SHAZAM

The world-famous Sporty Spice, singer Melanie Chisholm was born January 12, 1975, in Liverpool, England; a onetime session vocalist and ballet dancer, in March of 1994 she answered an advertisement for an all-girl vocal group, and with fellow applicants Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams, and Melanie Brown formed the nucleus of what later (with the addition of fifth member Emma Bunton) became the Spice Girls. The biggest pop phenomenon of the late '90s, the Spice Girls enjoyed a series of chart-topping singles like "Wannabe," "Say You'll Be There," and "2 Become 1"; as the tracksuit-clad Sporty Spice, Mel C (as Chisholm was commonly known) was widely considered the most musically talented Spice Girl, and in the fall of 1999 she made her solo debut with Northern Star. I Turn to You followed a year later. 2003's Reason was a mainstream pop album, while 2005's Beautiful Intentions was a more rocking affair and the first album to be released on Melanie C's own label, Red Girl Records. In early 2007, two new singles -- "The Moment You Believe" and a cover version of "I Want Candy" -- announced the coming of her fourth full-length, This Time. Her 2011 effort, The Sea, was an ambitious album featuring songs co-written with the likes of Starsailor's James Walsh, Guy Chambers, and Spice/Spiceworld producer Richard Stannard. Melanie C supported The Sea with a tour which was subsequently documented on a home video release, and then in the fall of 2012, she returned with her sixth album, Stages. Prior to its release, she reunited with the Spice Girls for a rousing performance at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi