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The Spice Girls 2000) were a commercially successful English pop vocal girl group with reported sales of over 45 million albums and 30 million singles. They are also famous for popularising the term . The group consisted of Victoria Adams, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, and Geri Halliwell. Halliwell left in 1998 to pursue a solo career. The remaining four members never formally broke up, but have not performed together or released new material since 2000. They have each released solo material, and some have stated that they have no interest in participating in the group in the future.

table "The Spice Girls in an advert for the March 30, 1997 launch of British television channel, Channel 5" newspaper. The five girls chosen were Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams, Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown, and Michelle Stephenson, forming a group called "Touch". Stephenson soon left the group to pursue her education and was soon replaced by Emma Bunton.

The five girls were placed in a house together so that (it was hoped) they could become friends going on to commercial success. However, things became tough when arguments broke out. The tension was only increased by promises of a record contract that never seemed to materialise. In early January 1995 they walked out with no money, still pursuing a record deal. They were soon signed by pop svengali Simon Fuller to his 19 Management company and subsequently signed to Virgin Records.

In 1996 they changed their name to "Spice Girls", and quickly gained popularity. The five members were dubbed "Ginger" (Halliwell), "Baby" (Bunton), "Scary" (Brown), "Posh" (Adams), and "Sporty" (Chisholm) Spice by a British pop music magazine. Though not invented by the band, the nicknames caught on with the public, so they exploited both the name and the suggested persona for each group member. Their diverse appearance and cultural backgrounds were intended for broad demographic appeal, and a carefully constructed image combining sex appeal with post-feminist self-confidence (labelled "Spice is seen as the Spice Girls signature album, and has sold over 23 million copies globally [1] "

On July 8, 1996, the Spice Girls released their first single, "Wannabe". Quickly gaining airplay, it entered the UK singles chart at #3 and reached #1 the following week. It remained at the top for seven weeks, becoming the second-best selling single of the year. By 1997, the song had reached number one in 37 countries including Canada, the United States and Australia, becoming one of the best-selling singles of the 1990s. [2] The Spice Girls are one of the few British acts to break into the US during the earliest stages of their career.

Along with songwriters Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe, the girls were able to score many other hits from their debut. "Wannabe" was followed up with "Say You'll Be There" which debuted in the UK at #1 and reached #3 in the US. The ballad "2 Become 1" reached #4 in the US and became the first of three consecutive UK Christmas number one singles for the group. Their debut album 97, selling over 3 million copies and 7 million in the US and becoming the tenth biggest UK album of all time. [3]

In early 1997, "Who Do You Think You Are""Mama" became the official Comic Relief song of the year, and sold nearly 700,000 copies from which many charities benefitted. It was their 4th consecutive #1 UK single. [4]

"Spiceworld did not sell as well as its predecessor, but was given higher ratings by critics and fans"

In October 1997, "Spice Up Your Life" was released internationally as the first single from their forthcoming second album. Due to the lag between UK and US single releases, Americans did not understand why the music industry was touting the song as the group's "return" since it hit the airwaves while "2 Become 1" was still quite popular there. The original release date was put forward by a week to have a better chance of displacing Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" from #1 and succeeded in doing so upon release.

"Spice Up Your Life" was an international hit, becoming yet another UK #1 for the group. However, it peaked quite quickly on the Billboard Hot 100 at number eighteen, and did not succeed in the United States on the level of their previous releases. Despite this, the song did show some evolution in the group's samba feel unheard in any of their previous songs. [5]

The ballad "Too Much" became the girls' second Christmas #1 single in the UK. It was fairly successful in the U.S., peaking at number eight and receiving an extensive amount of airplay, however once again, it did not (like its predecessor) receive the massive airplay that s singles had acquired. Unlike its four predecessors, "Too Much" was unable to reach number one in Canada, peaking at an unexpectedly low number nine, and halting the girls' consecutive number-ones run. This was a confusing shock to many, but still allowed them to be the first international girl group to have their first four singles make number one in Canada. It also peaked at number seven in Australia. The song eventually became the 26th best-selling single of the 1990s decade. [6]

The Spice Girls' second album, , was released on November 4, 1997. Despite selling seven million copies in only two weeks (the highest ever for a second release in two weeks), it only reached number three on the Billboard 200 and was not as successful as was a less successful follow-up with diminished sales and chart positions. However, the album did produce one unexpected success: their very own movie, which was released in mid-January 1998. The film was in the same vein as some of The Beatles' films, a factor deliberately played on by director Bob Spiers (the director of among other notable British comedy successes) and was a commercial success. However, the critics didn't like the film, and this led to the girls winning a Golden Raspberry Award each for their efforts. They hold a world record documented in the Guinness Book of Records for receiving the most Razzies (five) at one time.

