Mel C: The True Legacy of Spice Girls Legacy & How I Found Myself Again

43:37That is mega. Yeah. Because no one else was doing that. No. And how dare we? When you look back, you're like, oh my God. No power. Who are you? But that's the power we had. Yes. The five of us. it's so nice that you coined a movement for women not just for your generation but for generations gone by of women that had been like you but we didn't have a yeah so I did wow well done I know isn't it amazing it's like the legacy is like yeah it's mind blowing it's mind blowing what we were able to to do you know we were We were just having a laugh. Thank you. You know, I feel silly saying you well. I won't.

44:27But I'm grateful too. Yeah. Yeah, I'm grateful that I was able to be part of the thing that helped that become so mainstream. Yes. And accessible. Yeah, so accessible. You know? And accessible. Yeah, so accessible. New Year's coming and you want to feel better. Sleep more, stress less, actually have some energy. Same.

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45:39Let's start 2026 the right way together.

45:47and so simon was the guy that could yeah and did facilitate make that happen yeah for sure but there was i mean there's even silly stories along the way like our label weren't sure about one of you being the first single and i i don't even know how we had the power that we did we were like no it has to be the first single because we knew it couldn't follow anything else it was the introduction to who we were. That's how it was written. Matt and Biff, when we were working with them, they were like, go in there, just sing anything. They just wanted to capture this energy, this essence of us, and that's what wannabe is.

46:23So it had to be the first single. And funny now, to look back. Tomorrow morning is knocking. Stock your fridge now. How about a creamy mocha frappuccino drink? Or a sweet vanilla? Smooth caramel, maybe? Or a white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries. Where is Daredevil? I'm right here. Don't miss the return of Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again. So what's next? We're going to take this city back. In an all-new season, now streaming only on Disney+. They're hunting us. It's time we started hunting them.

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47:42The idea of anything else being the first single would be so alien. But what we loved as well, because obviously a song like Wannabe, luckily it captured people's imaginations. You know, it was an international hit, but we knew we had really good songs to follow. You know, we had a really strong, that first album was super strong. So strong. Yeah. um the video I you know I really miss seeing music and videos together me too MTV closing down for me obviously personally because I worked there it was my first job I'm so sad about that but the idea that we've lost that thing of my kids watching music and videos because It was so iconic, the wannabe video.

48:33I mean, we know it like off by heart. Everybody does. It's so good. And funnily enough, there was talk about it being reshot. Why? I know, because I think it was, was it too chaotic? I mean, there were certain countries in the world, right? There were certain countries in the world where it was an issue because it was quite cold, if you know what I mean. Yes. It was a bit nipply. so I think in some like quite reserved parts of the world it was like well but that's all part and parcel isn't it that we were so naughty that we you know people are trying to reshoot and that's a great bit of PR isn't it for you guys like the gift that keeps on giving isn't it but it was so do you know what I love and you know sorry for people who've heard these stories a million times but the wannabe video very much like Spice World the movie it really was happening that was why it was like being a spice game.

49:30So Wannabe was very much a take on us going around record companies, management companies, publishers and going in. I remember going somewhere, me and Mel would be on rollerblades, there was all the places where there's a big conference table and I'd get up and do a backflip and we used to go, we used to have our little boombox and we'd stick Wannabe on and we'd do it. But that was Wannabe really represents what we were doing i mean so ace and then the movie happened that was that was dream come true and like how soon did the movie happen like the next year or something so we released um wannabe it was july 96 in europe and i think in asia and then it came a bit later in the us and then so we did the whole promo of that came back we had a big brits moment in 1997 and um and then we were actually because we were working on the second album while we were shooting the movie so we had like a mobile set on a mobile studio on set so that was yeah intense really intense but um you know the other thing that i can't still can't quite believe is to me i think because it was such a huge part of our lives and it were you were omnipresent you were everywhere everybody loved you it was universal that I felt like it went on for years and I know other people lots of other people have said this to you um but I still can't kind of believe that it was two years from wannabe to jerry leaving yeah i it felt like much longer than that it was a very intense two years for all of you yeah but she left in the middle of the tour right yeah yeah how did you see that coming no we it's hard isn't it with hindsight as well because obviously i can look back now i can understand why she did it but at the time we were really shocked and really hurt so we'd been out obviously promoting traveling around the world we went second album was out the movie was out and it was time to tour and and the reason we'd waited that long to tour actually was because we needed the body of work we needed two albums worth to be able to do a headline show and we were touring we had two shows left in oslo and we we flew back we were on a private jet in those like could do yeah and we were flying back to perform viva forever on the national lottery and oh it's you can find you can find everything online can't you and people often make fun of me because i'm such a bad liar and i had to tell a fib and say that jerry wasn't well because she'd left that day right so we'd flown back really late i think it was maybe after a show we had national lottery the next day and then like overnight and then we got the phone call jerry's not coming back i quickly want you to explain um because at that time like everything was different in terms of press and stories coming out and the impact that that would have on you and everybody and like you hadn't had time to process jerry leaving you couldn't go on to a show and tell the truth because the shit would hit the fan.

