THIRTY YEARS SINCE SHE EXPLODED ONTO THE UK POP SCENE WITH RESOLUTE ‘GIRL POWER’ AS PART OF THE FEISTY SPICE GIRLS, AND OVER 25 SINCE SHE WENT SOLO, UNSTOPPABLE SPORTY SPICE GIRL MELANIE C CHATS ABOUT HER NEW STUDIO ALBUM ‘SWEAT’ AND ITS FIRST SINGLE ‘ATTITUDE’.
SHE ALSO RAVES ABOUT RAVING, REVEALS HER RETRO POP LEGACY AND RECENT CREATIVE CHANGE FOLLOWING HER DJ STINT IN IBIZA, ALONG WITH HER RECENT IMPROMPTU PERFORMANCE WITH FELLOW SPICE GIRL MEL B.
BY OUR CELEBRITY COVER JOURNALIST AND CO-EDITOR
ANGELA SARA WEST @ANGELA_SARA_WEST
“I’ve done a lot of soul-searching,” says Melanie C. “Now, I just want to have some fun and get people dancing again!”
And she’s doing just that – smashing it with her ninth studio album, a celebration of movement, joy and community, seamlessly blending her pop legacy with her evolution as a DJ.
With my first interview with Melanie C, as a Spice Girl at Radio 1 back in the 90s when pop music was at its peak, I remember loving her contagious energy, kind demeanour and how she was all about the fans. And she’s still the same almost 30 years on.
She says it’s important for her to get out there to the fans and the people who support her and recently wrapped her UK tour of in-store album signings ahead of her UK and world album tours this autumn.
“I think artists often expect a lot of their fans. I have fans, like all the Spice Girls do, and some of our fans travel across the world to see shows. So, it’s really nice to be able to get to the people locally in their own neighbourhoods and really share that experience with them.”
LIFE ON THE ROAD
The super-fit Spice Girl has enjoyed one of the most varied careers in British Pop history, boasting a music discography still going strong since 1994, when she first burst onto the music scene as Sporty Spice, one fifth of the Spice Girls who subsequently shot to stratospheric fame.
Her schedule was insane back then but it’s still relentless now. 2026 has been a particularly busy year, with highlights including headline performances and global appearances spanning Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, New York’s Jingle Ball, plus TV appearances on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ and ‘Good Morning America’.
Earlier this month, before performing at Pride, dressed in fellow bandmate Victoria Beckham she was honoured to receive a ‘Global Impact’ award, presented by Richard E. Grant at the 50th anniversary of the O2 Silver Clef Awards. She was also recently named a featured artist for Apple Music’s ‘Music That Moves Me’ playlist series, further cementing her status as a driving force in contemporary pop and dance music.
Following two months’ filming The Voice in Australia followed by promo in LA, a whirlwind weekend at Coachella plus a stint in New York, Melanie was looking forward to returning to the UK this spring to promote her aptly named new album.
With decades of hard work and grind, ‘Sweat’ – her highest-ever chart entry as a solo artist, landing at No.3 on the Official Album Chart and No.1 on the Official Record Store Chart - is a fitting, exciting chapter, fusing her past and present through 90s dancefloor-inspired, electronic sounds - the sport and the spice, solo artist, the forgotten teenage raver and the accomplished DJ.
THE F**KING YEAH FOUR - FORMER YEARS
Before she became Mel C of the Spice Girls, she was Melanie Chisholm of “The F**king Yeah Four” - a group of 18-year-old friends dancing through the Costa Brava rave scene in the early ’90s.
Shaping her forever, those formative nights of breakbeats, sweat, freedom and connection continue to shape her creative vision today.
Decades later, a jubilant Melanie channels that same raw, euphoric energy into ‘Sweat’ – her most liberating record to date.
SWEAT – EXPRESS YOURSELF
The release arrived hot on the heels of the announcement of The Melanie C World Tour, a global run of shows set to bring the high-energy spirit of ‘Sweat’ to fans around the planet, including a headline show at the O2 Academy Brixton this October.
Known for her electrifying live performances and strong breathy vocals, Melanie will celebrate both her pop legacy and her evolution as a DJ, delivering a set that blends euphoric dancefloor energy with the iconic hits that have defined her career.
This unstoppable creative is still changing her career now with the dance and rave of ‘Sweat’. What keeps her creatively hungry after all these years?
“I just love what I do!” Melanie reveals. “I love performing, I love that feeling of being on stage, releasing music and having that connection with people.”
“I have learned so much over the years. As different as we all are, we share so much and we have so much in common. And it’s really beautiful to be able to express yourself and to connect with others. And that really, truly is what keeps me going.”
“And also, other people’s music, you know. To hear other artists and bands and how music changes and evolves. So yeah, I can’t imagine ever not being inspired to carry on and make new music.”
ATTITUDE ON TOUR
Decades on from global superstardom, Melanie C remains a singular force - a chart-topping artist, DJ and performer equally at home in underground clubs and stadiums, now reconnecting with her roots.
