Melanie Brown
Encyclopedia
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown (born 29 May 1975), often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter. She is best known as Scary Spice, one of the members of the girl group
the Spice Girls
.
, Leeds, UK, to a white English mother, Andrea, and a black Nevis
ian father, Martin, and grew up in Burley
, Leeds
, West Yorkshire. She has a younger sister named Danielle who is an actress. She studied performing arts at 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
. In this pairing, she and the other girls became known as the Spice Girls.
, Geri Halliwell
, Emma Bunton
, and Victoria Beckham
responded to an advertisement in "The Stage
" trade magazine asking "WANTED: R.U. 18–23 with the ability to sing/dance? R.U. streetwise, outgoing, ambitious, and dedicated? Heart Management Ltd. are a widely successful music industry management consortium currently forming a choreographed, singing/dancing, all-female pop act for a recording deal. Open audition. Danceworks, 16 Balderton Street. Friday 4 March. 11 am-5:30 pm. Please bring sheet music or backing cassette". About 400 women who answered the ad went to Dance Works studios. There, Melanie Brown
sang "Greatest Love Of All
".
Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm (who did not attend), Victoria Adams, and a few others got a callback.
The group felt insecure about the lack of a contract and was frustrated by the direction in which Heart Management was steering them. In October 1994, armed with a catalogue of demos and dance routines, the group began touring management agencies. They persuaded Bob Herbert to set up a showcase performance for the group in front of industry writers, producers and A&R
men in December 1994 at the Nomis Studios in Shepherds Bush where they received an "overwhelmingly positive" reaction. Due to the large interest in the group, the Herberts quickly set about creating a binding contract for the group.
Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the Nomis showcase, all five members delayed signing contracts on the legal advice from, amongst others, Adams's father Anthony Adams. In March 1995, because of the group's frustration at their management's unwillingness to listen to their visions and ideas, they parted with Heart Management. In order to ensure they kept control of their own work, the group allegedly stole the master recordings of their discography from the management offices. That same day the group tracked down Sheffield
-based producer Eliot Kennedy
, who had been present at the showcase, and persuaded him to work with them.
of 19 Entertainment
and finally signed with him in March 1995. During the summer of that year the group toured record labels in London and Los Angeles with Fuller and finally signed a deal with Virgin Records
in September 1995. From this point on, up to the summer of 1996, the group continued to write and record tracks for their debut album while extensively touring the west coast of the United States, where they had signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific. On 7 June 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single "Wannabe
" in the United Kingdom. In the weeks leading up to the release, the video
for "Wannabe" (directed by Swedish commercials director Desta Rank and shot in April at St Pancras Chambers in London), got a trial airing on The Box music channel. The video was an instant hit, and was played 502 times a week. After the video was released, the Spice Girls had their first live TV slot on broadcast on LWT's Surprise Surprise.
The first music press interview appears in Music Week
.
"Wannabe" entered the charts at number 3 before moving up to number 1 the following week and staying there for seven weeks. The song proved to be a global hit, reaching number 1 in 31 countries and becoming the biggest-selling single by an all-female group of all time.
In January 1997, the group released "Wannabe" in the United States. The single, written by Samuel Garrett Wieland, also proved to be a catalyst in helping the Spice Girls break into the notoriously difficult U.S. market when it debuted on the Hot 100
Chart at number 11. At the time, this was the highest-ever debut by a British (or indeed non-American/Canadian) act in the US, beating the previous record held by the Beatles for "I Want to Hold Your Hand
" and the joint highest entry for a debut act beating Alanis Morissette
with "Ironic". "Wannabe" reached number one in the US for four weeks.
She 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 No. 1 in her home country. Ultimately, the single sold 218,000 copies and became the 82nd Bestselling British Single of 1998.
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.
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.
, 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 May 2000, she performed a small set at the London G-A-Y
Astoria club
, her only solo gig until 2004, to showcase some of her new album material.
