Spice Girls

Aged unknown

The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). With their "girl power" mantra, they redefined the girl-group concept by targeting a young female fanbase. They led the teen pop resurgence of the 1990s, were a major part of the Cool Britannia era, and became pop culture icons of the decade. The group formed through auditions held by managers Bob and Chris Herbert, who wanted to create a girl group to compete with the British boy bands popular at the time. They signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single "Wannabe" in 1996, which reached number one on the charts of 37 countries. Their debut album, Spice (1996), sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in history. The follow-up, Spiceworld (1997), sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. Both albums encapsulated the group's dance-pop style and message of female empowerment, with vocal and songwriting contributions shared equally by the members. In 1997, a film starring the Spice Girls, Spice World, was released; it was a commercial success but received poor reviews. In May 1998, Halliwell left the Spice Girls, citing exhaustion and creative differences. The group carried on as a four-piece with the 1998 Spiceworld Tour, which was attended by an estimated 2.1 million people to become the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group. Forever (2000), the only Spice Girls album without Halliwell, achieved weaker sales. At the end of 2000, the Spice Girls entered a hiatus to concentrate on their solo careers. They reunited for two concert tours, the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019), both of which won the Billboard Live Music Award for highest-grossing engagements, making them the top touring all-female group from 2000 to 2020. Viva Forever!, a musical based on the Spice Girls' music, opened in 2012; it was a critical and commercial failure and closed in 2013. The Spice Girls have sold 100 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl group of all time, one of the bestselling artists, and the most successful British pop act since the Beatles. They received five Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards and one MTV Video Music Award. In 2000, they became the youngest recipients of the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. According to Rolling Stone journalist and biographer David Sinclair, they were the most widely recognised group since the Beatles. Other measures of the Spice Girls' success include iconic symbolism such as Halliwell's Union Jack dress, and their nicknames, which were given to them by the British press. Under the guidance of their mentor and manager Simon Fuller, their endorsement deals and merchandise made them one of most successful marketing engines ever, with a global gross income estimated at $500–800 million by May 1998. According to the Music Week writer Paul Gorman, their media exposure helped usher in an era of celebrity obsession in pop culture.

DbPedia