125-471: The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell-Horner (" Ginger Spice"); and Victoria Beckham (" Posh Spice"). They have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl group of all time . With their " girl power " mantra, the Spice Girls redefined
250-732: A bidding war, they signed a five-album deal with Virgin Records in July 1995. Fuller took them on an extensive promotional tour in Los Angeles, where they met with studio executives in the hopes of securing film and television opportunities. Their name was changed to the Spice Girls as a rapper was already using the name Spice. The new name was chosen as industry people often referred to them derisively as "the Spice girls". They continued to write and record tracks for their debut album. On 8 July 1996,
375-530: A crush or lover, and heartache. Some songs sounded upbeat or cheerful and sang about falling in love, whereas others took a decidedly more melancholic turn. Groups like the Shangri-Las , with the song " I Can Never Go Home Anymore " sang about the darker side of being in love. An especially prevalent theme was adolescence. Since most of the girl groups were composed of young singers, often still in high school, songs mentioned parents in many cases. Adolescence
500-584: A dozen or so women who advanced to a second round of auditions in April. Suffering from a tonsillitis , Melanie Chisholm couldn't be present at the second round of auditions. However, after said auditions, Melanie Coloma was let go by the Herberts, who called Melanie C to replace her, after Geri Halliwell persuaded the Herberts to let her attend the next round of auditions. A week after the second audition, Adams, Brown, Halliwell and Stephenson were asked to attend
625-606: A female group, and a film, the Spice Girls became the most commercially successful British group since the Beatles . Unlike their predecessors who were marketed at male record buyers, the Spice Girls redefined the girl group concept by going after a young female fanbase instead. The cultural movement started by the Spice Girls produced a glut of other similar acts, which include the British-Canadian outfit All Saints , Irish girl group B*Witched , Atomic Kitten and
750-613: A more mature direction when American producers including Rodney Jerkins , Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis came on board to collaborate with the group. In December 1999, the Spice Girls embarked on a UK tour, Christmas in Spiceworld , in London and Manchester, during which they showcased new songs from the third album. The eight-show tour was attended by more than 153,000 people, grossing $ 5.7 million in ticket sales. The first four shows, at Manchester Evening News Arena , grossed $ 2.6 million;
875-573: A more potent sound allowed girl groups to sing powerfully and in different styles than earlier generations. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller would likewise foster the Exciters , the Dixie Cups , and the Shangri-Las . The Shangri-Las' hit single, " Leader of the Pack ", exemplified the "' death disc ' genre" adopted by some girl groups. These songs usually told the story of teenage love cut short by
1000-826: A multi-artist compilation album compiled by the group. It reached number two on the UK Compilation Chart and was certified Gold by the BPI . At the Ivor Novello Awards , "Wannabe" won the awards for International Hit of the Year and Best-Selling British Single. Spice World began filming in June and wrapped in August. The film was to be set to the songs from the group's second studio album, but no songs had been written when filming began. The group thus had to do all
1125-414: A new Union Jack dress modelled on the original. The new version appeared slightly longer and the flag was made out of rhinestones and Swarovski crystals . Various media outlets reported that Halliwell had attempted to buy back the original dress before their world tour. Halliwell later said that she "liked" the new dress and that she had decided to keep it as memorabilia. In 2012, Halliwell designed
1250-465: A rap section they had written to one of Thirkell and Keiles' songs. Keiles was furious with the changes and insisted they learn to write songs properly. The group began professional songwriting lessons; during one session, they wrote a song called "Sugar and Spice" with Hawes, which inspired them to change their name to Spice. By late 1994, the group felt insecure, as they still did not have an official contract with Heart Management and were frustrated with
1375-612: A recall at Nomis Studios in Shepherd's Bush , performing " Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours " on their own and as a group. Chisholm was also invited. The five women were selected for a band initially named Touch. The group moved into a three-bedroom house in Maidenhead , Berkshire , and spent most of 1994 practising songs written for them by Bob Herbert's long-time associates John Thirkell and Erwin Keiles. According to Stephenson,
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#17327726620591500-589: A total of 20 million copies in Japan within three years, with Variety calling them "Japan's top girl group", while Max still hold the record for girl group with the second most consecutive top 10 singles in Japan. Throughout the 2010s, AKB48 sister groups have been launched or will be launched in Indonesia, China, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Several new Japanese idol groups appeared in
1625-631: Is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of whom were influenced by doo-wop and which flourished in the late 1950s and early 1960s between the decline of early rock and roll and start of the British Invasion . All-female bands , in which members also play instruments, are usually considered a separate phenomenon. These groups are sometimes called "girl bands" to differentiate, although this terminology
1750-582: 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 it is now remembered as one of
1875-550: Is not universally followed. With the advent of the music industry and radio broadcasting, a number of girl groups emerged, such as the Andrews Sisters . The late 1950s saw the emergence of all-female singing groups as a major force, with 750 distinct girl groups releasing songs that reached US and UK music charts from 1960 to 1966. The Supremes alone held 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 during
2000-579: The Billboard Live Music Award for highest-grossing engagements, making the Spice Girls the top touring all-female group from 1998 to 2020. The Spice Girls have won five Brit Awards , three American Music Awards , four Billboard Music Awards , three MTV Europe Music Awards and one MTV Video Music Award . In 2000, they became the youngest recipients of the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music . Notable elements of
2125-482: The 1997 Brit Awards , with Geri Halliwell wearing a Union Jack mini-dress that became one of pop history's most famed outfits. At the ceremony, the group won two Brit Awards ; Best British Video for "Say You'll Be There" and Best British Single for "Wannabe". In March 1997, a double A-side of " Mama "/"Who Do You Think You Are" was released in Europe, the last from Spice , which once again saw them at number one, making