On 9 October 2000 she released her first studio album, "Hot
", which also included her number one duet with Missy Elliott for the song "I Want You Back
". The second single release from the album was "Tell Me". The track debuted at No. 4 in the UK charts with about 40,000 copies sold in its first week. It sold approximately 100,000 copies, making it the 158th "best seller" of 2000. A third single was released in February 2001, "Feels So Good" which peaked at #5, followed by a fourth single, "Lullaby
", a pop number dedicated to her daughter. It was accompanied by a 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 #13. The album was not a success and garnered mediocre reviews, selling a disappointing 7,419 copies in its first week and charting at a weak #28, before quickly falling out of the charts, leading to Virgin dumping Brown from their label.
in the role of Mimi Marquez. 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. Brown decided to release them a year later through an independent label, Amber Café. The only single from the album, "Today
", saw a UK release in June 2005. "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 only single from the album was "Today
", for which Melanie completed a two-week promotional tour of the UK
. Brown, who at the time resided in Los Angeles
was not in the UK for the week of the single's release. It entered and peaked at #41, charting for only one week, making it the lowest charting and selling single from a Spice Girls
member up to that point. In a scathing review, Allmusic stated that this album was one of the worst pop albums of the decade. The album was also released with a bonus DVD
featuring an in-depth documentary filmed and directed by Mark McConnell.
, aka Darkchild, who previously worked with Brown on the Spice Girls' final studio album, Forever
, as well as on Melanie's first solo album, Hot
, both released in 2000. Also Scott Storch
revealed he was working on Brown’s album. In July 2008, Contactmusic.com
reported that Brown claimed to be collaborating with Janet Jackson
and Missy Elliott, but was later forced to deny it. Brown later revealed that she had completed ten tracks and would be working with Lil' Kim
for the possible first single.
and shot a documentary called Voodoo Princess for Channel 4
. 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.
In 2002, Brown released her autobiography, Catch A Fire, which reached No. 7 in the official books chart and saw her touring the UK to promote it with a run of book signings. Outside of SpiceWorld and 'Fish', Brown's first movie 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. 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
. Brown played 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 2005 she had a leading role in the thriller Telling Lies, released to DVD the following year.
Following an appearance in the short film Love Thy Neighbor, in September 2007, Brown joined the fifth season of the U.S. television hit Dancing with the Stars with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy
. On 27 November 2007, in the season finale, although they had a perfect score on their final dance, they took second place in the show.
In late 2007, she hosted a television special
for Canada's MuchMoreMusic
called Your Fave Videos of the 80's.. In June 2008 she hosted, with Joey Fatone
, the show The singing office broadcasted by American cable TV network TLC
In April 2009, Brown joined actress and former Dancing With the Stars
champion Kelly Monaco
as original stars of a Las Vegas revue called Peepshow
at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood
Hotel and Casino.
On 17 August 2009, Brown was announced as a visiting panellist on ITV1
's daily lunchtime show Loose Women
, having been interviewed on the programme in the past. She appeared for a week of shows during September 2009. In September 2009, Brown took part in the filming of ITV1
series Seven Days on the Breadline during which she spent part of a week staying with a family living in poverty in Leeds
, British. Subsequently Brown wrote an article in the tabloid paper The Mail on Sunday
, titled 'My Week in Apathy City.' In January 2010, Brown was selected to replace Marissa Jaret Winokur
as the new host of Oxygen
's weight loss show Dance Your Ass Off
.
In September 2010, her own reality show aired on the Style Network
called "Mel B: It's a Scary World
. In November 2010, Get Fit with Mel B, a fitness program, was released in North America and Europe. On 7 November 2010, Brown was the mentor for Australia's version of the X Factor. On 8 November 2010, Brown performed with the final five acts of Australia's X Factor in one of the Spice Girls' songs "Stop".
She joined the judging panel of the Australian version of the format The X Factor for its third series
, starting on September 2011 on the Seven Network
.
, Brown began a romantic relationship with Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar. After she became pregnant, they married in Little Marlow
, Buckinghamshire, on 13 September 1998. Mel B changed her stage name to Melanie G. Their daughter, Phoenix Chi, was born in Westminster
, London, on 19 February 1999. In 2000, Brown filed for divorce, which was finalised later that year. The custody battle for her daughter was highly publicised. Gulzar claimed Mel's breast implants and adultery
were the reason for their split. Brown won custody, but had to pay an alimony settlement of £1.25m to her ex-husband.
While living in the US, she had sapphic affairs, according the Daily Mail, a newspaper.
In 2006, Brown became the subject of tabloid
stories on the basis of her relationship with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy
. On 17 October 2006 AOL
claimed that Brown was having a baby with Murphy. 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. Brown gave birth to daughter Angel Iris Murphy Brown on Eddie Murphy's 46th birthday, 3 April 2007. On 22 June 2007, People 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 then admitted paternity and indicated that he would reimburse Brown for the cost of the pregnancy.
In February 2007, Brown began dating long term friend and movie producer Stephen Belafonte. Brown and Belafonte married on 6 June 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada. On 1 September 2011, Brown gave birth to her third child, a daughter named Madison Brown Belafonte.
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
.
Early life
Brown was born in HarehillsHarehills
Harehills is an inner-city area of east Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately north east of Leeds city centre. Harehills is situated between the A58 and the A64 .- Overview :...
, Leeds, UK, to a white English mother, Andrea, and a black Nevis
Nevis
Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...
ian father, Martin, and grew up in Burley
Burley, Leeds
Burley is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, characterised by the red brick terraced housing, much of which was built in the period 1899 - 1903 and green spaces. Sometimes called 'The Cardigan Triangle , it stretches north from the main Kirkstall Road, towards Hyde Park and...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire. She has a younger sister named Danielle who is an actress. She studied performing arts at Intake High School, in Leeds, before entering the entertainment industry. For a time she worked as a dancer in the holiday resort, Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, 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
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
. In this pairing, she and the other girls became known as the Spice Girls.
Career beginnings and Spice Girls
In 1996 Brown, along with Melanie ChisholmMelanie Chisholm
Melanie Jayne Chisholm is an English singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman professionally known simply as Melanie C . She is best known as one of the five members of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed "Sporty Spice"...
, Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
, Emma Bunton
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...
, and Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
responded to an advertisement in "The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
" trade magazine asking "WANTED: R.U. 18–23 with the ability to sing/dance? R.U. streetwise, outgoing, ambitious, and dedicated? Heart Management Ltd. are a widely successful music industry management consortium currently forming a choreographed, singing/dancing, all-female pop act for a recording deal. Open audition. Danceworks, 16 Balderton Street. Friday 4 March. 11 am-5:30 pm. Please bring sheet music or backing cassette". About 400 women who answered the ad went to Dance Works studios. There, Melanie Brown
Melanie Brown
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...
sang "Greatest Love Of All
Greatest Love of All
"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed and originally recorded by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest. The song was later popularized by Whitney Houston. Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer...
".
Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm (who did not attend), Victoria Adams, and a few others got a callback.
The group felt insecure about the lack of a contract and was frustrated by the direction in which Heart Management was steering them. In October 1994, armed with a catalogue of demos and dance routines, the group began touring management agencies. They persuaded Bob Herbert to set up a showcase performance for the group in front of industry writers, producers and A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
men in December 1994 at the Nomis Studios in Shepherds Bush where they received an "overwhelmingly positive" reaction. Due to the large interest in the group, the Herberts quickly set about creating a binding contract for the group.
Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the Nomis showcase, all five members delayed signing contracts on the legal advice from, amongst others, Adams's father Anthony Adams. In March 1995, because of the group's frustration at their management's unwillingness to listen to their visions and ideas, they parted with Heart Management. In order to ensure they kept control of their own work, the group allegedly stole the master recordings of their discography from the management offices. That same day the group tracked down Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
-based producer Eliot Kennedy
Eliot Kennedy
Eliot Kennedy is an English songwriter and record producer based in Sheffield. He has worked with artists such as the Spice Girls, Bryan Adams, Lulu, S Club 7, Five, Delta Goodrem, and Lovers Electric.-History:...
, who had been present at the showcase, and persuaded him to work with them.