52:57You wouldn't be able to leave the building. You know, it was crazy for you guys then, right, with the press. Could you just paint the kind of picture of how crazy it was? Okay, so we were, you know, we were told in no uncertain terms anything we ever did, no matter how privately, the press would find out. And it is true that. It's true. Because they were hacking your phone. Yeah. and I mean you would end up doubting people you knew and loved you thought people were selling stories or you couldn't trust anybody we questioned each other our families our friends each other's family you know because it was although we were in this bubble and we were traveling and touring and everything we were doing we had lots of family around us and friends we kind of kept everybody close and then you start yeah seeing stories and you think how did they get that do they know that but we were you know we it was never really that much of a surprise to us because I remember like and again it's like it's like movie stuff we totally played this all out in the movie like you would see a bush rustle and you'd think there's a journalist in there you know that's how crazy it was hotels you know were the rooms bugged we were led to believe you can't do anything now how much of that was a control mechanism i don't know but it was it was also true we now all know because that's all come to light i mean long lens photos as well i remember um being on holiday somewhere and somebody taking a photograph from over a mile away like it was ridiculous how people can get picture you're never safe like you can't ever relax that's exhausting in itself right you felt like prey that's what it was like on a daily basis and yeah so that was tough so when there was something as big as yeah this was huge this is at the height of the spice girls yeah success jerry leaves we didn't believe it we were like oh she'll be back she'll be back we i think we were leaving a voicemail which was great because that's what they were listening to going come on you silly cow come back you know we we know we know we're listening if whatever you need just come back but she didn't you know she meant it um so yeah so that was really really tough but the other thing was we had two shows left in europe but then we had a three-month tour of the us now we didn't even know whether we could fulfill the tour whether they would take yes a tour of four of the spice there's not five i mean luckily they did but at the time you know what these things like there's so many legal contractual things everywhere so you've got the press prying and you're like, shit, you know, what's going to go down?

55:39It's quite funny for America is that on that tour, the Americans would never have seen Jerry with you guys live. So they only knew you as a four-piece. But it's such a shame. Yeah. Because this is the thing about the Spice Girls, which is so sad, you know, that Victoria didn't join us last time, is that it is about the five, you know, because, of course, other bands have gone on to work with other band members, really successfully but with the Spice Girls for me it's like oh it's not quite the same. It's interesting because you know other people have been replaced in other bands you couldn't ever replace one of you.

56:17No even though sometimes you want to. Never. But never. You're all perfect. Over my dead body. I mean I think that that's a very lovely thing actually that you There comes a point in your life, I think, where you know you're irreplaceable and that's quite a nice feeling. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because I think, you know, as a young person, as a young woman, I think especially, obviously being the only experience that I've had in life, we do put ourselves down so much. I mean, we never feel like we're enough in whatever capacity. And then you get to a point and you go, I'm more than enough. I mean I'd like to talk to you about that a bit because that's um a feeling I really relate to in you that that that feeling well slightly slight perfectionist um trying to do something where somebody will see you like your family yeah we'll see you yeah see me I'm here what did what was that like and where did it come from for you I I truly believe a lot of my drive is from a really young age having divorced parents and yeah I have a great relationship with both my mum and dad always have had but I think being an only child to them both was quite difficult growing up it's kind of lonely it's it is lonely because it's like you're the only one like I do I feel quite sad because my daughter is an only child and I you know not to have regrets but one of the things I do wish is that she had a sibling um you know I think it is lovely to feel like yeah you you have I mean a lot of siblings don't get on you know we can look at this romantically can't we a lot of people they're just not you know just not meant to get along but I felt a little bit alone in the world and I think because my mum remarried and had another child and then my dad remarried and had another two then I just sometimes felt I was a bit in the way you know which is and i know both my mom and dad find that upsetting yes but these are the thoughts of a child i used to feel like that i totally get you and i'm pretty sure there'll be lots of people watching who had felt like that and yeah because oh look they've moved on yeah and they've got to a really happy place and they've had that they've had another love yeah it'd make everyone's life so much easier but now you know that's not true but at the time it would have had a big big impact on Yeah, it really did.

