She hangs out with Natalie Imbruglia, goes ga ga over tattoos and she wants to snog Freddie Prinze Jr. But it took the Smash Hits hot seat to find out that this rock chick is still as nice as spice!
Mel, we love your album. Are you ever worried your songs are too personal?
Yeah, I really freak myself out cos I'm very, very honest.
I think, oh no, everyone's going to know how I'm feeling.
But people make them relevant to their own situation.
Like when you break up with someone every song applies to you.
Is fame all it's cracked up to be?
I'm lucky cos I've never had expectations.
I always wanted to be famous and it's surpassed everything I could have imagined.
We spotted your pal Natalie Imbruglia at your Sydney show. What did she think of it?
She was really impressed actually.
I was so nervous cos I didn't know if she was coming in to Sydney that night.
The whole way through the show I was thinking, oh no, Natalie's here.
I saw her perform in London and she was amazing.
Do you get nervous going on stage without the rest of the Spice Girls?
Yeah, but when I'm doing a Spice Girls show I'm worried about doing the steps wrong.
I don't have to worry about that now so I get nervous about other things.
What is the weirdest thing you have ever read about yourself?
I think the media questioning my sexuality.
I've got muscles and that, but I'm not really butch.
I'm very soft-centred you know.
Does it worry you people assume those things just because your image has changed?
I find it very rude, not for me cos I'm not bothered if people think I'm gay, even if I was it's no one's business.
But they're taking a very stereotypical view of what a lesbian looks like and I think that's very rude to homosexual people.
What do you think of Freddie Prinze Jr.?
Oh, I think he's gorgeous! I'd like to have him in one of my smoochy videos so I'd get to snog him.
Are you planning to get any more tattoos?
Well I thought the new one on my back was the last but something always happens that makes me have to get another one. I found out in Chinese mythology the Phoenix is female energy, Yin and Yang is male energy and the dragon represents that. So I've got to get a dragon now to balance me out.
What do you want to achieve as a solo artist?
I just want people to listen to the album without prejudice.
I want them to shut their eyes and open their ears and just make a decision for themselves.
What do Mel, Victoria and Emma think of your new album?
They absolutely love it.
Victoria said, "I don't usually like that kind of music but I like it when you do it."
They came to my first show and they loved it!
Is it true the Spice Girls will be in Australia for the Olympics?
It's something we really want to do.
We thought it would be the perfect time for a tour.
What do you think the Spice Girls will be doing in five years?
Victoria will probably have five kids, Melanie G is working on an album as is Emma.
It's hard to say cos we're happy right now doing our new album.
If you could be one other Spice Girl for a day, who would it be?
Emma! She just lies in bed all day.
Her mum brings her food and she lies there stroking her dogs.
That's a funny picture, isn't it.
She's so lazy. She's up all night and sleeps all day.