Ugenia Lavender is the title character in a series of children's novels written by Geri Halliwell, who achieved fame as a member of the Spice Girls and as a solo singer-songwriter before deciding to pursue a career as an author. Halliwell began writing the books in 2004. [1] Macmillan Children's Books announced that Halliwell had signed a contract to write six books featuring the character on 12 April 2007. [2]
The books follow the adventures of nine year old Ugenia, a character based on Halliwell, [4] alongside her friends Bronte, Rudy and Trevor. [3] Other characters are said by Halliwell to be loosely based on Gordon Ramsay, [2] George Michael, [5] Marilyn Monroe, [6] Vincent van Gogh, [6] Wayne Rooney [1] and the character Justin Suarez from the TV series Ugly Betty . [1] The character Princess Posh Vattoria, a caricature of Victoria Beckham, was featured in early drafts but has not appeared in the book series. [7]
Each title will feature a newsletter from Ugenia highlighting lessons she has learned, [8] along with quizzes, riddles and crosswords, [3] and will be available in an audio book edition read by Halliwell. [1]
The books are illustrated by Rian Hughes. [3] Children's author Jonny Zucker is also given a special credit on the books, but Halliwell has maintained she wrote the books entirely on her own. [9]
Promotional activities for the series included a launch reading by Halliwell at London Zoo on 27 April 2008 [4] and a seven city UK book tour planned in 2008. [10] Halliwell recorded a theme tune for use in advertisements for the books. [8]
A review in the Liverpool Echo described the first book as "eminently readable and exciting". [11] The children's book reviewer in The Observer said it was "good fun" but criticised the quality of the prose. [12]
According to the official site, the book sold more than 250,000 copies in its first five months which made Halliwell 2008's most successful female celebrity children's author. [13]
The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown ; Melanie Chisholm ; Emma Bunton ; Geri Halliwell ; and Victoria Beckham. 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.
Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She was a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Ginger Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. Their slogan "girl power" was most closely associated with Halliwell and her Union Jack dress from the 1997 Brit Awards also became an enduring symbol. Halliwell left the Spice Girls in 1998, citing exhaustion and creative differences, but rejoined when they reunited in 2007.
Melanie Janine Brown, commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best-selling female group of all time.
"Viva Forever" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls from their second studio album, Spiceworld (1997). The song was co-written by the group with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, while production was handled by the latter two. It is a pop ballad with Spanish-style elements. The song's theme is about a summer romance during a holiday vacation, as the lyrics discuss recent experiences and memories. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 20 July 1998 by Virgin Records.
"Wannabe" is the debut single by the English girl group the Spice Girls, released on 26 June 1996. It was written by the Spice Girls, Matt Rowe and Richard "Biff" Stannard and produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, Spice, released in November 1996. "Wannabe" is a dance-pop song that features Mel B and Geri Halliwell rapping. The lyrics, which address the value of female friendship over heterosexual relationships, became a symbol of female empowerment and the most emblematic song of the group's Girl power philosophy. It was written and recorded quickly. The result was considered lacklustre by their label and was sent to be mixed by Dave Way. The Spice Girls were not pleased with the result, and the recording was mixed again, by Mark "Spike" Stent.
"It's Raining Men" is a song by the American musical duo the Weather Girls from their third studio album, Success (1983). It was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 1982, through Columbia Records and CBS Records International. Paul Jabara wrote the song in collaboration with Paul Shaffer, and produced the song in collaboration with Bob Esty. "It's Raining Men" is a Hi-NRG and post-disco song that incorporates elements of R&B, soul, and 1970s-style electronic dance music. Its lyrics describe an excitement and enjoyment of many different types of men.
Schizophonic is the debut studio album by British pop singer Geri Halliwell. The album was released after her split from popular girl group the Spice Girls. The term schizophonic is a portmanteau of the Greek words schizo and phonic ("sound"), and also seemingly a play on the word "schizophrenic" and the musical term "schizophonia". This was the first solo album released by a Spice Girl.
