It seems as if we can’t go a week – nay, a day – without hearing conflicting news of the much-anticipated Spice Girls reunion. First Victoria was out (focusing on her high fashion career, naturally), then Mel C was dubious, then the rest of the gang released that slightly bizarre video marking the 20th anniversary of Wannabe… It’s all been, to paraphrase the girls themselves, ‘Too Much’ for even the most dedicated Girl Power devotee to keep up with.
Now, though, it seems that we can firmly rule out one Spice Girl from future reunion plans, and that’s Mel C, aka Sporty Spice. In a new essay for Love magazine, the 42-year-old singer has revealed why she’s against joining forces with Victoria, Emma, Geri and Mel B for one last hurrah – and it’s largely down to how her ‘relationship with fame has changed over the years,’ and how celebrity culture has become so much more invasive in the age of instant news and social media.
Mel starts by playing her cards straight, revealing that she ‘wanted to be famous from the start,’ but goes on to explore how the name of fame has changed.
‘Let’s have a think about the word “celebrity” in the old days,’ she writes. ‘When we didn’t know what they were eating via social media where they were or who they were hanging out with? Those were the glory days of the modern celebrity world I adored. There was glamour, excitement and you looked at your idols in a completely different way.’ But as Mel goes on to argue, she’s ‘a singer and songwriter. Not a celebrity. The two are very different things.’
Naturally, Mel discusses the on-going interest in the group that made her famous, describing it as both ‘a blessing and a curse all at the same time.'
‘Daily I’m asked “Are the girls getting back together?” Then it’s “When? How? Why?” When we reunited in 2007 the questions stopped momentarily […] But the minute that tour ended it started again.’ Sorry, Mel. We’re guilty as charged…
She goes on to reveal that she made the ‘difficult decision’ to bow out of a proposed reunion with Mel B, Geri and Emma after a series of meetings earlier this year, choosing instead to go out on a high note after the group’s performance at the 2012 Olympic closing ceremony. As she puts it, ‘there’s a lot to be said for bowing out on a high note.’
But before you start queueing up your ‘Emotive Spice Girls’ Spotify playlist and crying away your crushed ‘90s dreams, Mel chooses to finish her essay on a heartwarming note of girl power and solidarity. ‘I love the girls dearly. We have a very unique bond that will never be broken and I will continue to support them all as much as I can […] I love the band, I am beyond proud of my past and will always embrace and celebrate being a Spice Girl. It’s what I am.'
Friendship never ends, right?
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