Melanie C

Biography

Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), commonly known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2000, before reuniting for a greatest hits album (2007) and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019). She is known for her unique and distinctive tone and her vocal ability.

Chisholm began a solo career in late 1998 on the single "When You're Gone" with Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams. She signed with Virgin Records to release her debut solo album Northern Star (1999), which spawned two UK number one singles, "Never Be the Same Again" and "I Turn to You". The album has sold over 4 million copies worldwide, as of 2026. After the release of her second album, Reason (2003), Chisholm parted ways with Virgin Records and founded her own record company, Red Girl Records. Her third album, Beautiful Intentions (2005), was a commercial success in Europe and spawned the singles "Next Best Superstar" and "First Day of My Life". Her fourth album, This Time (2007), sold over 300,000 copies worldwide. Chisholm's later albums consist of The Sea (2011), Stages (2012), Version of Me (2016), and Melanie C (2020). Her ninth solo studio album, Sweat, was released on 1 May 2026, which debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the singer's highest-charting solo album, and the highest-charting solo album by a member of the Spice Girls.

Chisholm is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three World Music Awards, five Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, one MTV Video Music Award, ten ASCAP awards, and one Juno Award. Her 2000 single "I Turn to You" won the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for the Hex Hector's remix. In 2009, Chisholm made her stage debut in the West End musical Blood Brothers, for which she was nominated for an Laurence Olivier Award. She has sold over 130 million records in her career and has earned over 339 worldwide certifications, including 46 Silver, Gold, and Platinum certifications as a solo artist.

Biography excerpt from Wikipedia contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting and reference markers have been removed; the introduction may be shortened. View contributors and article history.

Source revision used for this excerpt