"2 Become 1" is a song by the British girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, Spice (1996). "2 Become 1" is an R&B-influenced pop ballad that features instrumentation from a guitar, an electronic keyboard and string instruments. The lyrics focus on the bonding of two lovers, and also address the importance of contraception. Its Big TV!-directed music video, which features the group performing against time-lapse footage of Times Square in New York City, was completely shot against a blue screen at a studio in London. The backdrop was later superimposed.
Scream If You Wanna Go Faster is the second studio album by British singer Geri Halliwell, released on 14 May 2001 by EMI Records. Following the commercial success of her solo debut album Schizophonic two years before, the singer began working on its follow-up with producers such as Gregg Alexander, Rick Nowels, Stephen Lipson, as well as previous collaborators, the duo Absolute. The album's artwork depicting Halliwell on roller skates, holding onto the back of a car, was criticised by road safety organisations, who said the singer was setting a wrong example to children.
"Goodbye" is a song recorded by British girl group Spice Girls. It was written by the group, Richard Stannard, and Matt Rowe, while it was produced by the latter two. The song became the group's first song without the vocals of Geri Halliwell. It was released by Virgin Records on 14 December 1998 and was later included on their third studio album Forever (2000). "Goodbye" is a pop ballad that lyrically consists of the group's farewell to a friend, specifically Halliwell. The lyrics were also seen, by the media and fans alike, as the group's end, although the idea was dismissed by the members.
Passion is the third studio album by English singer Geri Halliwell. It was released on 6 June 2005 by Innocent Records.
Frank Cottrell-Boyce is an English screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor, known for his children's fiction and for his collaborations with film director Michael Winterbottom. He has achieved fame as the writer for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony and for sequels to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, a children's classic by Ian Fleming.
Rian Hughes is a British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist.
"Look at Me" is the debut solo single by British singer Geri Halliwell from her debut solo studio album, Schizophonic (1999). It was written by Halliwell in collaboration with Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson, members of the Absolute production duo, who also produced the track. The song was released on 10 May 1999 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records as the lead single from Schizophonic. Musically, "Look at Me" is a jazz-pop song featuring a nine-piece brass section, while the autobiographical lyrics depict Halliwell demanding the attention of everyone around her.
"Mi Chico Latino", is a song by English singer Geri Halliwell for her debut solo album Schizophonic (1999). It was written by Halliwell, Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson, whilst produced by the latter two, who are known collectively as Absolute. "Mi Chico Latino" was released as the album's second single on 16 August 1999 by EMI Records. It is a Latin pop song that is centred on a lost love theme. The song was written by Halliwell in order to pay homage to her mother, who has Spanish background, whilst it also has a number of Spanish lyrics.
"Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" is a song by British singer Geri Halliwell from her second album of the same name (2001). It was released on 30 July 2001 as the second single from the album by EMI Records. Written by Halliwell and Rick Nowels on the day of her first recovery meeting for bulimia, she described the song as "the things I did to avoid staying still and deal with my seemings". It is Halliwell's most rock-based song to date, and was inspired by her listening to Led Zeppelin the previous summer as encouraged by close friend Robbie Williams.
Absolute are a British music production team responsible for a number of hits in the 1990s and the 2000s.
"Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" is a song by English girl group the Spice Girls for their greatest hits album Greatest Hits (2007). It was written by the Spice Girls, Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe, whilst produced by the latter two. It was released as the only single from the album on 5 November 2007 by Virgin Records. The song was the first commercial single release to feature the group's original lineup since Geri Halliwell left in 1998. It was also the official Children in Need single of 2007. It is their last studio single to date.
The Union Jack dress is an item of clothing worn by singer Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls at the 1997 Brit Awards. The mini dress featured a flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack, on the front, and a white CND symbol emblazoned on the black-coloured back of the dress. The next day the images of the dress made the front page of various newspapers around the world, and is now remembered as one of the most iconic pop moments of the 1990s and Brit Awards history. The dress has become synonymous with the Spice Girls, Halliwell and the notions of Girl Power, and Cool Britannia.
Seven Days That Shook the Spice Girls is a 2002 unofficial British documentary film about British girl group the Spice Girls. The film looks at seven key moments in the band's history, including their formation, Top of the Pops magazine giving them their nicknames, firing their manager Simon Fuller and Geri Halliwell's departure.