Melanie C Comes to Terms With Always Being Known as a Spice Girl

Melanie C has revealed that she has finally "made peace" with the fact that being a Spice Girl will always be part of her identity.

The 52 year old singer became famous as one fifth of the girl group, alongside Geri Horner, Mel B, Emma Bunton and Victoria Beckham. However, it wasn't until the group's most recent reunion tour in 2019 that she fully realised Sporty Spice was an inseparable part of who she was.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, Melanie recalled: "It really sank in when we performed those stadium shows. I remember thinking, 'Oh my God, how am I supposed to be in my 40s and still jumping around as Sporty Spice singing 'Wannabe'?' But once rehearsals began, it all felt completely natural. Sporty Spice isn't a character I have to turn into. She's already a part of me.

"I finally became comfortable with being a Spice Girl every single day. Even when I'm performing my own music, I need to accept that part of myself because the Spice Girl in me will never disappear. She's always there, and embracing that made me feel much more at ease.

"I think many of us make the mistake of looking outside ourselves to figure out who we are when the answers have been within us all along."

Although Melanie declined to comment on rumours of another Spice Girls tour, she revealed which songs she most enjoys performing with the group, particularly because of the incredible reactions they receive from audiences.

She explained: "It's funny because the songs I used to think of as the silly ones, like 'Wannabe' and 'Spice Up Your Life', are the tracks that get the biggest reactions. They're the ones that make the whole place erupt, and people absolutely love them.

"So, when it comes to the excitement of performing and seeing how happy everyone is, I'd have to choose 'Wannabe' or 'Spice Up Your Life'."

The Northern Star singer released her ninth studio album, Sweat, earlier this year. While writing the record, Melanie drew on a wide range of personal experiences, with some songs reflecting the end of her long relationship with former manager Joe Marshall, while others came from the period when she had recently married Chris Dingwall.

She said: "I had so much happening in my life, from endless phone calls and arguments to all the anger I needed to release. At the same time, I'd met someone and fallen in love with the man who would eventually become my husband.

"I feel like the album takes you through such a wide spectrum of human emotions. Making the record allowed me to experience that whole journey through the music."