58:48It really did. I think it made me very determined to succeed, you know, to find my place in the world, to show them that I was worthy of being alive. You know, it sounds all very melodramatic, but the thoughts of a young person, you know, as you're developing and growing, this is what makes us. And, you know, I don't I don't have any bitterness or resentment towards anybody. I'm very grateful for who I am. That's your drive. Yeah. It's your energy. I mean, it's what made you. It's what made you. um I mean I'd really like to talk to you about when you discovered dancing and what that gave you do you know I did I was in dance rehearsals yesterday um I find it very frustrating because when you've been young and you know I have put my body through hell as all dancers do but it very very rarely let me down and as we get older as amazing as aging is it's the one thing you know things hurt things don't do what you tell them to do immediately he he he said exactly the same thing about flexibility yeah flexibility and even picking things up just like that mind body connection it's just a bit slower but then how does it make you feel when something goes good?

1:00:13Well the thing is for me I love dancing but not choreographed because I find that a pressure and I find to get a little bit stiff so we haven't talked about DJing yet and yeah if you want to say that's where the music comes from right so well I started dancing when I was really little like so many young people like seven eight yeah just go to ballet and some people stick with it some people don't well you did it tiny weenie didn't you but then you couldn't afford it yeah when your parents had split up yeah exactly that must have been tough yeah you loved it and you had to stop yeah I did it when I was really little but probably too little to even remember yeah yeah and then you know obviously the changes happened you know mum and dad split up and then you know they were both having to start again so yeah there was there was no money for dance classes and I think I just nagged my mum constantly until she was like okay We settled, I think, you know, we moved on, we were in a house and she was like, right, you can start dancing again.

1:01:13And yeah, I never looked back because, you know, as much, I liked school. I didn't, I didn't love it, but I loved dancing school. And I was a different person. I was very quiet because there's a very shy side to me as well. So at school, I was quite quiet unless I was in the drama studio, you know, with my mates, my like-minded people. Or if I was at dancing school, I was like very extrovert in that environment. Because you felt confident. Confident. And I mean, I was so confident in my ability. I thought I was the bee's knees. Can I tell you something? You won't. I wish I had the confidence now that I had then.

1:01:50I have to have a little chat with myself sometimes. Do you mean, by that, do you mean belief in yourself? Yeah, I think belief in the... It's a funny one, isn't it? Because I'm very accepting of myself. Yeah. and I'm very proud of myself and and I good some of the stuff I do I I'm like I'm amazing yeah because I do like I just go and do these things and I'm like you just did that and some stuff it's petrifying like what like what just even starting to DJ you know like like a new skill like your first gig right you're a spice girl you can't do it on the down low no all eyes are on you yes can you imagine being there with all of that technical equipment in front of you and everybody waiting to see how it's going to go down that was scary can I just say something this is really helpful for us to hear because you're saying it to me feeling like I'll just understand but I I've never been as famous as you were like it's next level and I've struggled at times with starting new things or with my much smaller this idea of you standing there thinking i want to dj but i can't start here when i first dj somewhere i have to be here because everybody's looking at you going well you're melanie c can you do it can you any good.

1:03:23Like, yeah. Oh my God, that's slightly blown my mind. You get no chance to fail or be shit at something. Right? I know. Well, thank, can I just say one thing? Thank the Lord you're really bloody good. Well, you know, I'm still learning. Well, eight years, I still feel like a newbie. So good. Oh, thank you. I love it. That's the thing. I love it so much. I think it's that what you bring. Yeah. It's like you bring the energy man when you play. It's like, but you know what it's all from, right? So I discovered raving when I was about 19, when I was in college. So funny because, again, you didn't do raving little.

1:04:04Yeah. Like, I was 14 raving. Like, you were 19. That's late. I was 19 and I was discovering that world, that movement. And, you know, I'd never seen or experienced anything like it. What was it like for you? Well, it was being a dancer as well. It was with all my dancer mates. So, like, dancing all night long. Like, people getting lost in the music. In whatever state they were in. Yeah. It was beautiful. Well, it's a drug. It was. Music and dancing is a drug. Oh, my God. You don't need drink. You don't need drugs. You're going to love this. You are going to love this. Yeah, yeah. So. Can I just tell you something?

1:04:39I'm having the best time. I'm having such a lovely time. Okay. I was in New York. Yeah. Last week. Yeah. I was asked to DJ at a sauna rave. I saw it. But it wasn't only a sauna rave. It was a sober sauna rave. Oh, it didn't. Which you would have to be. I think that you'd have to. Because otherwise, yeah. Bad. But everybody's in like swimming cozies. Yeah. It looked amazing. I'm coming to the next one. I've decided I only ever want to DJ in saunas from now on. It was. It was spiritual. It was incredible. They're nowhere to hide. Okay, we were in New York, right? We know what Americans can be like, right?

1:05:14Yeah, yeah. Yeah, right. They get right in there. But for me, it was the closest experience I had in a dance environment to raving in the early 90s. Yes. There was something just so... Magic. Like, together as one. You know, the energy. And there was horn players. There was a bongo player. I had an MC. And yeah, it was a spiritual experience. It was amazing. And I come out high as a kite. Yeah. Just on the energy. But with nothing. Yeah. With nothing. With water. Yes. I think I've always called it the altar of the DJ. Like I go to worship at the altar of the DJ. And when it is, you share your energy in a way that is so contagious.

1:06:05We get sprinkled with that energy. we all catch and then you collectively have a room full of people on the same energetic in the same energetic field as you yeah yeah it is it's the most unifying thing I mean I you know I talk about DJing now it's brought me so much joy and obviously I still perform live music you know with my band as well and you know I'll sing new stuff I'll sing old hits I'll sing Spice Girl songs and just having that opportunity to bring so much joy to so many people like i'm getting double the fun now chronic migraine 15 or more headache days a month each lasting four hours or more can make me feel like a spectator in my own life botox on a botulinum toxin a prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine it's not for those with 14 or fewer headache days a month it's the number one prescribed branded chronic migraine preventive treatment prescription botox is injected by your doctor.

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1:07:40Why wait? Ask your doctor, visit BotoxChronicMigraine.com, or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more. You know, I'm being greedy. I'm having it all. And it's amazing, and it's wonderful. And it's, I mean, it's really informed the new music that I'm making, because I wanted to make stuff that was much closer to what I play as a DJ. But also, it's given me a very different perspective on music, making music and performing and how it affects people. So, yeah, I just feel like all of my worlds have just got a little bit closer. Yeah, they're all colliding, basically, aren't they? I mean, sweat, let's talk about sweat.

1:08:17Yeah. Well, I mean, interestingly, because I think I've read somewhere you were talking like this is the closest that my new music has got to the Spice Girls, but I feel like it's more dirty than that. Like it's a, it's more clubby. Yeah. I be like, it's more of like, I've got like a mood that would show you what I think your music's more like, but it's like, yeah, dirtier in a way. Yeah. Like I love, not better than the Spice Girls because Spice Girls are the Spice Girls. We can't ever touch that, but it's different. Yeah. I think stylistically, definitely different. I think for me, it having the feel of the Spice Girls is the cheekiness of it.

1:08:58Yes, the cheekiness. You know, it's humour. And I feel like that's maybe what I'd be missing as a solo artist because I also discovered making this record that who I am on stage is very different to who I am in a studio. In what way? In that when I'm writing and working with other songwriters and producers, I'm quite, not introvert, but maybe introspective, you know, and I'm a little bit quieter and I'm not my big self because this person who I am on stage is a much bigger, brasher version of me. And I was like, you know, I've gone through my career making these records. And I've had my moments where I've got out.

1:09:34I think anger is a great energy for creativity. And I've kind of got my confidence out in that way. But I wanted to have fun. I wanted to have more fun. And I felt like I needed that material to be able to do that on stage, to share that experience with people. So that is the difference I've brought to this record as well. The other thing that I feel with sweat in particular, I think, is about how sexy you are. And I feel like owning your sexuality is a sign of great confidence. You feel like, you feel like, because it's not coming into yourself. You've always been yourself. You've always been true to yourself.

1:10:20But you just feel more confident in yourself. Yeah, I think that was probably the area where I didn't feel comfortable. And even now, I don't, I wouldn't feel, you know, everybody's different, right? We all express ourselves in different ways. But I don't feel comfortable being very sexual. Right. As a performer. Yes. But, so I shot the video for Sweat. And, you know, I just felt like it was time. It was time for me to not hide my body. but how did you I mean were you like okay I'm going to get my body out but you've often you know cropped up because it had your legs and stuff we've always admired you for your fitness well I have you know I'm like I'm like you I love you being fit and I love feeling fit feeling strong it helps me in every other area of my life 100 % so I'm always looking at you going wow she looks like mega but to be in your 50s and to look the way that you do and feel the way that you do but then say did you go in and kind of go I am happy I'd like to go a bit more and was everybody like yeah did you know what happened I think like obviously I've I've shown you know my body being a Spice Girl whether it was getting my tummy out or you know and it was so funny isn't it when you think back because we were criticized for like encouraging young girls to a crop I mean hilarious househouse game right but I have been working with an incredible stylist who's also my creative director and I just have so much faith in him we just totally you know we just see things very you know we're on the same page yeah yeah we're on the same page and he has really helped me grow my confidence and then with the aesthetic for this record it's very much inspired by all the iconic fitness things that I've loved growing up, whether it was flash dance.

1:12:23Can I just say, I was like, I wonder if she's going to say flash dance in my head. First one. Hang on a minute. Hang on a minute.

1:12:35This is our childhood, isn't it? We grew up on this, but there were so many moments in it. I realised this has influenced me so much. The kids from fame. Yes. Right? Olivia Newton-John, Let's Get Physical. Yeah. Joan Fonda workouts. Yes. There's just a wealth of this, like, just iconic imagery. And so I kind of pulled upon all of that. And I didn't doubt for a second. I was like, I'm 51. I'm in amazing shape. And you know what? I'm going to show it. And I wouldn't have done that in my 20s or my 30s and probably not my 40s, to be honest. Yeah. Isn't that a gift? It really is. it's like it's like so exhausting to be apologetic do you know what I mean it's that I've spent so much of my life not feeling comfortable with certain things and it's like fuck that that is the best thing about getting elder for anyone that's um watching that hasn't got there yet what would you think has helped you because it's not necessarily about how muscly or thin you are or anything like that I think it's an inside job how can we feel at a place where we are happy with ourselves yeah I think we have to be truly honest not that honesty of oh I'm not good enough or you know my parenting isn't you know on point or I should have making be making money in my job that isn't honest honest is look at what you've done look at what you've achieved look at what you've overcome look at your failures and how you carried on from there yeah you know how you picked yourself back up that that's what I had to do I had to look back and just go you know this is this other thing when I felt at my lowest when was that I would say things got really difficult for me around the millennium and then it was it's been a really long journey back but after was happening then do you mind me asking no not at all so obviously everything happened with the Spice Girls and this was this unreal incredible world obviously it was exhausting we were living on adrenaline traveling dealing with the media all of these different things and within that time I developed an eating disorder and I was really ashamed really ashamed of it and I tried to hide Did anybody know?

1:15:04Did you talk to anyone about it? Well, people knew and people within the band and within management tried to help. But I think like, you know, we know as adults, it's very hard to help somebody when they're not ready to help themselves. So I was very much in denial, carrying on until actually my body couldn't carry on anymore. And in... How did that manifest itself? So, well, I was underweight, I think, for a long time through the Spice Girls. I was very restrictive in what I ate. Is that called orthorexia? You know, when you're being fit. You're being fit and you're eating, but you're... Yeah, just not sustaining what you need.