The girls still celebrated , and on November 7, 1997 they fired their manager Simon Fuller, showing that ultimately, there was no stopping them. Problems would soon arise out of this, because Simon was able to contain the arguments between the girls and with him gone, one of them would have to take control, which would obviously create controversy. In early 1998, "Stop", the third single taken from was released and was their least successful song in terms of chart performance. It peaked at number sixteen in the U.S. and quickly dropped out of the top forty of the airplay charts with very minimal radio airplay. It also became their first single to fail to top the U.K. charts, ending their run at six, despite being their only single that incorporated a dance routine. It entered the U.K. charts at number two, behind the million-selling single, "It's Like That" by Run DMC versus Jason Nevins, which was to spent six consecutive weeks at the top.

"Stop" was the second Spice Girls song not to reach number one in Canada, peaking six positions higher than "Too Much" at number three, and debuted and peaked at number five in Australia. It was also their first song that did not make it into the top one-hundred best-selling songs of the 1990s decade.

Geri Halliwell announced her desire to quit the group shortly after the release of "Stop". She claimed she was tired, fed up, and wanted to pursue a solo career. This did not come as a huge surprise, as she had always wanted to do her own thing and the Spice Girls were simply a stepping stone to a successful solo career. She did agree with the girls that she would only leave after the completion of the American Tour which began in June 1998, because "you couldn't get any better than that". However, events quickly spun out of control when nude photographs of Geri were published by magazine. According to television reports, this was a shock to Geri, making her extremely frustrated, and only added to her desires of leaving the group. She then began missing concerts in Oslo, due to what she claimed was gastroenteritis. The final strike came when the girls were due to appear on the U.K. state lottery, the National Lottery, and only four of them showed up. This stirred more "Geri Quits" headlines in the papers than ever before. On the eve of the American Tour, May 30, 1998, it was confirmed that Geri Halliwell announced her departure from the group. Here is a portion of the statement read by her lawyer:

"Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best. P.S. I'll be back."

The four remaining girls decided to continue their career as the Spice Girls and said this in response to Geri's statement; "we are upset and saddened by Geri's departure but we are very supportive in whatever she wants to do. The Spice Girls are here to stay—see you at the stadiums!" They then went on to complete the American Tour without Geri.

After Geri's departure, a fourth single from , "Viva Forever", was released in Europe and Australia (not in North America due to fan reduction and an uncertainty in the video's theme). It was pretty successful in the U.K., returning the girls to the zenith position of the charts for two weeks, and peaked at number two in Australia. Over two million copies were sold across Europe as well. The animated music video received some limited airplay on American VH1, as part of a special on Geri's departure from the group. Her vocals did feature on the song as she had recorded the entire album with them the previous year, however, as she could not feature in the video, an animated version using tin puppets of all five girls were placed in it. This was the last of the group's singles on which Halliwell was featured.

The remaining members continued as a foursome, releasing "Goodbye", in December 1998. The song's lyrics pay tribute to Halliwell and talked about how the rest of them would persevere. The video went on to become a and MuchMusic regular, but barely received any other video play. In the U.K., the song held the number one position during the Christmas week of 1998, giving them three consecutive Christmas number-one singles there, and eight in total. It made the top twenty in the U.S. (number eleven), and was their last single to do so over there. In Canada, where it stayed at number one for six weeks, the single now ranks as the third biggest-selling song of the 1990s, but despite this, it seemed the career of the Spice Girls as a group had come to an end, as during the following year there were no single releases, no talk of a third album, and both of the Melanies started solo careers. "Goodbye" became the 42nd best-selling single of the 1990s. [7]

However, the girls made one last attempt at resurrecting their career with the single "Holler" in 2000, a much more urban and soulful offering than any of their previous songs. "Holler" was released with the ballad, "Let Love Lead the Way", making it a double A-side, from their third album, . It topped the U.K. charts for a week in 2000, giving them nine number-ones in total. [8]

Their album met a lukewarm response in the U.K., debuting at number two, behind the second album by Westlife, and dropped out of the top ten the following week. It did sell better than was expected in the U.K., however, but was not succesful on a worldwide basis. It peaked at #39 in the United States, achieving only a fraction of its predecessors sales. Many blame the poor performance of the album in the U.S. on there being no lead single released to promote it. However, a promotional CD was released to U.S. radio stations for "Holler", but it only managed to reach number seven on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart (translating as #107, if it was officially released). Geri Halliwell's departure seemed to have ended the prospects of a huge comeback with the third album.

Subsequently, although there was talk about releasing a second single from ("Tell Me Why"), the four of them questioned their time as a group. With ever-increasing solo projects in front of them, the girls decided that it would be best if they finally went their separate ways. Although there was no official break-up, they're generally thought of as having done so, though for some reason they were reluctant to announce this.