2250-482: The 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards without their other bandmates, accepting two awards on behalf of the Spice Girls for Best Pop Act and Best Group. That year, Brown and Adams announced they were pregnant. Brown was married to the dancer Jimmy Gulzer and became known as Mel G for a brief period; she gave birth to their daughter Phoenix Chi in February 1999. Adams gave birth a month after to her son Brooklyn , whose father
2375-564: The Great Depression . The Boswell Sisters , who became one of the most popular singing groups from 1930 to 1936, had over twenty hits. The Andrews Sisters started in 1937 as a Boswell tribute band and continued recording and performing through the 1940s into the late-1960s, achieving more record sales, more Billboard hits, more million-sellers, and more movie appearances than any other girl group to date. The Andrews Sisters had musical hits across multiple genres, which contributed to
2500-660: The Honeyz , who all achieved varying levels of success during the decade. Throughout the 2000s, girl groups from the UK remained popular, with Girls Aloud 's " Sound of the Underground " and Sugababes ' " Round Round " having been called "two huge groundbreaking hits" credited with reshaping British pop music for the 2000s. Despite her being a solo artist, Amy Winehouse's 2006 album Back to Black contained heavy influence from 1960s girl groups and garnered Winehouse comparisons to
2625-538: The MTV Europe Music Awards and won the Best Group award . The morning of the performance, they fired Fuller and began managing themselves. To ensure a smooth transition, Halliwell allegedly stole a mobile phone from Fuller's assistant that contained the group's schedule and Fuller's business contacts. The firing was front-page news around the world. Many commentators speculated that Fuller had been
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#17327726620592750-612: The Spice Girls , the 1990s also saw the target market for girl groups shift from a male audience to an increasingly female one. In the 2010s, the K-pop phenomenon led to the rise of successful girl groups including Girls' Generation , Twice and Blackpink . One of the first major all-female groups was the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce , an American trio who successfully toured England and parts of Europe in 1927, recorded and appeared on BBC radio – they toured
2875-566: The Spiceworld Tour , which was attended by an estimated 2.1 million people worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group. Halliwell left the Spice Girls mid-tour in May 1998. Following a number-one single with " Goodbye " (1998) and a successful 1999 concert tour , the Spice Girls released their R&B -influenced third album Forever in 2000. It featured their ninth number one single with " Holler "/" Let Love Lead
3000-603: The UK Singles Chart at number three before spending the next seven weeks at number one. The song proved to be a global hit, hitting number one in 37 countries, including four consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and becoming not only the best-selling debut single by an all-female group but also the best-selling single by an all-female group of all time. Following the release of "Wannabe", an article in Top of
3125-584: The UK Singles Chart , making it the group's lowest-charting British single to date. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart . On 1 February 2008, it was announced that due to personal and family commitments their tour would come to an end in Toronto on 26 February 2008, meaning that tour dates in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires were cancelled. The tour
3250-405: The death of Diana, Princess of Wales , with tributes paid to her throughout the ceremony. Chisholm stated, "We'd like to dedicate this award to Princess Diana, who is a great loss to our country." At the 1997 Billboard Music Awards , the group won four awards for New Artist of the Year , Billboard Hot 100 Singles Group of the Year, Billboard 200 Group of the Year and Billboard 200 Album of
3375-582: The disco craze and beyond, female acts included First Choice , Silver Convention , Hot , the Emotions , High Inergy , Odyssey , Sister Sledge , Mary Jane Girls , Belle Epoque , Frantique , Luv' , and Baccara . Groups of the 1980s like the Pointer Sisters , Exposé , and Bananarama updated the concept. In Latin America, there were a number of dance-oriented popular girl groups during
3500-548: The "frenzied bid", and rapped the gavel after the final bid. The dress was originally valued at £12,000, but the winning bid was £36,200 (£41,320 including 15% commission). Halliwell gave the proceeds of the dress sale to a children's cancer care charity. The BBC commented on the sale, saying it "marks the end of Geri's links with the Girl Power image of the past". It held the Guinness World Record for
3625-544: The 1950s era would also give advice to other girls, or sing about the advice their mothers gave to them, which was a similarity to some male musical groups of the time (for example, the Miracles ' " Shop Around "). Adolescence was also important (especially starting in the 1950s) from the other end: the consumers were "teenagers [with] disposable income, ready access to automobiles, and consolidated high schools that exposed them to large numbers of other teens. Mass teen culture
3750-707: The 2008 Billboard Touring Award for Top Boxscore. The group's comeback also netted them several other awards, including the Capital Music Icon Award, the Glamour Award for Best Band, and the Vodafone Live Music Award for Best Live Return, the last of which saw them beat out acts such as Led Zeppelin and the Sex Pistols . At the 2010 Brit Awards , the Spice Girls received a special award for "Best Performance of
3875-599: The 2010s and created a fiercely competitive situation in the music industry, which has been referred to as the "Idol sengoku jidai " (アイドル戦国時代; lit. Age of the Idol Warring States). Since 2009, Hallyu (Korean wave) and K-pop became increasingly significant in the entertainment industry. Its influence spread across Asia and began to reach the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and the Americas. At
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4000-496: The 2010s. Japan has the music industry's second largest market overall and the largest physical music market in the world, with the physical sales Oricon Singles Chart being dominated by J-pop idol girl groups. In the late 1990s, vocal/dance girl bands Speed and Max gained prominence in Asia, and paved the way for succeeding Japanese girl groups, such as Morning Musume , AKB48 , Perfume , and Momoiro Clover Z . Speed sold
4125-694: The 2019 Billboard Live Music Award for Top Boxscore. Despite sound problems in the early concerts, Anna Nicholson in The Guardian wrote, "As nostalgia tours go, this could hardly have been bettered." Alongside the tour, the group teamed up with the children's book franchise Mr. Men to create derivative products such as books, cups, bags and coasters. On 13 June 2019, it was reported that Paramount Animation had greenlit an animated Spice Girls film with old and new songs. The project will be produced by Simon Fuller and written by Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith . A director has not been announced. To mark
4250-413: The 25th anniversary edition of their album Spiceworld . The new collection features previously unreleased live versions and remixes, plus previously available B-sides "Walk of Life" and "Outer Space Girls" and a megamix. Their song " Step to Me " was released digitally for the first time ever on the same day as the album announcement. Spiceworld25 was released on 4 November 2022 and charted at number 46 on
4375-468: The 25th anniversary of "Wannabe", an EP was released in July 2021 that included previously unreleased demos. On 29 October, the Spice Girls released Spice25, a deluxe reissue of Spice featuring previously unreleased demos and remixes. The deluxe release saw the album reenter the UK Albums Chart at number five. On 27 September 2022, the Spice Girls announced the tracklisting for Spiceworld25 ,
4500-465: The 30th Year". The award was for their 1997 Brit Awards performance of "Wannabe" and "Who Do You Think You Are", with Geri Halliwell and Mel B receiving the award from Samantha Fox on behalf of the group. That year, the Spice Girls collaborated with Fuller, Judy Craymer and Jennifer Saunders to develop a stage musical, Viva Forever! . Similar to the ABBA musical Mamma Mia! , Viva Forever! used
4625-650: The Bonnie Sisters with "Cry Baby" and the Teen Queens with " Eddie My Love " showed early promise for a departure from traditional pop harmonies. With " Mr. Lee ", the Bobbettes lasted for 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 months on the charts in 1957, building momentum and gaining further acceptance of all-female, all- black vocal groups. However, it was the Chantels ' 1958 song " Maybe " that became "arguably,
4750-577: The Brit Awards on 24 February 1997. The group also won two awards that evening. In 1998, a year after Halliwell performed in the dress, she auctioned it off at the London branch of Sotheby's for £41,320. The buyer was Peter Morton, on behalf of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino , Las Vegas , who displayed the piece of clothing as pop memorabilia. Morton bid via telephone, and beat other bidders such as The Sun . Halliwell herself watched
4875-497: The Chantels and others was followed by an enormous rise in girl groups with varying skills and experience, with the music industry's typical racially segregated genre labels of R&B and pop slowly breaking apart. This rise also allowed a semblance of class mobility to groups of people who often could not otherwise gain such success, and "forming vocal groups together and cutting records gave them access to other opportunities toward professional advancement and personal growth, expanding
5000-480: The Korean wave's globalization accelerated. These newer girl groups gradually shifted towards more "girl crush" concepts and it became more common for members to be involved in writing or production. Popular South Korean girl groups include Blackpink , Twice , Aespa , NewJeans , IVE and Red Velvet amongst others. Girl groups have a wide array of subject matter in their songs, depending on time and place and who
5125-680: The Murmaids took David Gates ' " Popsicles and Icicles " to the top 3 in January, the Carefrees ' " We Love You Beatles " scraped the top 40 in April, and the Jewels ' "Opportunity" was a small hit in December. Over 750 girl groups were able to chart a song between 1960 and 1966 in the US and UK, although the genre's reach was not as strongly felt in the music industries of other regions. As
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5250-546: The Olympics with over 116,000 tweets per minute on Twitter . On 8 July 2016, Brown, Bunton and Halliwell released a video celebrating the 20th anniversary of "Wannabe" and teased news from them as a three-piece. Beckham and Chisholm opted not to take part but gave the project their blessing. A new song, "Song for Her", was leaked online in November. The reunion project was cancelled due to Halliwell's pregnancy. In late 2018
5375-562: The Pops magazine identified each Spice Girl with a unique nickname based on their personalities . Though unintended, the use of these nicknames became widespread and they were later adopted globally. Riding a wave of publicity and hype, the group released their next singles in Europe. In October, " Say You'll Be There " was released topping the charts for two weeks. "2 Become 1" was released in December, becoming their first Christmas number one and selling 462,000 copies in its first week, making it
5500-574: The Ronettes. UK girl group continued to have success in the 2000s and 2010s, with acts such as Mis-Teeq , the Saturdays , StooShe and Little Mix , one of the successful acts to come from the British version of The X Factor . Although the emergence of dance-pop focused acts in Asia paralleled their British counterparts in the 1990s, girl groups in Asia sustained as a successful format through
5625-688: The Spice Girls attracted a crowd of 500,000 when they switched on the Christmas lights in Oxford Street , London. At the same time, Fuller started to set up multi-million dollar sponsorship deals for the Spice Girls with Pepsi , Walkers , Impulse , Cadbury and Polaroid . The group ended 1996 winning three trophies at the Smash Hits awards at the London Arena , including best video for "Say You'll Be There". In January 1997, "Wannabe"
5750-543: The Spice Girls launched a feature-length film, Spice World . The world premiere, at the Empire Theatre in Leicester Square , London, was attended by celebrities including Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry . The film was a commercial success but received poor reviews. The Spice Girls ended 1997 as the year's most played artist on American radio. In January 1998, the Spice Girls attended
5875-459: The Spice Girls officially announced their second reunion tour, with tickets going on sale in November 2018. They also revealed they would do it as a four-piece without Beckham, as she declined to join due to commitments regarding her fashion business. Each of the four participating members was reportedly paid £12 million for the tour. On 24 May 2019, they began the Spice World – 2019 Tour of
6000-427: The Spice Girls released Spiceworld . It set a new record for the fastest-selling album when it shipped seven million copies over the course of two weeks. Gaining favourable reviews, the album went on to sell over 10 million copies in Europe, Canada, and the United States combined, and 14 million copies worldwide. Criticised in the United States for releasing the album just nine months after their debut there, which gave