1:15:46So that was definitely happening for me. I was very obsessive about exercise. But it was, you know, there was so much going on. Our lives were kind of out of control. This was the only control that I had. Yeah, so I would be in the gym. And also, I hate confrontation. And if I was in the gym, nobody would bother me. So it was very much my hiding my safe space. So I was doing that. I do not know how I was sustaining everything I had to do. But I was. Until, isn't it? Yeah. And then I just felt very unwell. I was crying all the time. I was struggling to get out of bed. And then I started binge eating.

1:16:25and I think my body was just like you need sustenance you know but that to me was petrifying because I felt out of control sometimes I would like kind of come around mid-binge and I'm like what am I doing it was so scary I thought I was losing my mind and of course you know my appearance was changing and the thought of the media picking up on that because they were brutal about the way that he looked all the time everybody had an opinion yeah and and it was cruel it wasn't just an opinion it was cruel and they bullied me and they used personal information of mine against me it was it was horrific so when so when I came back I was in LA and I came back to the UK so it was early 2000 and and I went to my GP because I knew I wasn't right my mum was really worried about me it was like I've got to the point I can't handle it because I'm so independent I was like I can fix me I can sort this out but I couldn't I couldn't do it so I went along to my GP and he said to me after I described everything that was going on and he said well the first thing we have to address is your depression and and that's when I just felt such a weight lift from my shoulders because I was like oh my god it's got a name you know it's it's something that I can get help with and I can heal from so that was like my first step on the road to recovery it was a long fucking journey um and I think once you've experienced those things you're you're frightened to be arrogant enough to think it will never happen again but you're like I'm confident I'm in a good place I have the tools you know there's there's been many times in my life you know I've had other bouts of depression and I've you know I've I've taken medication I've continued to have speaking therapies but as time's gone on and I've done so much healing you know I feel confident but again not arrogant to think it's that's me fixed I call myself a work in progress 100 % Always, always work to do.

1:18:38Always, always. And discovering things on a weekly basis, which helped me. Yeah. I mean, talking to you today has been so nice. And, I mean, you're using, I just want to talk a tiny bit more about the place where you've got to now. Hearing all of this, that journey since 2000 and here we are in 2025. you've gone on a long old journey and you're making a video where you are a person that you've never been before with a newfound confidence for anybody that's in a dark place now you know it's like don't try and do it alone like get some help oh absolutely and you know for me personally it was good to get professional help because you know I sometimes felt like it was a burden and I think it's really, really hard sometimes with family members, friends, people who love you because they're frightened to say the wrong thing.

1:19:38So of course, lean in those people. They do love you. They want to support you. But I think that professional help, that outsider, it can be really powerful. Yeah, life-changing. Yeah. So it sounds nice you've got this creative kind of, your creative, what do you call him? My creative director. Director, creative director. What's his name? Graham Cruz. Graham Cruz, name check. Yeah. You would love him. I can't feel like you should know him. I know I would love him. Oh, my God. I probably do know him. Need to see a picture. Yes. Okay. But he and you have come up with this kind of concept. And is there kind of a theme behind it?

1:20:19Yeah. Yeah. So it was never intentional. I've been writing for about two and a half years. and I just realised there was quite a lot of fitness creeping into the work in this kind of tongue-in-cheek way where I was trying to bring a bit more humour. And you know what, there's light and shade because in the past two and a half years I have ended a relationship, I have met somebody new. Can't wait to talk about that, I'm so excited. Yes, and I have new management and a lot has changed. so it's just been this kind of voyage of discovery yeah and I am having and also that my new partner what he has done for me is he's made me live I've always had I'm such a workaholic but I've always gone work life and then I realized it's like work life so and I love my work and you know of course I'm a mum as well on top of everything.

1:21:21So what I've realised is, no, no, no, no, no. Work. Life. All together. That felt like a little moment from like a Ben Stiller movie there. But that is absolutely right. Isn't it? Because I love my work. But before I didn't really have much of a life. You know, I've been quite isolated and I've been quite lonely. But now it's like, no, I'm living. I'm living every day. and I'm just I'm the happiest I've ever been and the most creative I've ever been the most confident I've ever been and yeah isn't it funny because in your 20s oh you would have been going I will not be saying that in my 50s oh no oh my gosh like I think it's so funny when you're like you see things yeah I think there's even like interviews are going oh god like when you're in 30s you're like oh if only but no not if only because would you go back hell no and it's changing you know here I am making music yeah I'm in my 50s there are so many incredible women who are you know we are still being taken seriously yeah in areas that in the past maybe not so yeah we're still changing things I'm very I'm very interested in um women with power um and I and I'm not just talking about money really I'm just talking about a sense of self or um confidence and how hard that is sometimes for a man to navigate and how hard it is sometimes for women who are like that to meet men and for men not to um for men to know what to do with them because I don't want to slag off men.

1:23:05We love men. We want to live side by side, be partners, equals. But we know that it's quite difficult sometimes because we've gone off and gone careers. Got all empowered. Got all empowered. Yeah, and left them a little bit confused. Yeah, but we need to kind of help them find themselves too, you know, so we can all come together. Absolutely. and I feel like it's really difficult for guys to go out with women who are how hard is it for you Melanie C when you find when you found yourself yeah at times single because who do you trust yeah how do you how do you meet a guy like what do you do yeah yeah yeah it's been interesting so yeah I was with my daughter's dad for 10 years and then then I I met somebody else.

1:23:54We were together for quite a while. And then I found myself single for the first time when it was all about the apps. And that is like a whole new world. But just, you're Melanie C. Like, you can't go on an app. Like, imagine swiping. What? Well, there's the one, isn't there? There's the one all the celebrities go on. Right. Yeah, there's that one. So, can I just ask you? So, is Raya like, is it chock-a-block of celebrities? Do you have to kind of get like green lit to go on it? I love that. It's actually really good fun. Not that I ever want to be on it again. Did you have it? There was a quite, I read somewhere there was a really funny nickname that you and your friends had.

1:24:36It was. Oh, boy bingo. But it's such a good thing. Don't you find, right? So, excuse me. When you, if you find yourself single, right, you are like, never want a relationship ever again. No. I'm off men. Forget it. And I think women actually can do that. I think men can't as much as women. I would have been happy to be a spinster alone. I'd just have a lot of cats. But isn't it usually a girl's night when you're like, you need to get back on the horse and then the apps, the profile set up. Which is a euphemism. You need to get back on the horse. Except for anything less.

1:25:19so yeah so that was really interesting and fun yeah right it is there's a lot of celebrities there's a lot of people who isn't it's all creative industries but it is quite fun going oh i guess we saw today and how long were you on there for before you found chris um that's her funny you know his name an aussie yeah right like i'm an honorary aussie like my family oh my gosh i love it australia yeah great great great people great as well um gosh i don't know maybe about six months right and then we met and it was so funny because how long were you talking did you talk much before you met yeah so we we started talking i think it was like august time and i had a dj tour arranged for the november of that year 2023 i think it was and uh yeah so it was like he's so hot this is definitely worth dinner you know and we've been together ever since our first dinner date and what was it so you were talking because I know that there is a running theme through your life of needing to feel safe

1:26:32and for me I think that's like a relationship is somewhere that it's quite hard to really really feel safe what yeah what was it about chris that made him safe enough to go out for dinner with it's not just that he's hot you must have seen something and what did you see yeah he has um it's very strange talking about him publicly he has um a very calm quality right and it's something that i've not experienced in a partner before um he's yeah he just he feels safe he is yeah he's just beautiful he never gets involved where he you know he he just reads situations really well so he's emotionally intelligent yeah he's really intelligent he's very creative he's very kind and yeah he he just yeah he makes me feel safe that's a very good way of putting it he um also I think as somebody that works in the creative industry and um you get to do some very exciting things um I know sometimes that people if they don't feel confident in their partner or that their partner's kind of proud of them or they'll downplay things that are happening to them but he's a cheerleader right oh yeah absolutely that's what's so nice he's been to a lot of my work engagements and you know sometimes if I'm DJing and if I just catch sight of him it's just like it's yeah it's like your little support network it's really nice um now I love being Michael's plus one so I love going to things where I go as he's the one that's been invited yeah and I'm his plus one do you get that well Well, it's been a bit tricky for us to really be able to do that because we've been in Europe a lot.

1:28:30Right. And a lot of his world is still like his friends and his family and everybody is still in Australia. But we go back New Year and I look forward to being his plus one. It's nice being someone's plus one. It's less pressure, isn't it? Oh, it's so good. Yeah. And also you get to see them in their place of excellence. And you can be like, oh, look at them. They're so hot. They're so good at what they do. Like, oh, so nice. Absolutely. It's, you know, Australia, England. I know this because half my family is there. It's quite a long way away. It's a long way away. The law is, it's very kind, actually, obviously, being Commonwealth.

1:29:14He can spend a lot of time here, but he can't stay here permanently. Yeah. Yeah. We need to look at these. So you just have to look at kind of to-ing and fro-ing a bit. Add up our days. I can think of worse places. yes I know to go to but what's wonderful as well is I'm back in Australia for like I'm doing the voice I don't know would this will probably be yeah and I'll try then yeah yeah doing the voice again yes next year amazing and how nice is that fun being a coach um it's it's not my most natural place to be I love working with the singers yes um I love like you know sharing my experience with them but the whole judging thing I find tricky yes yeah oh your intention yeah good yeah so judging very very yes hard it's hard oh I love you um you know you've got a lot going on and this is this is something that again for our audience you know you are in your 50s and it's so inspiring to see someone you know you did your DJing you've talked about the humility of starting from scratch and not being able to even get on a set of decks in a club until you were ace you know the work that went into that yeah the time and the jeopardy but the jeopardy but this is really important for everybody to see yeah if you want to do something just do it never too late it's never too late that's what i thought i because when um you know glim fussell yeah yeah so it was glim that encouraged me to have a lesson and i was just like am i too old to learn a new skill and oh my goodness absolutely never i'm so pleased that i did it honestly it has brought so much into my life it's changed everything and everybody else's you know yeah the church and the altar of the DJ so this this podcast I'm not sure if you knew this but I um started it at around the time when I had my brain tumor and I knew but nobody else really knew oh wow um but when it was like what what would you like it to be about lots of people thought maybe it would be around the menopause and yeah and sort of perimenopause menopause but I wanted it to be around living a life that you've loved so that when you do look at dying and your own mortality and it becomes quite a possibility that you feel ready to leave yeah because you've had a really good go you've done all the things that you wanted to but even if they didn't succeed yeah you've had a go and isn't that the thing that people often will say you don't regret the things you did you regret the things you didn't do.

1:32:06Yeah. Yeah. So let's just talk about, is it 30 years next year? Yeah. I know. I know. I know. 30 years. Yeah. Of Spice Girls next year and the release of Sweat. Yes. It's a big year. It's a big year coming. I am really excited. I know, I'm so excited too. I am coming to see you DJ a lot. I'm going to now start like following you around the world. I will let you know. Let me know. Everywhere. everywhere and also i'm getting on a plane i'm coming and i'm playing brixton it's not until october next year that's my birthday okay so that you understand the premise of this podcast now yes 30 years next year yeah sweat everything's happening for you like it's so exciting what would you like your legacy to be

1:33:01I could die happy because I know the legacy that the Spice Girls have left is I don't think you could top it I am so proud we are all proud we talk about it what we you know people approach me all the time I get people coming up talking about whether it's a song an album the spice girls the whole thing and people say how it changed their life how it made them feel like they belonged you know some people say it saved their life you know for people to say that to you and I don't take that personally I'm like hey I did this but I was part of something that has made a real cultural impact on the world how many people get the chance to say that it's amazing and also how you share like this has been an amazing chat yeah and there's been so much that you've said that I know will have an enormous impact on people um watching and listening yeah and I'm so grateful to you for your honesty and yeah well you know I I learned when I first started talking openly about depression it was at a time when it wasn't spoken about very much and I didn't feel like I was really ready to talk about it because I was still actually really suffering at the time but the moment I realized that was helping other people um that felt really good and everything you know that I've done in that world and since and even myself when I was struggling if other people talked about it I felt a lot of strength and that you just don't feel alone and that's the thing you're not alone you know with that this is the thing we all struggle we all suffer it's not we live these instagram lives it's bullshit everyone has a hard time sometimes even a spice girl and i think that's really powerful yeah you know we look at you and we think oh she's got a perfect life looks everything goes right i was at my lowest when I had everything.

1:35:07Yeah. I fucking love you. I love you.