Members of the group have stated that they do not see any future for the Spice Girls, but the group has never formally split up. Each member has released solo albums (with varying degrees of commercial success, but not nearly in the same class as their group efforts). Each of the girls' solo popularity has waned over the past four years:

As their layoff extends, speculation grows that the group will not perform or record again. In January 2003, a meeting between all five members spawned rumours of a reunion, but no announcements have been made. To date, such rumours still circulate, as well as, more recently, speculation about a possible Spice Girls greatest hits album andor reunion tour. Towards the end of 2003, the Spice Girls were featured on an episode of VH1's Behind the Music, and implied that such rumours might end up coming true sometime in the future.

In May 2005, Mel B stated in an interview in Britain that the Spice Girls are going to reunite in 2006 to mark the tenth anniversary of their first single, "Wannabe". Though this was not completely certain, other sources indicated that the four were indeed planning a reunion. In an article on the Top of the Pops website, it was stated that Mel B had been in contact with all of the girls, including Geri, and that all were eager to reunite at some point in the future. A greatest-hits album will definitely be released in 2006. [9]

Rumours of a full reunion intensified as it became known that they wanted to perform together at the Live 8 concert. This was confirmed when organisers excluded them from the schedule. According to the of music did not fit in with the serious political message about world poverty the transatlantic event hopes to portray". Live Aid founder Bob Geldof, when making the official announcement for the concerts on May 31, 2005, said that they were reconsidering allowing the Spice Girls to perform.

The group did not perform at Live 8 due to Melanie B changing her mind a few days before the show. Though widely rumoured in media and music circles, it is untrue that they are recording any new material according to Melanie C, both on her website and on Anne Robinson's talk show.

Mel C claimed that she will never get back together with the Spice Girls and that the planned greatest-hits will be a "rip-off", as the only new songs would be those which were deemed not good enough to make it on to any of their previous albums.

There is no confirmation as of yet if a Greatest Hits album will be made.

On 29th December 2005 there was a tabloid frenzy when Geri Victoria were snapped attending the opera and dining out together. The pictures were the first of Geri with any of the girls since 1998.

The popularity of the Spice Girls in the 1990s lead to the formation and success of many girl groups in the popB genre. Even though girl groups have existed for a long time, the success of the Spice Girls enlarged and popularized the market. Some being manufactored, while others were existing girl groups who ceased the opportunity. Even though there was a small demise, the genre has remained very popular with girl groups dominating the charts.

The Spice Girls also served as a catalyst for a new form of feminism where women asserted their independence while maintaining their femininity and sensuality which has influenced popular culture during the end of the 1990s and early 2000s.

The third legacy the Spice Girls and their successors have left is the impossibility to manufacture bands while maintaining longevity, since there were quickly tensions in the band with their management which ironically resulted in the management being removed and ultimately internal tensions lead to break up of the band itself.

Melanie Brown aka "Mel B" or "Scary Spice" (and "Mel G" for a short time while married to Jimmy Gulzar)

Halliwell was initially referred to as "Sexy Spice" in the United States, but it reverted to "Ginger Spice" by the release of

For a detailed look at the group's discography (including group and solo salesBiggest-selling girl group of all time, selling in excess of forty-five million albums with only three LPs released. They have also sold in excess of thirty million singles, the most ever for a female group.First (and only female) act to have their first six singles ("Wannabe", "Say You'll Be There", "2 Become 1", "Who Do You Think You Are""Mama", "Spice Up Your Life", and "Too Much") make number one on the U.K. charts. (Their run was broken by "Stop", which peaked at number two in March 1998.)Female group with the most number one singles in the UK (nine); with only ten singles released. (The aforementioned six number-ones plus "Viva Forever", "Goodbye", and "Holler"Tied with The Beatles for the most consecutive Christmas number-ones. ("2 Become 1", 1996; "Too Much", 1997; "Goodbye", 1998.) This achievement is documented in the Guinness Book of World Records. [10]Tied with ABBA in sixth place for most number-one singles in the U.K., behind Elvis Presley (twenty-one), The Beatles (seventeen), Cliff Richard (fourteen), Westlife (thirteen), and Madonna (eleven). is the tenth biggest-selling album of all time in the U.K. with over three million copies sold. It topped the charts for fifteen weeks (non-consecutive), the most by a female group in the U.K. [11]"Wannabe" is the biggest-selling single by a female group, with over six million copies sold worldwide. It is also one of the fastest-rising songs by a female group to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and one of the fastest-rising singles by an international act.Highest international debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number five with "Say You'll Be There". (This record still holds to date.) [12]Credited for starting the revolution in music that got single digit year-olds to beg their parents to purchase mainstream music for them. (This trend is being continued by Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, and Ashlee Simpson among others.)Though the group has never won any Grammy Awards, they have won over thirty awards from around the world, including Brit Awards and multiple MTV Video Music Awards.