Spice Girls 7: Mel B Hot, dancers & Eddie Murphy’s baby (99-07)

Mel B, aka Scary Spice, was the feisty, in-your-face Spice Girl. She'd had solo albums, babies, marriages (plural) and many flows from over seas. But how can you beep-beep with no keys. 

This week, Pod of the pops, respects the solo career of Melanie Janine Brown. This is Pod of the Pops

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Mel B, Scary Spice, was the first one to release a solo track. The impeccable “I want you back”.

Technically, its  a Missy Elliott song. She called Scary and said I have a song for you. Mel flew out their and recorded the song and video in just a couple of days.

Appeared on the soundtrack for “Why do fools fall in  love”, which Missy was executively produced by Missy Elliot.  Same soundtrack as Destiny Childs “get on the bus”.

 

UK number one single. Biggest thing, for me, was the hair. She had the long sleek straight hair. That was MIND BLOWING to me at the time. I grew up in Devon, I knew NOTHING about black hair. I couldn’t comprehend it. I thought she looked amazing.

 

In the video, Mel is pregnant with her first daughter – from back up dancer, Jimmy Gulzar, who also appears in the video.

It was also his idea……

 

Married and had baby with a back up dancer. Why do popstars keep marrying their back up dancers?

Mel B timeline. She meets him in March 98 on the tour, they get engaged in May, pregnant in June and married in September. That’s 6 months. 6. In that time I have just about learnt his name!

Divorced in January 2000. So, they got a year of happy.

Britney and K-Fed (plus this new one).

Mariah Carey left James Packer for Brian Tanaka (I accidentally typed brain tanaka, which I doubt is his nickname)

Jennifer Lopez has done it twice. She married her love don’t cost a thing dancer Chris Judd in 2001. Then she got with Caspar Smart from the Dance Again video.

It was also him that suggested she cover Cameos “Word Up” as her second single. Another movie soundtrack – Austin Powers, Spy who shagged me (I don’t remember because Britney and Beyonce were in that one).

She was Mel G for this video – and the video was a cartoon, so her best disguise yet. Got to number 13. Lowest charting Spice single of the 90s.

Not kept down, goes into the world of presenting. I don’t remember; she had a BBC2 magazine show focusing on Black Music called Pure Naughty.

She presented the MOBOS twice in 98 and 99.

She also presented a TV talent show on ITV primetime called: This is my Moment.

Basically, people ring up and sing down the phone. Then viewers vote on who they want to keep. Only lasted one series.

I do not remember this at the time but I did find clips of her on youtube. Someone spent the time to string all her presenting clips together without anything else. Im so grateful. It was…… rigid. They all seem like such natural presenters in real life; but they need each other really. She wore a LOT of sequins. You know how sequins are everytwhere this year….. she was literally 19 years ahead of her time. Diff colour sequin outfit each week. Incredible boobs!

We also discuss:

- Her solo album, Hot, with its single: Tell me, feels so good and Lullaby. It featured production from Darkchild, Sisqo, Jimmy Jam & Lewis and, surprisingly, Max Beesley. (She dated Max Beesley also)

- Break up and Divorce from Jimmy Gulzar. Post baby, pre break up anthem "Tell me". There was also the first hints of domestic violence within her relationship

- Getting dropped by Virgin records

- Autobiography

- Mel B acting career. BBC drama, Burn it, featuring Lisa Faulkner. Plus appearing in movie, The Seatfiller, with Kelly Rowland from Destinys Child. Plus performing as Mim Marquez in Rent

- Setting up own lable, to create the Sheryl Crowe esque "LA State of Mind" second album

- Getting pregnant with Eddie Murphy baby. Giving birth after paternity battle with Eddie Murphy. Also during this time she meets future husband Stephen Belafonte.