Success with Wannabe and subsequent albums
The group began a relationship with Simon FullerSimon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
of 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
and finally signed with him in March 1995. During the summer of that year the group toured record labels in London and Los Angeles with Fuller and finally signed a deal with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
in September 1995. From this point on, up to the summer of 1996, the group continued to write and record tracks for their debut album while extensively touring the west coast of the United States, where they had signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific. On 7 June 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single "Wannabe
Wannabe (song)
"Wannabe" is the debut song by British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members 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, released in November 1996...
" in the United Kingdom. In the weeks leading up to the release, the video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Wannabe" (directed by Swedish commercials director Desta Rank and shot in April at St Pancras Chambers in London), got a trial airing on The Box music channel. The video was an instant hit, and was played 502 times a week. After the video was released, the Spice Girls had their first live TV slot on broadcast on LWT's Surprise Surprise.
The first music press interview appears in Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
.
"Wannabe" entered the charts at number 3 before moving up to number 1 the following week and staying there for seven weeks. The song proved to be a global hit, reaching number 1 in 31 countries and becoming the biggest-selling single by an all-female group of all time.
In January 1997, the group released "Wannabe" in the United States. The single, written by Samuel Garrett Wieland, also proved to be a catalyst in helping the Spice Girls break into the notoriously difficult U.S. market when it debuted on the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
Chart at number 11. At the time, this was the highest-ever debut by a British (or indeed non-American/Canadian) act in the US, beating the previous record held by the Beatles for "I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Want to Hold Your Hand
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded in October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment....
" and the joint highest entry for a debut act beating Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
with "Ironic". "Wannabe" reached number one in the US for four weeks.
1998–99: Spice Girls Break and solo career
Brown has charted up five UK Top 20 singles, including two Top 5 hits and a number 1 hit. She has sold over half a million records.She was invited to work with Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
on the single "I Want You Back
I Want You Back (Melanie B song)
"I Want You Back" is a song by Melanie Brown, released as her first solo single. It was released as a single from the first soundtrack to the 1998 film Why Do Fools Fall in Love and later included on her album Hot. This single was the first solo Spice Girl No.1.Mel recalled, "This was the first...
", a song for the soundtrack of the film Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (film)
Why Do Fools Fall in Love is an American romantic drama, directed by Gregory Nava and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is a biographical film of the brief but intense life of R&B/Rock & Roll singer Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the pioneering rock and roll group Frankie Lymon & the...
. 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 No. 1 in her home country. Ultimately, the single sold 218,000 copies and became the 82nd Bestselling British Single of 1998.
At the suggestion of her then-husband Jimmy Gulzar, Brown covered Cameo's
Cameo (band)
Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several...
1986 hit "Word Up
Word Up! (song)
"Word Up!" is a funk/hip hop song written and originally recorded by Cameo in 1986. Due to its heavy play on American dance and R&B radio, as well as music video play on MTV , the single became the band's most well-known hit.From the album of the same name, "Word Up!" was Nick's first US Top 40...
" as her next solo release. The track was notable for being produced by Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
. The track was already released on the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
. This resulted in its flopping in the UK (peaking at #14), making it the lowest-charting Spice Girls-related single of the 90s.
Turning to television work, she hosted Pure Naughty, a weekly BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
magazine show focusing on black music. She also hosted the MOBO Awards
MOBO Awards
The Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
on two occasions, in 1998 with Bill Bellamy
Bill Bellamy
William "Bill" Bellamy is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He currently resides in California. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, where he is credited for creating or uttering before a televised audience, the phrase "booty call", described as...
and in 1999 with Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, and took part in a BBC-funded short film entitled Fish.
2000–01: Solo career and Hot
Brown worked with producers such as SisqoSisqó
Mark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...
, Teddy Riley
Teddy Riley (new jack swing)
Edward Theodore Riley , professionally known as Teddy Riley, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, keyboardist, and record producer credited with the creation of New Jack Swing. Through his production work with Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, Doug E. Fresh, Today, Keith Sweat, Heavy D., Jane...
, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
(Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
), with whom she was also working on the Spice Girls' third album, Forever
Forever (Spice Girls album)
Forever is the third and final studio album by the English pop girl group the Spice Girls, released in 2000. It is their only album without Geri Halliwell, who later reunited with the group for their Greatest Hits release in 2007...
. In May 2000, she performed a small set at the London G-A-Y
G-A-Y
G-A-Y is a gay nightclub in London. It operated from the London Astoria music venue for 15 years until July 2008. The Boston Globe described it as "London's largest gay-themed club night", NME reported that it "attracts 6,000 clubbers each week", and The Independent described it as "the one London...
Astoria club
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
, her only solo gig until 2004, to showcase some of her new album material.
On 9 October 2000 she released her first studio album, "Hot
Hot (Melanie Brown album)
Hot is the debut album by British pop singer Melanie B, who is a member of the Spice Girls.The album was released on October 9, 2000, less than a month before the release of Forever, the third studio album by the Spice Girls; this is cited as the main reason that Hot was not successful: fans were...
", which also included her number one duet with Missy Elliott for the song "I Want You Back
I Want You Back (Melanie B song)
"I Want You Back" is a song by Melanie Brown, released as her first solo single. It was released as a single from the first soundtrack to the 1998 film Why Do Fools Fall in Love and later included on her album Hot. This single was the first solo Spice Girl No.1.Mel recalled, "This was the first...
". The second single release from the album was "Tell Me". The track debuted at No. 4 in the UK charts with about 40,000 copies sold in its first week. It sold approximately 100,000 copies, making it the 158th "best seller" of 2000. A third single was released in February 2001, "Feels So Good" which peaked at #5, followed by a fourth single, "Lullaby
Lullaby (Melanie B song)
"Lullaby" is a song by Melanie B, which was released as the fourth and final single from her debut solo album. It was released on June 4, 2001 and peaked at #13 in the UK Singles Chart and #40 in North America...
", a pop number dedicated to her daughter. It was accompanied by a 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 #13. The album was not a success and garnered mediocre reviews, selling a disappointing 7,419 copies in its first week and charting at a weak #28, before quickly falling out of the charts, leading to Virgin dumping Brown from their label.
2004–05: L.A. State of Mind
In April 2004, Brown was approached to take part in the musical RentRent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
in the role of Mimi Marquez. 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. Brown decided to release them a year later through an independent label, Amber Café. The only single from the album, "Today
Today (Melanie B song)
"Today" was the first and only single from Melanie B's second solo album, L.A. State of Mind. It was released on June 13, 2005. It entered and peaked at #41, charting for only one week , making it the lowest selling single of a Spice Girls member....
", saw a UK release in June 2005. "Today" entered the singles chart at #41, selling around 1,000 copies in its first week. The album, LA State Of Mind
L.A. State of Mind
L.A. State of Mind is the second solo album from Melanie Brown, famously known as Spice Girl Mel B. Brown surprised fans with her return, it having been five years since her debut album, Hot....
, 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 only single from the album was "Today
Today (Melanie B song)
"Today" was the first and only single from Melanie B's second solo album, L.A. State of Mind. It was released on June 13, 2005. It entered and peaked at #41, charting for only one week , making it the lowest selling single of a Spice Girls member....
", for which Melanie completed a two-week promotional tour of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Brown, who at the time resided in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
was not in the UK for the week of the single's release. It entered and peaked at #41, charting for only one week, making it the lowest charting and selling single from a Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
member up to that point. In a scathing review, Allmusic stated that this album was one of the worst pop albums of the decade. The album was also released with a bonus DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
featuring an in-depth documentary filmed and directed by Mark McConnell.
2008–present: Third studio album and X Factor
In June 2008, Brown revealed that she was recording tracks for a new album she expected to have ready for release late 2008. One of the producers behind the album was Rodney JerkinsRodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, aka Darkchild, who previously worked with Brown on the Spice Girls' final studio album, Forever
Forever (Spice Girls album)
Forever is the third and final studio album by the English pop girl group the Spice Girls, released in 2000. It is their only album without Geri Halliwell, who later reunited with the group for their Greatest Hits release in 2007...