6125-512: The Spice Girls released their debut single " Wannabe " in the United Kingdom. In the weeks before the release, the music video received a trial airing on music channel the Box . It was an instant hit and was aired up to seventy times a week at its peak. After the video was released, the Spice Girls had their first live broadcast TV slot on LWT 's Surprise Surprise . Earlier in May, they had conducted their first music press interview with Paul Gorman ,
6250-461: The Spice Girls released their third and final album, Forever . With an edgier R&B sound, it received lukewarm reviews. In the US, it reached number 39 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In the UK, it was released the same week as Westlife 's Coast to Coast and the chart battle was widely reported by the media; Westlife reached number one and the Spice Girls number two. The lead single,
6375-546: The Spice Girls the fastest-selling British act since the Beatles. In total, the album sold over 3 million copies in Britain, the best-selling album of all time in the UK by a female group, certified ten times platinum, and reached number one for fifteen non-consecutive weeks. In Europe the album became the best-selling album of 1997 and was certified 8× Platinum by the IFPI for sales in excess of 8 million copies. That same month,
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#17327726620596500-436: The Spice Girls the first group since the Jackson 5 to have four consecutive number one hits. Girl Power! , the Spice Girls' first book, was launched later that month at Virgin Megastore . It sold out its initial print run of 200,000 copies within a day, and was eventually translated into more than 20 languages. In April, One Hour of Girl Power was released; it sold 500,000 copies in the UK between April and June to become
6625-467: The Spice Girls' symbolism include Halliwell's Union Jack dress and the nicknames that were given to each member of the group by the British press. Numerous endorsement deals and merchandise brought the group additional success, with a global gross income estimated at $ 500–800 million by May 1998. According to the Music Week writer Paul Gorman , their media exposure helped usher in an era of celebrity obsession in pop culture. WANTED: R.U. 18–23 with
6750-518: The Three Degrees (which had roots in the 1960s and in 1970, like the Chantels in 1958, began their top 40 pop career with "Maybe"). Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles was a US 1960s girl group whose image Vicki Wickham , their manager, helped remake in the early 1970s, renaming the group Labelle and pushing them in the direction of glam rock . Labelle were the first girl group to eschew matching outfits and identical choreography, instead wearing extravagant spacesuits and feathered headdresses. During
6875-606: The Toys and the Sweet Inspirations , the only girl groups with any significant chart presence from the beginning of the British Invasion through 1970 were Motown girl groups with the Supremes being the only girl group to score number one hits. The distinct girl group sound would not re-emerge until the 21st century, where it would influence modern-day English-speaking pop-soul soloists who have been met with international success, such as Amy Winehouse , Adele , Duffy and Melanie Fiona among others. In addition to influencing individual singers, this generation of girl groups cemented
7000-415: The UK Albums Chart. To promote the reissue, new music videos for "Spice Up Your Life" and "Never Give Up on the Good Times" were also released. The Royal Mail issued fifteen stamps from 11 January 2024 onwards to mark the 30th anniversary of the Spice Girls. Girl group A girl group is a music act featuring three or more female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group"
7125-451: The UK alone and over five million worldwide for the ticket ballot on the band's official website. Sixteen additional dates in London were added, all selling out within one minute. In the United States, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Jose shows also sold out, prompting additional dates to be added. It was announced that the Spice Girls would be playing dates in Chicago and Detroit and Boston, as well as additional dates in New York to keep up with
7250-405: The UK and Ireland at Croke Park in Dublin , Ireland. The tour concluded with three concerts at London's Wembley Stadium , with the last taking place on 15 June 2019. Over 13 dates, the tour produced 700,000 spectators and earned $ 78.2 million in ticket sales. The three-night sellout stand at Wembley Stadium was the highest-grossing engagement of the year, drawing an audience of 221,971 and winning
7375-405: The UK charts at the time was Eternal , but even they "remained largely faceless". Amidst the American domination of the girl group format, the Second British Invasion saw the UK's Spice Girls turn the tide in the mid-1990s, achieving ten number 1 singles in the UK and US. With sold-out concerts, advertisements, merchandise, 86 million worldwide record sales, the best-selling album of all time by
7500-546: The US and UK quickly recognized the potential of this new approach and recruited existing acts (or, in some cases, created new ones) to record their songs in a girl group style. Phil Spector recruited the Crystals , the Blossoms , and the Ronettes , while Goffin and King penned two hit songs for the Cookies . Phil Spector made a huge impact on the ubiquity of the girl group, as well as bringing fame and notoriety to new heights for many girl groups. Phil Spector's so-called Wall of Sound , which used layers of instruments to create
7625-443: The US for four weeks. In February, Spice was released in the US, and became the best-selling album of 1997 in the US , peaking at number one, and was certified 7× Platinum by the RIAA for sales in excess of 7.4 million copies. The album was also included in the Top 100 Albums of All Time list by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) based on US sales. In total, the album sold over 23 million copies worldwide becoming
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#17327726620597750-400: The US premiere of Spice World at the Mann's Chinese Theatre . At the 1998 American Music Awards a few days later, they won the awards for Favorite Album , Favorite New Artist and Favorite Group in the pop/rock category. In February, they won a special award for overseas success at the 1998 Brit Awards , with combined sales of more than 45 million albums and singles worldwide. That night,
7875-452: The US variety and big-time theaters extensively, and later changed their stage name to the Three X Sisters . The band was together from 1923 until the early 1940s, and known for their close harmonies, as well as barbershop style or novelty tunes, and utilized their 1930s radio success. The Three X Sisters were also especially a notable addition to the music scene, and predicted later girl group success by maintaining their popularity throughout
