00:00I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want, I want my seat.
00:08Hi Mel, how are you going?
00:10Yeah, I'm good. How are you?
00:12Good. Thank you so much for making time to speak with us.
00:15No problem.
00:16You've just announced a world tour. Very exciting.
00:20Australian fans are losing it.
00:24So many dates in Australia.
00:26Have you started working on the show?
00:28And can you give us an idea of what we're going to see?
00:31Well, Australia is actually a really interesting territory for me to be touring with this record
00:36because I've never toured here as a solo artist or a Spice Girl.
00:42I've been here as a DJ.
00:43I've performed in Sydney, but never got to another city.
00:47So I'm really aware that there are songs from my back catalogue,
00:52maybe some Spice Girl songs that I should really think about having in the set.
00:57But this album is very inspired by dance music, you know, being out there clubbing.
01:03It's very much a pop record, but you know, it just has that really, it has a real dance feel
01:08to it.
01:08So I want to bring the album to life and I'm very excited.
01:13So I've not started physically working on the show, but creatively, I know exactly where I want to take it.
01:19Honestly, the best thing about getting older is you really do, like, you relax about so many things.
01:28And I think part of that is the experiences that you've had.
01:33You know, Undefeated Champion is a song really about all of these obstacles that we overcome in life.
01:39We are constantly getting thrown challenges and, you know, we have, what is the alternative?
01:45We always have to rise up and continue to fight, right?
01:49So I really enjoyed working on that song because I think it's like really good motivation.
01:54Because when we are knocked down and it's like we're in those, you know,
01:58and I still have those days where I just don't feel like I can achieve anything.
02:02It's just good to have a song like that, that I can pump, that will make me go, no, I
02:07can do this.
02:08I'll get through this.
02:09I've done it before and I'll do it again.
02:11I think the biggest lesson that I learned was truly being kind to yourself.
02:16Because, you know, I've talked openly in the past about times when I've suffered with depression.
02:23And, you know, when that first happened to me, it was really scary.
02:27I didn't know what was happening.
02:29I felt like it would never end.
02:31But with some professional help and really learning, like finding the tools to look after myself,
02:37I was able to heal from that time.
02:41And so I think if things like that ever come back, any of those feelings, that like heavy feeling,
02:47I just know it will pass, you know.
02:50And I think it's just that it's really trusting yourself, that knowing that, you know,
02:56as quickly as good things pass, hopefully the bad will too.
03:02So, yeah, it's just allowing life to have its ups and downs and kind of learning from both sides of
03:10the coin.
03:11I thought it would be very rude of me to come all this way and not sing a Spice Girls
03:17song.
03:20It's 30 years since the Spice Girls debut album was released.
03:26Yeah.
03:26The best selling album by a girl group ever.
03:31One of the best selling albums of all time.
03:34I'm sure you've been talked through all the amazing achievements of the Spice Girls in your own career.
03:39But can you comprehend what happened to you and to your four friends 30 years ago?
03:46Are you still coming to terms with it?
03:47And what do you make of it now?
03:50Yeah, you know, it's such an odd one to wrap your head around because I think it takes a really
03:55long time to have an understanding of what happens.
04:00When you're in it, it's crazy.
04:02You know, you're so busy.
04:04We were so young, you know, our lives completely changed and you're living your dreams.
04:09And then, you know, beyond that, obviously everything changes.
04:14It's, you know, life has, like we said, it's ups and downs.
04:17And I think as time has passed, we've all really begun to truly understand the power of the Spice Girls
04:25and this beautiful thing that we created.
04:28And it's just amazing how it not only affected a generation of young people, it continues to be discovered by
04:37new generations.
04:38And we're just so proud.
04:40And we kind of feel like, you know, I don't think any of us feel like completely personally responsible for
04:46all of the amazing things that happened to the Spice Girls.
04:48I think it's almost like this beautiful thing we created and it's taken on its own life, you know.
04:54So it's, we're just like really, really proud of that legacy.
04:57I've seen you speak a little bit about ageism in the music industry and it becoming something that you became
05:03a bit more aware of as you matured.
05:07Do you think that ageism is still something that people, women are facing in the industry?
05:12And do you think it's getting better or do you think more needs to be done?
05:15I think it's a lot better.
05:17It's a lot better than it was.
05:18And I think as our culture shifts, you know, obviously people consume things very differently now.
05:25I know young people, they're very much streaming, whether it be music, you know, any content that they're watching.
05:32And there's been this, this whole shift where a lot of music is discovered on a platform like TikTok.
05:39And there's a lot of like older artists and great songs that are coming through and the kids don't care
05:47how old the artists are, you know.
05:50So there has been this real shift away from that.
05:53And I think also, you know, I feel very proud to be in my 50s, to still be making pop
05:59music, to be out there.
06:01And, you know, and I look at artists like Kylie and Madonna and, you know, we're all still out there
06:07making great music.
06:09And, yeah, I just feel like, and even, you know, in with actors as well, so many female actors are
06:16getting better roles, you know, better roles are being written for women, more female directors.
06:22I just feel like, although we are not on an even playing field, I do feel like women have so
06:30many more, you know, opportunities.
06:31We're definitely moving in the right direction.
06:34Maybe the Spice Girls have had a little bit to do with that.
06:37I like to think so.
06:39I like to think so.
06:40And, you know, it's kind of like what we did because we were so inspired to do what we did
06:46because we were told we couldn't.
06:48Right.
06:49And that inspired a generation of women.
06:53And then those women have gone on to do incredible things.
06:56And so it's just like this, you know, it's like a domino effect, isn't it?
06:59And, yeah, so we do feel proud.
07:01And like to say, we hopefully had a little bit of help in that area.
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