, as well as on Melanie's first solo album, Hot
Hot (Melanie Brown album)
Hot is the debut album by British pop singer Melanie B, who is a member of the Spice Girls.The album was released on October 9, 2000, less than a month before the release of Forever, the third studio album by the Spice Girls; this is cited as the main reason that Hot was not successful: fans were...
, both released in 2000. Also Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
revealed he was working on Brown’s album. In July 2008, Contactmusic.com
Contactmusic.com
Contactmusic.com is a Leeds UK based entertainment magazine/webzine. The site was launched in April 2000 by a small team and has now expanded to 12 fulltime staff and many freelance contributors from across the globe...
reported that Brown claimed to be collaborating with Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
and Missy Elliott, but was later forced to deny it. Brown later revealed that she had completed ten tracks and would be working with Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
for the possible first single.
Non-musical works
From 2000, 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 ITV1ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
and shot a documentary called Voodoo Princess for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. She took part in smaller projects as a presenter such as Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, Party in the park
Party in the Park
Party in the Park is the generic name given to music concerts organised by various radio stations and local authorities in England and Wales, typically in large parks during the summer.-Leeds' 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
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
tourist board in a series which included contributions from other Yorkshire-born celebrities, and in the film Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde.
In 2002, Brown released her autobiography, Catch A Fire, which reached No. 7 in the official books chart and saw her touring the UK to promote it with a run of book signings. Outside of SpiceWorld and 'Fish', Brown's first movie role came in the form of a British drama, Burn It
Burn It
Burn It was a drama series, with touches of dark comedy, following the lives of three twenty-somethings in present-day Manchester.-About:The series followed Carl, Andy and Jon as three self-proclaimed Generation X-ers going through life without any real responsibilities to worry them...
. 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. She was in the movie The Seat Filler
The Seat Filler
The Seat Filler is an American romantic comedy musical film produced by the Company Production of Magnolia Home Entertainment, Seat Filler Productions, Shake Martin Films and Strange Fruit Films which released in 2004. It stars Kelly Rowland, Duane Martin, Melanie Brown, Kyla Pratt and Shemar Moore...
, co-produced by Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
and starring Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
star Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
. Melanie also appeared as Mimi in the broadway production of Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
. Brown played 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 2005 she had a leading role in the thriller Telling Lies, released to DVD the following year.
Following an appearance in the short film Love Thy Neighbor, in September 2007, Brown joined the fifth season of the U.S. television hit Dancing with the Stars with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maksim Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy is a Ukrainian-American Latin Ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is best known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series Dancing with the Stars, on which he first appeared in season two...
. On 27 November 2007, in the season finale, although they had a perfect score on their final dance, they took second place in the show.
In late 2007, she hosted a television special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
for Canada's MuchMoreMusic
MuchMoreMusic
MuchMore is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media, based at 299 Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario....
called Your Fave Videos of the 80's.. In June 2008 she hosted, with Joey Fatone
Joey Fatone
Joseph Anthony "Joey" Fatone, Jr. is an American singer, dancer, actor and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband, 'N Sync, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars...
, the show The singing office broadcasted by American cable TV network TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
In April 2009, Brown joined actress and former Dancing With the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
champion Kelly Monaco
Kelly Monaco
Kelly Marie Monaco is an American model, actress, reality television contestant and winner of Dancing with the Stars in Season 1. She is well known for playing the character of Sam McCall on the soap opera General Hospital, a role she originated in 2003.-Modeling:In April 1997, Monaco became the...
as original stars of a Las Vegas revue called Peepshow
Peepshow (burlesque)
Peepshow is a burlesque show created by Jerry Mitchell and the longest-running live show at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada...
at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...
Hotel and Casino.