8000-434: The United States, the Spice Girls wrote and recorded new material. They released a new song, " Goodbye ", before Christmas in 1998. It was seen as a tribute to Halliwell, although parts of it had originally been written when Halliwell was still a part of the group. It became the Spice Girls' third consecutive Christmas number one , equalling the record previously set by the Beatles . In November, Bunton and Chisholm appeared at
8125-433: The Way ", setting a record for most UK number ones by a girl group of all time. By the end of 2000, the Spice Girls entered on a hiatus to concentrate on their solo careers. Since then, they have reunited for a performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony and for two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls from 2007 to 2008 as a five-piece and the Spice World — 2019 UK Tour , without Beckham. Both tours won
8250-409: The West End's Piccadilly Theatre in December 2012, with all five Spice Girls in attendance. It was panned by critics and closed after seven months, with a loss of at least £5 million. In August 2012, the Spice Girls reunited to perform a medley of "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life" at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony . Their performance received acclaim, and became the most-tweeted moment of
8375-402: The World ", their last song with Halliwell until 2007. On 31 May 1998, Halliwell announced her departure from the Spice Girls through her solicitor. The announcement was preceded by days of frenzied press speculation after Halliwell missed two concerts in Norway and was absent from a performance on The National Lottery Draws . Halliwell first cited creative differences, and later said that she
8500-536: The Year for Spice . In October 1997, the Spice Girls released the first single from their second album, Spiceworld, " Spice Up Your Life ". It entered the UK Singles Chart at number one, making it the group's fifth consecutive number-one single. That same month, the group performed their first live major concert to 40,000 fans in Istanbul , Turkey. Later, they launched the Royal British Legion 's Poppy Appeal , then travelled to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela , who announced, "These are my heroes." In November,
8625-434: 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 4th March. 11.00am–5.30pm. Please bring sheet music or backing cassette. – Advertisement placed in The Stage In
8750-399: The album with " Spice Up Your Life ", " Too Much " and " Viva Forever ". Both albums encapsulated the group's dance-pop style and message of female empowerment, with vocal and songwriting contributions shared equally by the members. In 1997, the Spice Girls made their live concert debut and released a feature film, Spice World , both to commercial success. In 1998, the group embarked on
8875-469: The beginning, girl groups such as Girls' Generation , 2NE1 and Wonder Girls were among the leaders of this "Hallyu" wave. The influence of the original girl groups of the United States was not lost on this era of artists, as many adopted visual influences through their "retro" concepts, such as the international 2008 hit " Nobody " by Wonder Girls. From the second half of the 2010s, new generations of Korean girl groups emerged and enjoyed great success as
9000-479: The best-selling album by a girl group in the United States (Diamond certification), while selling over 14 million copies worldwide. Destiny's Child emerged in the late 1990s and sold more than 60 million records. In the mid-to-late-2000s, there was a revival of girl groups. American girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls achieved worldwide success with their singles. Danity Kane also became
9125-428: The best-selling album in pop music history by an all-female group. The dress has gone down in history – along with Liz Hurley 's safety-pin frock and Princess Diana 's "revenge" gown – as one of the most memorable fashion moments of all time. – Harper's Bazaar on Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress at the 1997 Brit Awards . Later that month, the Spice Girls performed " Who Do You Think You Are " to open
9250-676: The best-selling pop video ever, and was eventually certified thirteen times platinum. In May, Spice World , a film starring the group, was announced by the Spice Girls at the Cannes Film Festival . The group also performed their first live UK show for the Prince's Trust benefit concert . At the show, they breached royal protocol when Brown and then Halliwell planted kisses on Prince Charles' cheeks and pinched his bottom, causing controversy. That same month, Virgin released Spice Girls Present... The Best Girl Power Album... Ever! ,
9375-438: The charts of 37 countries. Their debut album, Spice (1996), sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in history . Producing three more number-one singles: " Say You'll Be There ", " 2 Become 1 " and " Who Do You Think You Are "/" Mama ". Their second album, Spiceworld (1997), sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. The Spice Girls achieved three number-one singles from
9500-471: The charts. Groups in these genres, such as SWV , Xscape , 702 , Total , Zhane , Blaque , and 3LW , managed to have songs chart on both the U.S. Hot 100 and the U.S. R&B charts. However, TLC achieved the most success for a girl group in an era where contemporary R&B would become global mainstream acceptance. TLC remains the best-selling American girl group with 65 million records sold, and their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994), remains
9625-452: The contracts on legal advice from, among others, Adams's father. In January, the group began songwriting sessions with Richard Stannard , whom they had impressed at the showcase, and his partner Matt Rowe. During these sessions the songs " Wannabe " and " 2 Become 1 " were written. In March 1995, the group left Heart Management, feeling Heart was unwilling to listen to their ideas. To ensure they kept control of their work, they allegedly stole
9750-558: The contributing editor of trade paper Music Week , at Virgin Records' Paris headquarters. His piece recognised that the Spice Girls were about to institute a change in the charts away from Britpop and towards out-and-out pop. He wrote: "Just when boys with guitars threaten to rule pop life— Damon 's all over Smash Hits , Ash are big in Big! and Liam can't move for tabloid frenzy—an all-girl, in-yer-face pop group have arrived with enough sass to burst that rockist bubble." "Wannabe" entered
9875-621: The death of one of the young lovers. The Paris Sisters had success from 1961 to 1964, especially with " I Love How You Love Me ". The Chiffons , the Angels , and the Orlons were also prominent in the early 1960s. In early fall 1963 one-hit wonder the Jaynetts ' " Sally Go 'Round the Roses " achieved a mysterious sound quite unlike that of any other girl group. In 1964, the one-hit wonder group
10000-607: The demand. The tour opened in Vancouver on 2 December 2007, with the Spice Girls performing to an audience of 15,000 people, singing 20 songs and changing outfits a total of eight times. Along with the tour sellout, the Spice Girls licensed their name and image to the supermarket chain Tesco . The Spice Girls' comeback single, " Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) ", was announced as the official Children in Need charity single for 2007 and
