May, Mel was cruelly nicknamed "Beefy Spice" after she was photographed on a Caribbean beach with her female personal assistant Ying Yau. The jibe tipped her over the edge. "That just devastated me," she said. "I cried and cried. I knew I wasn't as slim as I used to be - but they didn't have to kick me when I was down." Mel was even more upset when she was forced to deny that she was having a lesbian affair with Ying. "I am not the first girl to go on holiday with a female friend," she said. "What did I do wrong?" The Spice Girl arrived at Madonna's star-studded gig hand-in-hand with her 22-year-old musician chum Dan Williams, whose band Tomcat supported on her recent solo tour. "He's a friend," she smiled. "It's early days and you can make of it what you will. I just don't feel happy sharing my personal affairs with the world. But that doesn't mean I'm some sort of freak, does it?" Wearing a black V-neck T-shirt, black rimmed glasses and baggy trousers, the star went on to discuss her future with the girl-power group that made her famous. Her on-screen slip on ITV's Frank Skinner Show two weeks ago appeared to have sealed her fate as an ex-Spice Girl. She told Frank: "Actually, I've been luckier since I left... well, since I've been doing my own thing - I'm so glad you missed that one." Putting the record straight she told us: "Everyone keeps saying I want to quit - and it's true I've had my problems about being a Spice Girl. But it's something I can handle. What I want to say is that Mel B, Emma and Victoria are my very dear friends and I would never do anything to let them down. We've been through a lot together and people don't realise how close we are. I'm not walking out on the Spice Girls." Nevertheless there IS Spice tension following the disastrous performance of the band's third album Forever - which flopped on both sides of the Atlantic. At the MTV Awards in Stockholm two weeks ago, Mel threw down her microphone and stormed off stage at rehearsals. It was an echo of her unprovoked rant at the 3am team as we arrived at London's Red Cube club for the Forever launch party. But Mel insisted that she has no plans to leave the group. "I don't know why everyone says I'm about to leave the Spice Girls," she said. "We will have to see what the future brings. We are all friends and we are not about to walk out on each other." At the Madonna gig, Mel chatted to showbiz pal Shaznay Lewis from All Saints and seemed genuinely happy in the company of her new man Dan. She said: "I am getting over all this. I'm starting to feel much happier about my life. I never wanted people to think I don't appreciate the good fortune I've had. To many people, I'm sure my life seems terribly glamorous. But I suppose I am living proof that fame and wealth don't necessarily make you happy." Liverpool-born Mel is working on her solo career and played to a packed crowd at London club G.A.Y. at the Astoria last weekend. She has often been hailed as the only Spice Girl who can really sing - and her energetic dance routines always left the others in the shade. Her debut album Northern Star has been a runaway success story. Sporty's disc - still in the top 40 almost a year after its release - has produced four top-10 singles, including two No 1s. Away from the constraints of teen-idol superstardom, Mel has revealed a distinctive personal style. Her first solo British concert last year featured a surprise rendition of the Sex Pistols punk rebel hit Anarchy In The UK. And Mel showed she was a grown-up by not being shy about swearing. She had the crowd in stitches with her introductions to her self-penned songs. She told us: "I will be working a lot on my album next year and want to be left alone to get on with it. But it's like watching Madonna perform in London. If anyone dares to criticise her they should have seen her on stage. If anyone has a go at me about the way I look and about the way I behave, then they should see me on stage. If critics see me perform, they will see the real me. No one really knows me at all and no one has the right to criticise my private life. If you don't like my performance on stage, you have every right to criticise it. But I think I've surprised a few people - and I hope to carry on doing my own thing." With a plaintive look, she added: "I just wish people would be nicer to me. I can't believe the amount of abuse I get. People seem to forget I'm only 25. I am just a young girl at the end of the day and I just want to get on with my music." TV Dates 02/12 Pepsi Chart 08/12 TOTP
Northern Star
- Melanie C will release the 5th single, from 'Northern Star' album, 'If That Were Me' on 27.11.2000.
Mobile Melanie C
Stay ahead of the rest and receive personal tour updates from the singer herself by joining up with Mobile Melanie C right click here
On worldpop's ram-jammed Melanie C Live site you can also keep in touch with all the latest tour news thanks to Mel's regular video diary.
And that's not all ... watch Mel's candid video interviews and find out her closely-guarded backstage secrets.
'I'm terrified. I'm nervous about that one and that's ages away,' confesses Mel. But what's she referring to?
Find out here on worldpop and also discover which pre-show rituals Mel sticks to every night. What is the atmosphere like behind the scenes and who would Mel like to have close by on tour? Check out her Top 10 tour essentials and enjoy a personal tour of her famous tattoos. Plus discover her three favourite tour memories and find out why Spice Girls and liquorice just don't mix well.
With competitions, a choice of Mel C ringtones to download, Mel C message boards, exclusive photos, screensavers and up to date ticket info it's a site not to be missed. Enjoy.

Billboard Magazine
The current issue of Billboard magazine features an extensive article on the failure of British artists to make any serious chart impact in America. The article speaks of the odd success stories (BBMak being one of the few acts from the UK to really sell in the States) and the frustration of established artists to break in America. Several music executives from the States talk about the differences in radio in America vs. the UK, the difficulties in touring the large continent, the current American pop flavor, etc.. Quoting from the article: If the acts can't commit to long stretches of time in the US, then the labels have to turn to other means to catch market awareness. For example, Virgin now plans to launch a new campaign for Spice Girl Melanie C's solo record, "Northern Star," which has so far been dismally received in the US despite being a hit in other territories (it earned and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Platinum Europe Award for European sales of 1 million). "We have a remix for (next single) 'I Turn To You,' and we think we've got a shot at clubs and a shot at rhythmic radio," says Virgin America co-president Ray Cooper. "We're going to kick off that campaign and then lead that into the new Spice Girls record. With these British artists, you have to have a structure to get you there - you can't just come out with great records." Pairing a British artist with a popular US act or producer by no means guarantees a hit, as Melanie C herself discovered when her European smash "Never Be The Same Again," featuring Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC, missed the mark in the US. But it is one way to try to create a sound that is consistent with what people are hearing on the radio. For example, for their third album "Forever," out in November, Spice Girls turned to such US producers as Rodney and Fred Jerkins and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "The Spice Girls have said they'd like to work with American producers," says Copper. "The Spice Girls have kept up a huge loyal fan base in the rest of the world. Whether it's a fan base her that's moving on or a scenario where radio prefers to play American pop, I think you always have the chance of reestablishing a base here. I'm sure there will be bumps in the road, but I think the album will sell." No decision has been made yet on whether the Spice Girls will tour the US behind the new album, according to Virgin.
From the Bizarre column in The Sun:
September 10 00
GAIL PORTER, Melanie C and Patsy Kensit will be asked to star in Britain's first-ever Bruce Lee-style martial arts flick.
Under the working title Razor, the movie will feature glamorous British women performing a variety of kung fu stunts.

Breaking News....Ouch!!!
You are not going to believe what I've done, I went out on Sunday night for a quiet meal with friends and just as we were leaving. I fell down the stairs!!! Since then my right foot has been about ten times the usual size and really sore. I finally decided to get it x-rayed today and yes, you've guessed it, It's broken.well I've got a spiral fracture of the bone that connects the little toe...but it still hurts like hell!!! Anyway, I just wanted you lot to be the first to know.I also wanted to let you know that as far as the tour goes: nothing changes, the show must go on, as they say. So come next Monday I'll be there at the Assembly Rooms in Derby, banging out all the tunes as usual, just don't expect too many back flips or somersaults, my little toe's having none of it!
Can't wait to see you
Loads of Love
Melanie xxxxxx

Mel C. Disses Brad Pitt......and J!
From WENN:
September 5, 2000
Spice Girl Mel C. loved new British movie "Snatch," but couldn't understand
the fuss over Brad Pitt. She says, "Everyone is getting really excited about
Brad aren't they? He's a beautiful and handsome man and very talented but he
just doesn't do it for me. You know I've got bad taste in men -- I went out
with J from Five for God's sake!
"Of course I don't fancy Brad. After all, he's not a woman is he?" --
Caroline Blight (WENN)
Article:
http://www.mtvasia.com/News/International/Items/0009/0009027.html

Melanie C Reduced To Tears On First Night
The first show of Melanie C's UK tour, which took place in Derby last night, was a triumph and Worldpop was there to witness the smiles and the tears Despite nursing a broken foot ('Everyone's saying I've broken my toe. I haven't, I've broken my f***ing foot,'
Melanie bellowed by way of explanation) Melanie nearly rocked the roof off pogoing and hopping all over the stage.
But rocking out wasn't all the audience was treated to. With her band accompanying her on acoustic guitar, Melanie sang note-perfect renditions of albums
tracks "Be The One" and "Closer" before performing b-sides "Angel On My Shoulder" and "I Want You Back" for the first time ever.
At one point Melanie was reduced to tears by the audience's overwhelming reaction. Kids, teenagers and 30-somethings sang along with every lyric and screamed as if they were watching J from Five, not his ex-girlfriend. Of course Melanie's I Love Derby T-shirt probably helped.
The main difference between this tour and Melanie's last is that this time last year Melanie was Solo Spice Girl with a couple of moderately successful singles. Now she's a multi-million selling artist in her own right, with Number Ones and a platinum album under her belt, and it shows. She's more confident and her voice sounds better than ever.
Melanie C's new single, "If That Were Me," is released in November (Europe). All proceeds from the single
will go to homelessness charities

Goin' Down well!
9/8/00
Hi everyone, I've done two gigs from my solo tour so far, here's how it's been going...
The first night in Derby was absolutely brilliant, it went really really well. The band and I were so
nervous but we still enjoyed it and
luckily it turned out great.
With the first gig under my belt, the second gig in Middlesborough last night was just the best show I've ever done in my life. It was so much fun. The crowd were so receptive, jumping up and down and singing and the set just flew. It's about an hour and a half long and all of a sudden I looked down at the set list and it was the end!
'I Turn To You' seems to be the big crowd-pleaser at the moment, everybody jumps up and down and clap their hands. When I sing the line "I turn to you" they all turn and point at me!! It's mad!
Tomcat, the support, are brilliant. I was watching them yesterday in their
soundcheck and they're really good fun and so entertaining. Their single's out soon and they've been getting quite a lot of airplay on MTV and The Box. Last night the crowd were actually singing the single along with them and they got a really good reception! It's our first day off tomorrow so we're going to have a drink and get to know each other a little better.
The foot's getting better everyday. I was a little bit nervous because
I'm probably doing a little more than I should be and I'm supposed to be resting it, but when I get on stage I get a bit carried away and start
jumping around and stuff, but I'm still hopping mostly. I'm starting a new trend of hopping and moshing on one foot! I shout to everyone to "HOP" and they do! Everyday I wake up and think "oh no it's gonna be really sore"
but its getting better all the time.
I think the main difference between this tour and the last is that people know all the songs now. On the other tour, the album had only been out a few days, it still went really well but now people are singing along and they get all excited when 'Suddenly Monday' starts or 'Be The One'. I've also seen people from America, Holland and Germany..it's great!
Anyway, I can't wait to see as many of you as
possible, as always there's still a few secret bits which I always love to stick in, but you'll
have to come see them for yourself!!
Loads of love Melanie C
xxx