Melanie Brown

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Melanie B
Melanie Brown in Las Vegas Spice Girls concert on 11 December 2007
Melanie Brown in Las Vegas Spice Girls concert on 11 December 2007
Background information
Birth name Melanie Janine Brown
Also known as Mel B, Scary Spice, Melanie G, Mel G, Scary
Born 29 May 1975 (1975-05-29) (age 33)
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Genre(s) Pop, R&B
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, actress, TV presenter, author
Years active 1996–present
Label(s) Virgin, Amber Café
Associated acts Spice Girls

Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), professionally known as Melanie Brown, Melanie B, and Mel B, is an English pop singer and songwriter turned actress and television personality best known as one of the members of the girl group the Spice Girls, one of the most successful female groups of all time.[1] She was given the nickname "Scary Spice" by the British media because of her outrageous, "in-your-face" attitude, 'loud' Leeds accent, throaty laugh, manner of dress (which often consisted of leopard-print outfits), and her voluminously curly hair.

Contents

Biography

Brown was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire to a white English mother, Andrea, and a Black Nevisian father, Martin. She has a younger sister named Danielle who is an actress. She studied performing arts at the now infamous Intake High School, in Leeds, before entering the entertainment industry. For a time she worked as a dancer in the holiday resort, Blackpool, Lancashire.

After seeing an advertisement for an audition in a newspaper, Brown started her music career in a band known as Touch. The group left the original management team and eventually teamed up with music manager Simon Fuller. Here, she and the other girls were launched on the world as the Spice Girls. After worldwide success in the group she embarked on a solo music career in 1998. Her first solo album, with Virgin Records, was somewhat of a success, including a Number 1 hit. However, it did not sell or chart very well. In 2005 she released a second solo album which did not attract much attention.

Musical career

1996-2000: Scary Spice

Mel B in the Spice Girls music video "Too Much" (1997).
Mel B in the Spice Girls music video "Too Much" (1997).

In 1996 Brown, along with Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, and Victoria Beckham (at that time Victoria Adams), shot to fame as a member of the Spice Girls with the release of "Wannabe". The debut album, Spice, shot to number one all over the globe, including the U.S.. Because of the fact she was often to be found in leopard print clothing and big wild hair and having a loud attitude, Brown received the nickname "Scary Spice" from Top of the Pops Magazine (each member of the group was given a humorous nickname in a small piece titled "Spice Rack"). The Spice Girls were popular in the late 1990s, selling over thirty-five million albums in just two years. They went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, selling more than fifty-five million records worldwide. They had nine UK number-one singles and two number-one albums. After a third album release, Forever (UK number-two), the members went their separate ways, and Brown developed a solo career.

Early solo work

At the height of the Spice Girls' success, Brown was invited to work with Missy Elliott on the single "I Want You Back", a song for the soundtrack of the film Why Do Fools Fall in Love. It was recorded in just one afternoon, due to Brown's busy Spice Girls schedule. The video featured Brown's then husband Jimmy Gulzar, who appeared chained and submissive to his wife. Upon its British release in September 1998, I Want You Back sold 80,000 copies in its first week alone, giving Brown her first and only solo #1 in her home country. This was confirmed on the day that the Spice Girls played their last world tour concert at Wembley Stadium in front of 52,000 fans. Ultimately the single sold 218,000 copies and became the 82nd Bestselling British Single of 1998.[2]

At the suggestion of her then-husband Jimmy Gulzar, Brown covered Cameo's 1986 hit Word Up as her next solo release. The track was notable for being produced by Timbaland. The track was already released on the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. This resulted in its flopping in the UK (peaking at #14), making it the lowest charting Spice Girls related single of the 90s.[3] The European video was a surreal animation, directed by Jimmy. A further video was shot which featured the mini me character from Austin Powers. The track was not included on Brown's UK version of her debut solo album, and speaking at the time of her album release she stated that she "didn't really like 'Word Up'".

Following the disappointing performance of Word Up , Brown stopped releasing records for a while, but worked quietly on tracks for her debut solo album and the third Spice Girls album. Turning to television work, she hosted Pure Naughty, a weekly BBC2 magazine show focusing on black music. She also hosted the MOBO Awards on two occasions, in 1998 with Bill Bellamy and in 1999 with Wyclef Jean, and took part in a BBC funded short film entitled Fish.

Hot - debut solo album

Cover of Hot, Brown's first solo album.
Cover of Hot, Brown's first solo album.

As a way of dealing with the problems of her marriage, Brown continued working on her debut solo album. She worked with producers such as Sisqo, Teddy Riley, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Prince), with whom she was also working on the Spice Girls' third album, Forever.

In September 2000, she said that she heard the first single release from the album, Tell Me. The track debuted at #4 in the UK charts with about 40,000 copies sold in its first week. It finally sold approximately 100,000 copies, making it the 158th "best seller" of 2000.[4] The album, Hot, was released one month later on 3 October, was not a success and garnered mediocre reviews.[5] It sold a disappointing 7,419 copies in its first week and charted at a weak #28, before quickly falling out of the charts.[6]

Following the release of Feels So Good, rumours began that if her next single flopped she would be dropped by her record company, Virgin Records. In May, Brown performed a small set at the London G-A-Y Astoria club, her only solo gig until 2004. A third single was released in June 2001, Lullaby, a pop number dedicated to her daughter. It was accompanied by a very simple video shot in Morocco and featured Brown with Phoenix Chi. The media criticised Brown for using her child in the music video and single artwork, labelling her Desperate Spice and insinuating that she was exploiting her child as a marketing tool. The single entered and peaked at a disappointing #13, and Virgin duly dumped Brown from their label.[7]

Return to music: LA State of Mind

In April 2004, Brown was approached to take part in the musical Rent. She played the role of Mimi, a drug-addicted young girl, and achieved positive reviews, but not from the show's fanbase. A few weeks after Brown finished her Rent stint, she played her second and last solo gig to date in a New York club, performing some songs from the musical and showcasing some new material she had written. As the songs received positive feedback, Brown decided to release them a year later through an independent label, Amber Café.

This image is a candidate for speedy deletion. It may be deleted after Tuesday, 19 February 2008.

This image is a candidate for speedy deletion. It may be deleted after Tuesday, 19 February 2008.

The only single from the album, Today, saw a UK release in June 2005. Brown had stated it was just a gift to her fans, and minus a few small appearances no promotion was made. Today entered the singles chart at #41, selling around 1,000 copies in its first week.

The album, LA State Of Mind, was released on 27 June 2005 in two formats: as a regular CD and as a Limited Edition with a 30 minute DVD documentary detailing Brown's life in LA. The album fared even worse than its lead single, selling just 670 copies in its first week. LA State Of Mind charted at #453 (Banana), but it was a hit in some other small countries like Croatia, where it went to #5.

Rumours of a second single were fuelled by Beautiful Girl bouncing around on the UK Singles Release Schedule for a couple of months. Allegedly a video was made, but due to the poor sales of both the previous single and the album, this release never materialised. Brown was not dropped from Amber Café; both parties decided to amicably part ways.

3rd Studio Album

Brown is also busy recording tracks for a new album she expects to have ready for release late 2008. "It's an R&B-pop kind of thing, a cross between early Pink and Destiny's Child. Urban pop. That's what I do best, where I come from, what people know me for, I've recorded four songs so far with some really great people," she says. One of the producers behind the album is Rodney Jerkins, aka Darkchild, who previously worked with Brown on the Spice Girls' final studio album, Forever, in 2000. [8] Scott Storch revealed they are currently working on Mel’s new album together.[1]

Current Projects

Brown is currently hosting a spot on Access Hollywood, reporting on the new season of Dancing With The Stars respectively.

Brown has her own reality show with Joey Fatone in production for TLC. The Singing Office, premiering in June, 2008 has Brown and Fatone pitted against each other to find the best singers out there working in typical American offices. Brown and her producer husband, Stephen Belafonte, are also executive producers.

Brown has also recently launched her own clothing line, "Catty Couture". Heavy on her beloved animal prints, Brown premiered her first collection with a fashion show for buyers in downtown L.A. on April 7, 2008.

Dancing With The Stars and Return of the Spice Girls

Following an appearance in the short film Love Thy Neighbor[9], in September 2007, Brown joined the fifth season of the U.S. television hit Dancing with the Stars with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. The pair was the highest scoring couple during the season and made it to the finals. On November 27, 2007, in the season finale, though they had a perfect score on their final dance, they took second place in the show.[10]

Performances

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Cha cha cha/ "A Deeper Love" 8 8 8 Safe
2 Quickstep/ "Take on Me" 7 8 8 Safe
3 Jive/ "Sweet Soul Music" 9 9 9 Safe
4 Viennese Waltz/ "Breakaway" 8 9 9 Bottom Two
5 Samba/ "Spice Up Your Life" 10 9 10 Safe
6 Rumba/ "A Woman's Worth" 10 10 10 Safe
7 Foxtrot/ "Jimmy Mack"
Paso Doble/ "Free Your Mind"		 8
10		 8
10		 8
10		 Safe
8 Tango/ "Personal Jesus"
Mambo/ "Mambo Jambo"		 9
9		 9
10		 9
10		 Safe
9
Semi-finals		 Viennese Waltz/ "Somebody to Love"
Paso Doble/ "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"		 10
10		 10
10		 10
10		 Safe
10
Finals		 Cha cha cha/ "Car Wash"
Freestyle/ "The Way I Are"
Mambo/ "Mambo Jambo"		 9
9
10		 9
9
10		 10
9
10		 Runner-Up


After several years of speculation, Brown reunited with the other Spice Girls for a reunion tour that began in December 2007 and concluded in February 2008. The tour was a major success, and also coincided with a greatest hits album, documentary and promotion.

Non-musical works

From 2001-2004 Melanie B concentrated on a variety of non-singing projects. She hosted a number of TV shows such as This Is My Moment (a talent show) for ITV1 and shot a documentary called Voodoo Princess for Channel 4 which got many good reviews. She took part in smaller projects as a presenter such as Top of the Pops, Party in the park for the Prince's Trust and The All Star Animal Awards. She has appeared as herself in an advert for the Yorkshire tourist board in a series which included contributions from other Yorkshire-born celebrities and in the film Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde [2].

In 2002, Brown released her hit autobiography, Catch A Fire, which reached #7 in the official books chart and saw her touring the UK to promote it with a run of book signings.

In her autobiography Catch A Fire Melanie talked about how she loses interest in her passions with time. She lost interest in dancing once she found music (with the Spice Girls), and after her album failed to meet expectations she found herself not interested in making another. With that she turned to acting. Outside of SpiceWorld and 'Fish' Melanie's first real role came in the form of a British drama, Burn It. She appeared in a horror film entitled, LD 50 Lethal Dose, which was released directly to DVD in 2004. She acted in a long run of shows as part of the cast for the Vagina Monologues which was a big success in the UK. She was in the movie The Seat Filler, co-produced by Will Smith and starring Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland. Melanie also appeared as Mimi in the broadway production of Rent (musical).

In recent years, Brown has also been seen playing herself in episodes of the comedy series Bo' Selecta and A Bear's Tail. In 2003, Brown made a cameo appearance in the music video Bo Selecta's Proper Crimbo. In late 2007, she hosted a television special for Canada's MuchMoreMusic called Your Fave Videos of the 80's.

The X Factor

It was announced on Sunday 8th June 2008, that Simon Cowell wants Melanie to replace Sharon Osbourne as a judge on the hit ITV show The X Factor. Mel was one of Cowell's first choices for the judging panel before the show launched in 2004, but he eventually dropped her in favour of Sharon Osbourne.

Personal life

Following her rise to fame, Brown had a long relationship with Icelandic Fjolnir Thorgeirsson, and a short relationship with Australian singer Peter Andre.

While on the Spiceworld Tour, Brown began a romantic relationship with Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar. They married on 13 September 1998,[11] following which Brown was professionally known as 'Melanie G'. Their only child together, daughter Phoenix Chi, was born on 19 February 1999.[12] Marriage problems ensued, including allegations of abusive and inattentive behaviour by Gulzar, and the marriage collapsed by the end of 1999. In 2000 Brown filed for divorce, which was finalized later that year.[13] The custody battle for her daughter was highly publicised; Brown won custody, but had to pay a large alimony settlement of £1.25M to her ex-husband.[14]

Brown's next serious relationship was with British actor Max Beesley, from whom she split in 2002. In 2003 Brown moved to Los Angeles, CA with her daughter Phoenix Chi, stating that she planned to live there permanently. In 2006, Brown became the subject of many tabloid stories, on the basis of her relationship with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy. Unconfirmed stories quickly came that the pair had tattoos of each other's names, were planning a wedding, and had introduced each other to their respective families. On 17 October 2006 AOL claimed that Brown was in fact having a baby by Murphy.[15] Brown was quoted as saying: "We're in love and get on really well. All the children have met and get on too - it's like a great big happy family. I can't wait to spend Christmas with him and I can't wait to have this baby."[16]

In early December 2006, news came that Brown and Murphy were no longer a couple, and Murphy told a journalist of the Dutch TV show RTL Boulevard at the Dreamgirls film premiere that the parentage of Brown's unborn baby could not be proven until a paternity test has been performed, stating: "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir."[17][18] Brown gave birth to Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on 3 April 2007, which coincidentally is also Murphy's birthday. Murphy was listed as the father on the birth certificate despite the ongoing paternity battle. On 22 June 2007, People magazine reported the results of a court-ordered DNA test, confirming through Brown's publicist that Murphy was indeed the father of Brown's baby. Murphy has since admitted paternity.[19] Brown indicated her feelings about Murphy, stating: "The less said about the Beverly Hills Cock the better."[20]

In April 2007, Brown's friend Christa Parker revealed in British magazine Closer that she and Brown had had a sexual relationship, and also that Brown had a two-year relationship with a film executive named Christine. At the time Brown said, "people can call me lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual, but I know who's in my bed and that's it - I have a huge libido and a great sex life." Parker said that Brown was still in love with Eddie Murphy and would welcome him back.[21][22]

In February 2007, Brown began dating long term friend and movie producer Stephen Belafonte.[23] Brown and Belafonte quietly married on 6 June 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[24]

Discography

Albums

Title Released Chart Position
Hot 9 October 2000 UK #28
LA State Of Mind 27 June 2005 UK #453

Singles

Title Released Chart Position
I Want You Back 14 September 1998 UK #1
Word Up 28 June 1999 UK #14
Tell Me 25 September 2000 UK #4 /ITA #50
Feels So Good 19 February 2001 UK #5
Lullaby 4 June 2001 UK #13
Today 13 June 2005 UK #41

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Spice Girls Make Pop History. BBC News (2000-10-29). Retrieved on 2007-01-21.
  2. ^ http://foreverspice.com/spicediscography/melanieb-iwyb.htm Foreverspice.com Retrieved on 04-24-07
  3. ^ http://foreverspice.com/spicediscography/melanieb-wordup.htm Foreverspice.com Retrieved on 04-24-07
  4. ^ http://foreverspice.com/spicediscography/melanieb-tellme.htm Foreverspice.com Retrieved on 04-24-07
  5. ^ Nigel Packer (2000-10-08). CD Review: Melanie B. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
  6. ^ http://foreverspice.com/spicediscography/melanieb-hot.htm Foreverspice.com Retrieved on 04-24-07
  7. ^ Mel B leaves Virgin Records. BBC (2001-07-24). Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
  8. ^ Back To Recording -- Plus TV, Clothes Line and Kids -- For Mel B./Dave Coulier & Co. Pressing Forward With Clean Comedy Acts by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
  9. ^ Love Thy Neighbor (2006). IMDb. Retrieved on 2008-04-01.
  10. ^ di Nunzio, Miriam. "Helio's first at the finish line: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' — Driver outmaneuvers Spice Girl for the mirror-ball trophy", Chicago Sun-Times, November 28, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-28. 
  11. ^ Scary Marriage. BBC (1998-09-14). Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
  12. ^ Labour looms for new mum Scary. BBC (1999-02-21). Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
  13. ^ Mel B settles with ex-husband. BBC (2000-11-16). Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
  14. ^ Mel B settles access case. BBC (2000-11-16). Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
  15. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=8220 SFGate.com Retrieved on 04-24-07
  16. ^ http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=203263754&p=zx3z6446x Breakingnews.iol.ie Retrieved on 04-24-07
  17. ^ RTL.NL
  18. ^ Eddie: Prove baby is mine | The Sun |HomePage|Showbiz|Bizarre
  19. ^ http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah6332.shtml Access Hollywood Eddie Murphy Admits To Fathering Mel B.'s Baby retrieved 4 August 2007
  20. ^ Fast mover Mel B househunts with new man | the Daily Mail
  21. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=450424&in_page_id=1773 Last updated at 18:56pm on 24 April 2007
  22. ^ Revealed: Spice girl Mel B's two-year affair with TWO lesbian lovers | the Daily Mail
  23. ^ Melanie Brown linked to new man, producer Stephen Belafonte » Fametastic
  24. ^ http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050583,00.html People Mel B. Secretly Weds Boyfriend Stephen Belafonte retrieved on 08-08-2007

External links

v • d • e
Melanie B
Albums
Singles
"I Want You Back" · "Word Up" · "Tell Me" · "Feels So Good" · "Lullaby"  · "Today"
v • d • e
Spice Girls
Victoria Beckham  · Emma Bunton  · Melanie Brown  · Melanie Chisholm  · Geri Halliwell
Albums
Singles
Unreleased Singles
Tours
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