10125-915: The double A-side " Holler "/" Let Love Lead the Way ", became Spice Girls' ninth UK number one. However, it failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, instead reaching number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and number 31 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The Spice Girls' only major performance of the single came at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards in November. In total, Forever sold over four million copies. The Spice Girls ceased promotional activities in December 2000, as they began an indefinite hiatus to concentrate on their solo careers and ultimately split in February 2001. They however insisted that
10250-549: The dress was voted the "Most Inspiring British Fashion Moment" in an online poll conducted by British online retailer Very . At the 2010 Brit Awards , the Spice Girls performance that featured the Union Jack dress won Most Memorable Performance of 30 Years. The dress held the Guinness World Record for the most expensive piece of popstar clothing sold at an auction. I've always tried to put my finger to
10375-407: The early 1990s, Bob Herbert and Chris Herbert , the father-and-son duo of Heart Management, decided to create a girl group to compete with the boy bands who dominated UK pop music at the time. With the financier Chic Murphy, they envisioned an act comprising "five strikingly different girls" who would each appeal to a different audience. In February 1994, Heart Management placed an advertisement in
10500-461: The era, including the Flans , Pandora and Fandango. In Japan, all-female idol groups Candies and Pink Lady made a series of hits during the 1970s and 1980s as well. The Japanese music program Music Station listed Candies and Pink Lady in their Top 50 Idols of All Time (compiled in 2011), placing them at number 32 and number 15, with sales exceeding 5 and 13 million in Japan, respectively. With
10625-462: The fastest-selling single of the year. The two tracks continued the group's remarkable sales, giving them three of the top five best-selling songs of 1996 in the UK. In November 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut album Spice in Europe. The success was unprecedented and drew comparisons to Beatlemania , leading the press to dub it "Spicemania" and the group the "Fab Five". In seven weeks Spice had sold 1.8 million copies in Britain alone, making
10750-628: The first girl group in Billboard history to have two consecutive number-one albums, as their self-titled debut album (2006) and their second album Welcome to the Dollhouse (2008) both topped the U.S. Billboard 200 . Girl groups have now been more popular compared to the early 2000s. Girl groups continued their success in the 2010s. Miami -based girl group Fifth Harmony formed in 2012 on The X Factor USA . They reached international success with their debut album Reflection , which featured
10875-414: The first true glimmering of the girl group sound". The "mixture of black doo-wop, rock and roll, and white pop" was appealing to a teenage audience and grew from scandals involving payola and the perceived social effects of rock music . However, early groups such as the Chantels started developing their groups' musical capacities traditionally, through mediums like Latin and choir music. The success of
11000-562: The girl group form and sentiment and provided inspiration for many future groups. Entering the 1970s, the Supremes had continued success with top 10 hits " Up the Ladder to the Roof " and " Stoned Love " along with six other singles charting on Billboard's top 40. Only two other girl groups made top 10 chartings through 1974 with " Want Ads " by Honey Cone and " When Will I See You Again " by
11125-615: 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 popular culture icons of the decade. The Spice Girls were formed by Heart Management, who held auditions to create a girl group to compete with the British boy bands popular at the time. After leaving Heart, the Spice Girls hired Simon Fuller as their manager and signed with Virgin Records . They released their debut single, " Wannabe ", in 1996, which reached number one on
11250-507: The group performed their next single, " Stop ", their first not to reach number one in the UK, entering at number two. On 24 February 1998, the Spice Girls embarked on the Spiceworld Tour , starting in Dublin, Ireland, before moving to mainland Europe and North America and returning to the UK for two performances at Wembley Stadium . Later that year, the Spice Girls sang on the official England World Cup song " (How Does It Feel to Be) On Top of
11375-438: The group two simultaneous Top 10 albums in the Billboard album charts, and suffering from over-exposure at home, the Spice Girls began to experience a media backlash. They were criticised for their number of sponsorship deals—more than 20—and their chart positions declined. Nevertheless, the Spice Girls remained the best-selling pop group of both 1997 and 1998. On 7 November 1997, the Spice Girls performed "Spice Up Your Life" at
11500-488: The group was not splitting. On 28 June 2007, the Spice Girls, including Halliwell, held a press conference at the O 2 Arena revealing their intention to reunite for a worldwide concert tour, the Return of the Spice Girls . The plan to re-form had long been speculated by the media, with previous attempts by the organisers of Live 8 and Concert for Diana to reunite the group as a five-piece falling through. Each member of
11625-503: The group was reportedly paid £10 million ($ 20 million) to do the reunion tour. Giving You Everything , an official documentary film about the reunion, was directed by Bob Smeaton and first aired on Australia's Fox8 on 16 December 2007, followed by BBC One in the UK on 31 December. Ticket sales for the first London date of the Return of the Spice Girls tour sold out in 38 seconds. It was reported that over one million people signed up in
11750-456: The group's music to create an original story. In June 2012, to promote the musical, the Spice Girls reunited for a press conference at the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel , where the music video for "Wannabe" had been filmed exactly sixteen years earlier. They also appeared in the documentary Spice Girls' Story: Viva Forever! , which aired on 24 December 2012 on ITV1 . Viva Forever! premiered at
11875-623: The height of the wave and throughout most of the British Invasion rivaled the Beatles in popularity. In later eras, the girl group template would be applied to disco , contemporary R&B , and country -based formats, as well as pop . A more globalized music industry gave rise to the popularity of dance-oriented pop music led by major record labels. This emergence, led by the US, UK, South Korea and Japan, produced popular acts, with eight groups debuting after 1990 having sold more than 15 million physical copies of their albums . With
