Melanie C (also known as Melanie Chisholm or Mel C) is one of the most successful british female vocalists of the last decade. Deftly described by the Sunday Times as “brilliant”, with 3 million solo album sales, 6 Top 10 singles and over 200 combined weeks on the UK chart, she has co-written 11 UK Number 1s more than any other female artist independently and as part of a duo, quartet & quintet.
With three critically acclaimed solo albums – 1999’s ‘Northern Star’, 2003’s ‘Reason’ and 2005’s ‘Beautiful Intentions’ already under her belt, she returns to the fore with her eagerly awaited fourth studio LP ‘This Time, April 2nd.
A hugely accomplished artist in her own right, Melanie began her career in 1996 as one fifth of the iconic Spice Girls. Phenomenally triumphant across the world, they remain one of the most commercially successful acts of recent history. Winners of 4 Brit Awards amongst countless other prestigious accolades, they dominated the latter part of the 1990’s with 9 UK Number 1 singles (including 3 Christmas Number 1s) 2 Number 1 albums and LP sales of 35million within their first 2 years. By 2000, that figure rose to 53 million and preceded the groups’ eventual disbandment as well as Melanie’s burgeoning solo career.
Embracing a new creative direction, her first solo endeavour was the Bryan Adams duet ‘When You’re Gone’, which reached the UK Top 3 and became a huge European hit. Setting the tome for her first ever debut solo album, ‘Northern Star’ followed in 1999 and peaked at Number 4. Spawning 2 Number 1 singles, it was certified triple platinum in the UK, Gold in Australia and platinum in Europe.
Her second solo album, the Top 5 hit ‘Reason’, followed in March 2003. Containing tracks produced by former New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander and Marius De Vries (Madonna, Rufus Wainwright), it boasted a vibrant, coesive sound of increasing musical maturity and rapidly went Gold after the lead Top Ten single ‘Here It Comes Again’.
The following year, Melanie founded her own independent label Red Girl Records. So-called after her beloved Liverpool Football Club and propensity to blush easily, it provided undiluted artistic freedom and saw the release of ‘Beautiful Intentions’, Melanie’s third solo LP.
Featuring the Top Ten single ‘Next Best Superstar’, it also boasted the smash hit track ‘First Day Of My Life’. Written by Guy Chambers and Enrique Iglesias it reached Number 1 in Spain, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Portugal with sales of 500,000, making it one of the best-selling European singles of 2005.
In October 2006 Melanie released her first ever Live Hits DVD. Recorded before a sold-out audience at London’s The Bridge, it featured 19 blistering hit singles and showcased her talent as both a writer and live performer.
Fast forward to now and Melanie kicks off 2007 with the challenge of 2 new singles prior to the album release. In Europe, the lead single is ‘The Moment You Believe’ – a beautiful love song written with long-term collaborator Peter Vettese that’s already powering its way up many European airplay charts.
Here, the UK single is a stellar reinvigoration of the 1982 hit ‘I Want Candy’. Produced by Stephen Hague (whose previous credits include New Order, Sioxise & The Banshees and Robbie Williams) it’s taken from the British film of the same name, which was heralded by Empire as “Fresh and funny a British American Pie”.
The videos for both singles were directed by Tim Royes and have attracted considerable attention. ‘The Moment You Believe’ was filmed in one continuos shot, while ‘I Want Candy’ sees Melanie dancing for the first time since the Spice Girls. As a result, it was the No.1 viewed video on You Tube the day it was added, gaining over 200,000 views.