On 17 August 2009, Brown was announced as a visiting panellist on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's daily lunchtime show Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
, having been interviewed on the programme in the past. She appeared for a week of shows during September 2009. In September 2009, Brown took part in the filming of ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
series Seven Days on the Breadline during which she spent part of a week staying with a family living in poverty in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, British. Subsequently Brown wrote an article in the tabloid paper The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
, titled 'My Week in Apathy City.' In January 2010, Brown was selected to replace Marissa Jaret Winokur
Marissa Jaret Winokur
Marissa Jaret Winokur , sometimes credited as Marissa Winokur, is an American actress known for her performance as Tracy Turnblad in the highly successful Broadway musical adaptation of John Waters' film Hairspray, as well as her work on the Pamela Anderson sitcom Stacked...
as the new host of Oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
's weight loss show Dance Your Ass Off
Dance Your Ass Off
Dance Your Ass Off is a reality competition series on the Oxygen Network hosted by Marissa Jaret Winokur in the first season, then Melanie Brown in season two...
.
In September 2010, her own reality show aired on the Style Network
Style Network
The Style Network is an American cable television network based in Los Angeles.Owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of General Electric and Comcast, its sister channels include E! Entertainment Television, USA Network, Syfy, G4, Golf Channel, and Versus, among others.-Network Overview:Style's...
called "Mel B: It's a Scary World
Mel B: It's a Scary World
Mel B: It's a Scary World is an American reality television series that debuted on Style Network on September 5, 2010. The show's title is a play on Melanie Brown's nicknames from her days when she was part of the Spice Girls, Mel B and "Scary Spice", the latter because of her hair style.-Series...
. In November 2010, Get Fit with Mel B, a fitness program, was released in North America and Europe. On 7 November 2010, Brown was the mentor for Australia's version of the X Factor. On 8 November 2010, Brown performed with the final five acts of Australia's X Factor in one of the Spice Girls' songs "Stop".
She joined the judging panel of the Australian version of the format The X Factor for its third series
The X Factor (Australia season 3)
The X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a management contract and a Sony Music Australia recording contract. The 2011 season premiered on the Seven Network on 29 August 2011 and...
, starting on September 2011 on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
.
Family
While on the Spiceworld TourSpiceworld Tour
The Spiceworld Tour was a concert tour performed by the British Europop group the Spice Girls in support of their second album Spiceworld which was the soundtrack to their feature film Spiceworld: The Movie. The sell-out European/North American tour ran from February to August 1998, after which it...
, Brown began a romantic relationship with Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar. After she became pregnant, they married in Little Marlow
Little Marlow
Little Marlow is a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England.It is on the north bank of the River Thames, about a mile east of Marlow. The toponym "Marlow" is derived from the Old English for "land remaining after the draining of a pool"...
, Buckinghamshire, on 13 September 1998. Mel B changed her stage name to Melanie G. Their daughter, Phoenix Chi, was born in Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London, on 19 February 1999. In 2000, Brown filed for divorce, which was finalised later that year. The custody battle for her daughter was highly publicised. Gulzar claimed Mel's breast implants and adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
were the reason for their split. Brown won custody, but had to pay an alimony settlement of £1.25m to her ex-husband.
While living in the US, she had sapphic affairs, according the Daily Mail, a newspaper.
In 2006, Brown became the subject of tabloid
Tabloid journalism
Tabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...
stories on the basis of her relationship with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
. On 17 October 2006 AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
claimed that Brown was having a baby with Murphy. 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
RTL Boulevard
RTL Boulevard is a daily television programme on the Dutch broadcasting station RTL 4. It was set up as a television equivalent of a tabloid, with a lot of airy subjects, news items and gossip about the stars, fashion and criminality. The programme is renowned for its sarcastic and cynical...
at the Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls (film)
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
film premiere that the parentage of Brown's unborn baby could not be proven until a paternity test has been performed. Brown gave birth to daughter Angel Iris Murphy Brown on Eddie Murphy's 46th birthday, 3 April 2007. On 22 June 2007, People 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 then admitted paternity and indicated that he would reimburse Brown for the cost of the pregnancy.
In February 2007, Brown began dating long term friend and movie producer Stephen Belafonte. Brown and Belafonte married on 6 June 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada. On 1 September 2011, Brown gave birth to her third child, a daughter named Madison Brown Belafonte.
