Melanie Jayne Chisholm, professionally known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ, records businesswoman, actress, tv personality, fitness model and writer. As one of the five members of the Spice Girls, she was nicknamed Sporty Spice and throughout her career her combined sales surpass 135 million records. As a member of the group she released the biggest-selling debut single of all time with "Wannabe" and the biggest-selling album in music history by a girl group with Spice, becoming part of the best-selling girl group of all time with over 105 million records sold and of the second global cultural and media phenomenon after Beatlemania. As a band member she holds, together with The Beatles, the record for consecutive UK Christmas number ones, with three singles. She is considered by many critics as the vocal epicenter of the band thanks to her wide vocal range, vocal agility, impressive versatility and her unique and distinctive tone.
"I Know Him So Well" is a duet from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was originally sung by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson. In this duet, two women – Svetlana, the Russian chess champion's estranged wife, and Florence, his mistress – express their bittersweet feelings for him and at seeing their relationships fall apart.
"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.
"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.
Northern Star is the debut solo album by the English singer Melanie C, released on 18 October 1999 by Virgin Records. Chisholm and her team recruited several producers, including William Orbit, Rick Nowels, Marius de Vries and Craig Armstrong and Rick Rubin. Chisholm co-wrote every song.
"Uptown Girl" is a song written and performed by American musician Billy Joel from his ninth studio album An Innocent Man (1983), released in September 1983 as the album's second single. The lyrics describe a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy "uptown girl". The 12" EP has the tracks "My Life", "Just the Way You Are" and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", whereas some 7" single versions featured "Careless Talk" as a B-side.
"Next Best Superstar" is a song by English singer Melanie C. The track was written by Adam Argyle and produced by Greg Haver for her third solo album, Beautiful Intentions (2005). The song features thumping drums and new wave guitars and talks about the fickleness of fame resulting from manufactured genre shows such as the music competition Pop Idol.
"What Hurts the Most" is a song written by American songwriter Jeffrey Steele and English songwriter Steve Robson. Originally recorded by country music artist Mark Wills in 2003 on his album And the Crowd Goes Wild, it was covered by Bellefire a year later. The first version to be released as a single was by pop singer Jo O'Meara in 2005, from the album Relentless. Later that year, country band Rascal Flatts covered the song as well, releasing it as the first single from the 2006 album Me and My Gang, topping the U.S. country and adult contemporary charts with it. German band Cascada later had international chart success with the song in 2007. It was also covered by Eden in 2008.
"Goin' Down" is a song by British singer-songwriter Melanie C. Written by Melanie C, Julian Gallagher, and Richard Stannard for her debut solo album, Northern Star (1999), the song was produced by Marius De Vries. "Goin' Down" was released as Melanie C's debut solo single in September 1999 and reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom, where it became her first top-five hit as a solo artist. The song also reached the top 30 in Australia, peaking at number 25. According to Melanie C, the song was inspired by "Song 2" by Blur.
"I Turn to You" is a song by British singer Melanie C. It was released as the fourth single from her debut solo album, Northern Star (1999), on 7 August 2000 in the United Kingdom and became Melanie's second UK number-one single, selling 120,000 copies in its first week. "I Turn to You" also topped the Austrian Singles Chart, the Danish Singles Chart, the Dutch Top 40, the Swedish Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The main single was released as the "Hex Hector Radio Mix", for which Hex Hector won the 2001 Grammy as Remixer of the Year.
"First Day of My Life" is a song by British singer Melanie C. It was released on 30 September 2005 in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as the third and final single from Melanie C's third solo album, Beautiful Intentions (2005). The song peaked at number one in Germany, Spain, and Switzerland, being certified platinum in Germany and gold in Switzerland. The song is Melanie C's most successful single in continental Europe, spending two years in different European charts. The single has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.
"I'll Stand by You" is a song recorded by English-American rock band the Pretenders from their sixth studio album, Last of the Independents (1994). The song was written by Chrissie Hynde and the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, and produced by Ian Stanley. The song is a ballad in which the singer pledges love and faithful assistance to a loved one in times of personal darkness.
"When You're Gone" is a song by Canadian musician Bryan Adams featuring English singer Melanie C, from the former's eighth studio album, On a Day Like Today (1998). The song was written by Eliot Kennedy and Adams, while produced by Adams and Bob Rock. It was released by A&M Records on November 30, 1998, as the second single from the album in addition to being Melanie C's debut single outside the Spice Girls. Musically, it contains genres of pop, pop rock and soft rock, and is performed as a duet between Adams and Melanie C with a guitar solo.
"Maneater" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). The song was written by Furtado, Jim Beanz, and its producers Timbaland, and Danja. It was released to mainstream radio in the United States in July 2006. The song's musical style and production were inspired by the Hall & Oates song of the same name and other music from the 1980s.
"I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.
"Word Up!" is a funk and R&B song originally recorded by American funk band Cameo in 1986. It was released as the first single from their thirteenth album of the same name. The song was written by band members Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins. Its frequent airing on American dance, R&B, and contemporary hit radio, as well as its MTV music video, helped the single become the band's best known hit.
"This Time" is a song by British singer-songwriter Melanie C. It was released as the fourth and final international single from the album, This Time, released in the United Kingdom the same week the Spice Girls re-united for the world tour in Los Angeles, California.
"Promiscuous" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). The song was written by Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, Furtado and Nate "Danja" Hills. The song's lyrics feature a conversation between a man and woman who call each other promiscuous. The song was released as the second single from the album on April 25, 2006.
Melanie C is the eighth studio album by English singer Melanie C. It was released on 2 October 2020 by Red Girl Media. The album debuted at number eight on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Melanie C's highest-charting album since Reason (2003). Melanie C was preceded by the singles "Who I Am", "Blame It on Me", "In and Out of Love" and "Fearless", the latter of which features rapper Nadia Rose. On 3 September 2021, a digital deluxe version of the album was released.