12000-518: The hit " Worth It ". " Work from Home ", the lead single from their second studio album , became the first top-five single in the U.S by a girl group in a decade, following the September 2006 peak of " Buttons " by The Pussycat Dolls at number three. "Worth It" and "Work from Home" remain the most-viewed girl group music videos on YouTube . In the early 1990s, the British music scene was dominated by boy bands. The only girl group making an impact on
12125-769: The idea of girlhood as an identity across race and class lines." The group often considered to have achieved the first sustained success in girl group genre is the Shirelles , who first reached the Top 40 with " Tonight's the Night ", and in 1961, became the first girl group to reach number one on the Hot 100 with " Will You Love Me Tomorrow ", written by songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King at 1650 Broadway . The Shirelles solidified their success with five more top 10 hits, most particularly 1962's number one hit " Soldier Boy ", over
12250-401: The majority of the songs that would be released on their debut album, including " Say You'll Be There " and " Who Do You Think You Are ". Their demos caught the attention of Simon Fuller of 19 Entertainment , who signed them to his management company in May 1995. By this point, industry buzz around Spice had grown and major record labels in London and Los Angeles were keen to sign them. After
12375-529: The management team's direction. They persuaded Herbert to set up a showcase performance in front of industry writers, producers and A&R men in December 1994 at the Nomis Studios, where they received an "overwhelmingly positive" reaction. The Herberts quickly set about creating a binding contract for them. Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the Nomis showcase, all five members refused to sign
12500-564: The master recordings of their discography from the management offices. The next day, the group tracked down the Sheffield -based songwriter Eliot Kennedy , who had been present at the Nomis showcase, and persuaded him to work with them. Through contacts they had made at the showcase, they were also introduced to the Absolute production team. With Kennedy and Absolute's help, the group spent the next several weeks writing and recording demos for
12625-487: The mastermind behind the group, and that the Spice Girls had lost their impetus and direction. Later in November, the Spice Girls became the first pop group to host ITV 's An Audience with... Their show was watched by 11.8 million viewers in the UK, one fifth of the population. In December 1997, the second single from Spiceworld , " Too Much ", was released, becoming the Spice Girls' second Christmas number one and their sixth consecutive number-one UK single. That month,
12750-465: The most expensive piece of popstar clothing dealt at auction. The dress was one of many items of Spice Girls memorabilia sold at the auction, where total sales reached £146,511 for charity. The auction, with Halliwell auctioning off the Union Jack dress as the final lot, can be seen in the documentary Geri by Molly Dineen . For the 2007 Spice Girls reunion tour, named the Return of the Spice Girls , fashion designer Roberto Cavalli designed Halliwell
12875-436: 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 . In 2010, The Daily Telegraph reported that the dress came top in an online poll to find the 10 most iconic dresses of the past 50 years, beating other memorable garments such as Marilyn Monroe's white 'Seven Year Itch' halterneck . In 2016,
13000-588: The next two and a half years. " Please Mr. Postman " by the Marvelettes became a major indication of the racial integration of popular music, as it was the first number one song in the US for African-American owned label, Motown Records . Motown would mastermind several major girl groups, including Martha and the Vandellas , the Velvelettes , and the Supremes . Other songwriters and producers in
13125-870: The prevalence and popularity of the girl group form. As the rock era began, close harmony acts like the Chordettes , the Fontane Sisters , the McGuire Sisters and the DeCastro Sisters remained popular, with the first three acts topping the pop charts and the last reaching number two, at the end of 1954 to the beginning of 1955. Also, the Lennon Sisters were a mainstay on the Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 on. In early 1956, doo-wop one-hit wonder acts like
13250-612: The second portion of the tour saw the group play another four shows at Earls Court Arena , grossing $ 3.1 million. Earlier in the year, the Spice Girls recorded the song "My Strongest Suit" for Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida , a concept album which became the musical Aida . The Spice Girls performed again at the 2000 Brit Awards in March, where they received the Lifetime Achievement award. Halliwell attended but did not join her former bandmates on stage. In November 2000,
13375-717: The single " Kiss in the Dark ", Pink Lady was also one of only two Japanese artists to have reached the Billboard Top 40 . With their 1990 eponymous debut album , the trio Wilson Phillips sold over 5 million copies worldwide and reached five major US hit singles, four of which cracked the Top 10, with three peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . After the rise of new jack swing , contemporary R&B and hip hop , American girl groups such as En Vogue , Exposé and Sweet Sensation all had singles which hit number one on
13500-571: The songs were aimed at a very young audience, and none were later used by the Spice Girls. During these first months, the group worked on demos at South Hill Park Recording Studios in Bracknell with the producer and studio owner Michael Sparkes and the songwriter and arranger Tim Hawes . They were also tasked with choreographing their own dance routines, which they worked on at Trinity Studios in Knaphill , near Woking , Surrey . A few months into
13625-589: The songwriting and recording at the same time as they were filming Spice World , resulting in a gruelling schedule that left them exhausted. Among the songs that were written during this period was " Stop ", the lyrics for which cover the group's frustrations with being overworked by their management. In September, the Spice Girls performed "Say You'll Be There" at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and won Best Dance Video for "Wannabe". The MTV Awards came five days after
13750-462: The trade paper The Stage asking for singers to audition for an all-female pop band at London's Danceworks studios. Approximately 400 women attended the audition on 4 March 1994. They were placed in groups of 10 and danced a routine to " Stay " by Eternal , followed by solo auditions in which they performed songs of their choice. After several weeks of deliberation, Victoria Adams , Melanie Brown , Melanie Coloma and Michelle Stephenson were among