Discography
- 2000: HotHot (Melanie Brown album)Hot is the debut album by British pop singer Melanie B, who is a member of the Spice Girls.The album was released on October 9, 2000, less than a month before the release of Forever, the third studio album by the Spice Girls; this is cited as the main reason that Hot was not successful: fans were...
- 2005: L.A. State of MindL.A. State of MindL.A. State of Mind is the second solo album from Melanie Brown, famously known as Spice Girl Mel B. Brown surprised fans with her return, it having been five years since her debut album, Hot....
- 2012: Untitled
Acting
- 1993 Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
– Amy Nelson (Supporting artist) (Uncredited) - 1997 Spice World – Scary Spice
- 1998 Creche Landing – TV movie (Voice)
- 2000 Fish
- 2003 Burn ItBurn ItBurn It was a drama series, with touches of dark comedy, following the lives of three twenty-somethings in present-day Manchester.-About:The series followed Carl, Andy and Jon as three self-proclaimed Generation X-ers going through life without any real responsibilities to worry them...
– Claire (TV series – season 1 only) - 2003 LD:50- Lethal Dose – Louise
- 2004 The Seat FillerThe Seat FillerThe Seat Filler is an American romantic comedy musical film produced by the Company Production of Magnolia Home Entertainment, Seat Filler Productions, Shake Martin Films and Strange Fruit Films which released in 2004. It stars Kelly Rowland, Duane Martin, Melanie Brown, Kyla Pratt and Shemar Moore...
– Sandie - 2005 Telling Lies – Maggie Thomas
- 2006 Love Thy NeighborLove Thy NeighborLove Thy Neighbour was a 1970s British situation comedy.Love Thy Neighbor or Love Thy Neighbour may also refer to:* the Biblical phrase from Leviticus and the New Testament about the Ethic of reciprocity...
– Lonnie - 2011 Secret Diary of a Call GirlSecret Diary of a Call GirlSecret Diary of a Call Girl is a British television drama broadcast on ITV2 from 2007-2011 based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous "Belle de Jour," starring Billie Piper as Belle, a high-class London call girl. The series was written by Lucy Prebble, who is also known as the author of The...
– Sylvia Burke (cameo)
Herself
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | This My Moment | Herself | (uncredited) |
| 2003 | Bo' Selecta | ||
| 2004 | MTV Cribs MTV Cribs MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000... |
1 episode | |
| 2005 | A Bear's Tail | 1 episode | |
| Avid Merrion's Xxxmas Special | (part of Cribs interview) | ||
| 2> 2007 | Dancing With The Stars Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 5) The fifth season of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 24, 2007 with a special three-night premiere week. The season ended on November 27, 2007. As with previous seasons, CTV Television Network had aired the series in Canada.... |
2nd place season 5 | |
| 2> 2009 | Loose Women Loose Women Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip... |
1 episode | |
| 3> 2010 - | Dance Your Ass Off Dance Your Ass Off Dance Your Ass Off is a reality competition series on the Oxygen Network hosted by Marissa Jaret Winokur in the first season, then Melanie Brown in season two... |
TV Host | |
| 3> 2010 - | Mel B: It's a Scary World Mel B: It's a Scary World Mel B: It's a Scary World is an American reality television series that debuted on Style Network on September 5, 2010. The show's title is a play on Melanie Brown's nicknames from her days when she was part of the Spice Girls, Mel B and "Scary Spice", the latter because of her hair style.-Series... |
Reality TV Series | |
| 2011 - | 'The X Factor (Australia) | Judge | |
| 1> 2011 | Keeping Up With The Kardashians Keeping Up with the Kardashians Keeping Up with the Kardashians is an American reality television series that airs on E!. The series premiered in October 2007. It focuses on the personal and professional lives of the members of the Kardashian and Jenner family. There will be a 7th Season to premiere in 2012.As of September 2011,... |
Uncredited (guest at kim's wedding) | |
Publication
- Brown, Melanie – "Catch a Fire: The Autobiography" – Headline Book Publishing, 2 September 2002. ISBN