13875-468: The training, Stephenson was fired for a perceived lack of commitment. Heart Management turned to the group's vocal coach, Pepi Lemer, to find a replacement. After Lemer's first recommendation declined the offer, Lemer recommended her former pupil Emma Bunton , who auditioned for the Herberts and joined as the fifth member. As their training continued, the group performed small showcases for a few of Heart Management's associates. In one performance, they added
14000-422: The wind and feel whats going on right now, and if I feel it then you'll feel it and we'll connect it. So I thought, [it's] The Brits, why not a British flag? –Halliwell in an interview with Vogue The Spice Girls were scheduled to open the 1997 Brit Awards , where they were also nominated for five awards. The black Gucci minidress that Halliwell was given to perform in concerned her as she thought it
14125-461: The years. In the 1990s through the present, with the prevalence of such groups as the Spice Girls, there has been a strong emphasis on women's independence and a sort of feminism. At the very least, the music is more assertive lyrically and relies less on innuendo. This more recent wave of girl groups is more sexually provocative as well, which makes sense within pop music within this time frame as well. Union Jack dress The Union Jack dress
14250-529: The youth culture of western Continental Europe was deeply immersed in Yé-yé , recording artists of East Asia mostly varied from traditional singers, government-sponsored chorus, or multi-cultural soloists and bands, while bossa nova was trendy in Latin America. Beat music 's global influence eventually pushed out girl groups as a genre and, except for a small number of the foregoing groups and possibly
14375-518: Was also a popular subject because of an emerging audience of young girls listening to and buying records. Adolescence was also reinforced by girl groups in cultivation of a youthful image, since "an unprecedented instance of teenage girls occupying center stage of mainstream commercial culture". An example of this youth branding might be Baby Spice from the Spice Girls . This was shown through flourishes like typically matching outfits for mid-century girl groups and youthful content in songs. Girl groups of
14500-543: Was attended by an estimated 2.1 million people over 97 shows with an estimated gross of $ 220-$ 250 million, the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group. It was accompanied by a documentary film, Spice Girls in America: A Tour Story . " Viva Forever ", the last single released from Spiceworld , and became the Spice Girls' seventh UK's number-one. The video was made before Halliwell's departure and features all five members in stop-motion animated form. While on tour in
14625-529: Was born." As the girl group structure persisted through further generations, popular cultural sentiments were incorporated into the music. The appearance of " girl power " and feminism was also added, even though beginning groups were very structured in their femininity. It would be simplistic to imply that girl groups only sang about being in love; on the contrary, many groups expressed complex sentiments in their songs. There were songs of support, songs that were gossipy, etc.; like any other musical movement, there
14750-514: Was much variation in what was being sung. A prominent theme was often teaching "what it meant to be a woman". Girl groups would exhibit what womanhood looked like from the clothes they were wearing to the actual lyrics in their songs. Of course this changed over the years (what the Supremes were wearing was different from the Spice Girls), but girl groups still served as beacons and examples of certain types of identities to their audiences through
14875-541: Was producing. Songs also had a penchant for reflecting the political and cultural climate around them. For instance, songs with abusive undertones were somewhat common during the 1950s–1970s. One notable example was the song " He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss) " by the Crystals . During the "golden age of girl groups", lyrics were disparate, ranging from songs about mean dogs to underage pregnancy. However, common sentiments were also found in ideas like new love, pining after
15000-659: Was released 5 November. The first public appearance on stage by the Spice Girls occurred at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show , where they performed two songs, 1998 single "Stop" and the lead single from their greatest hits album, "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)". The show was filmed by CBS on 15 November 2007 for broadcast on 4 December 2007. They also performed both songs live for the BBC Children in Need telethon on 16 November 2007 from Los Angeles. The release of "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)" peaked at number eleven on
15125-440: Was released in the United States. It proved to be a catalyst in helping the Spice Girls break into the US market when it debuted on the Hot 100 Chart at number eleven. At the time, this was the highest-ever debut by a non-American act, beating the previous record held by the Beatles for " I Want to Hold Your Hand ", and the joint highest entry for a debut act alongside Alanis Morissette 's " Ironic ". "Wannabe" reached number one in
15250-644: Was suffering from exhaustion and disillusionment. Rumours of a power struggle with Brown circulated in the press. Halliwell's departure shocked fans and became one of the biggest entertainment news stories of the year, making news international headlines. The four remaining members were adamant that the group would carry on. The North American leg of the Spiceworld Tour went on as planned, beginning in West Palm Beach, Florida , on 15 June, and grossing $ 93.6 million over 40 sold-out performances. The tour
15375-628: Was the Manchester United footballer David Beckham . Later that year, she married Beckham in a highly publicised wedding in Ireland, taking on his surname, becoming Victoria Beckham. By 1999, Brown, Bunton, Chisholm, and former member Halliwell, had all released music as solo artists. They returned to the studio in August 1999 after an eight-month recording break. It was initially more pop-influenced, similar to their first two albums, and included production from Eliot Kennedy. The sound took on
15500-425: Was the highest-grossing concert act of 2007–2008, measured as the twelve months ending in April 2008. It produced $ 107.2 million in ticket sales and merchandising, with sponsorship and ad deals bringing the total to $ 200 million. The tour's 17-night sellout stand at the O 2 Arena in London was the highest-grossing engagement of the year, netting £16.5 million (US$ 33 million) and drawing an audience of 256,647, winning
15625-558: Was too "boring". Halliwell decided she wanted to "celebrate being British" and asked her sister, Natalie, to stitch a Union Jack tea towel onto the front of the black dress as a patriotic gesture. To avoid being associated with the National Front , Halliwell also had the CND peace symbol stitched onto the back of the dress. Halliwell wore the finished dress whilst performing a medley of " Wannabe " and " Who Do You Think You Are " at
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