Fresh after the announcement of her world tour, the release of her album track ‘Attitude’ arrived amid a standout period for Melanie. Spring saw her take on a string of in-store signings, kicking off in her hometown.
“The whole signing tour was pretty special. We visited so many cities and towns, including some places I’d never been to professionally before, so it was great to see some new faces.”
“We were in Liverpool on the album release day which, honestly, I’m like I don’t know why I’ve never done it before!” she divulges. “It’s such a great thing to do - to go home. It’s a very proud city and, you know, as a city of people they really embrace you and look after you and celebrate you.”
“I was really excited to be there to do that. It feels very appropriate that I should go home and thank my city for how supportive they’ve been over the years, of me as a Spice Girl and a solo artist.”
She says she enjoyed visiting everywhere on her album signing map. “I was so excited to go to all these places. It’s funny because somewhere like Nantwich - I grew up not far from there, in Cheshire, in that county – so it was interesting to go to places like that where I’d never been before. This was also the first time I’d been to Bury, again, up in the northwest again, and not far from where I live.”
“It was great to get back up to Scotland. Glasgow, there’s always such a warm reception there. It’s a great place to gig, great people, really friendly.”
“I think often, you know, us northerners, the further north you get, the more friendly people become. So, I really cherished those moments being back up north in the north of England and Scotland.”
SWEAT ALBUM TRACKS
- Sweat
- Drum Machine
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
- ‘Til It Breaks
- Pressure
- Emotional Memory
- Attitude
- Good For Nothing
- Undefeated Champion
- Cashmere
- Free To Love
- One Track Mind
- Flick Of The Wrist
REUNITING WITH MEL B ON STAGE
In Leeds, Melanie was famously joined on stage by fellow Spice Girl Mel B, much to the delight of surprised fans - and they weren’t the only ones who were surprised…
Sporty Spice also surprised Scary Spice by unexpectedly inviting her on stage. “Now, the next song feels wrong to sing without an unnamed woman in the crowd,” Melanie C said to Mel B, who was watching in the audience at the time. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without this woman.”
Hence an impromptu Spicy reunion played out. Marking the first time the pair had performed together since 2019, they sensationally sang ‘Spice Up Your Life’.
“We’ve got a lot of history there with Mel B being from Leeds and my dad’s up there,” Melanie C reveals.
“It was wonderful to go back to Bristol, too. I’ve had some great gigs there. It’s such an incredible city, so creative,” she continues. “So many of the bands that have inspired me come from Bristol. Massive Attack and that whole trip-hop era has been such a big influence on me, always.”
RETRO TECH & RECORD SHOPS
She particularly relishes all the record shops she gets to visit. “Being a girl who saved up her pocket money to go down to Woolworths to buy records, just as we’ve seen the record shops all struggle to survive, you have an element of the ones that have hung on in there and are beginning to thrive again.”
Melanie loves that people are moving back towards physical copies. “And, surprisingly to me, CDs. I get the vinyl thing but now people are back into CDs, which is wonderful.”
“I think the younger generation who have grown up with this incredible technology that we have, to always have access to everything, you know, they miss out. So, it’s great to see that little swing back to the physical copy of a record that we can appreciate. The artwork, the lyrics in your hands… that was such a big part and influence of mine as I was growing up as a young music lover.”
From intimate to high energy, she says she kept mixing it up on her in-store signing tour, playing some stripped-back acoustic sets or electronic sets, depending on the venue.
“In Liverpool, I had an extra afterparty where I DJ’d. I played new songs, some of the oldies, and just really celebrated the release of this album, which has been received so well.”
“And then, of course, I loved other places on the tour, like London.”
LONDON CALLING
“London is my home. It has been for a long, long time and I’m always excited to play there,” Melanie reveals.
“This spring, I played at Union Chapel, a venue where I’ve guested with other people, but had never had my own show, so I was very excited about that.”
Taking to the renowned stage for a special evening of acoustic previews as well as much-loved classics from memory lane, Melanie, often cited as the strongest vocalist of the girl group, mightily delivered.
Alongside nostalgia-fuelled comebacks, she treated fans to refreshing new, stripped-back, versatile material, too, performing defiant track Undefeated Champion with impressive falsetto ad-libs.
With a special energy in the air for an acoustic version of ‘Spice Up Your Life’ and ‘2 Become 1’, Melanie also delivered an amazing mash-up of new tracks such as ‘Sweat’ and ‘Attitude’, along with a brilliantly reimagined version of ‘Drum Machine’, packing a punch with an anthemic momentum as the captivated audience’s claps replaced its floor-filler beat.
Interacting beautifully with the audience, she even sported a Sporty Spice signature tracksuit.
STEP INTO YOUR POWER WITH ‘ATTITUDE’
Her bold single ‘Attitude’ is a fearless, high-energy anthem that captures the electric thrill of stepping fully into your power.
A confident, club-ready track bursting with charisma and edge, ‘Attitude’ builds on the vibrant, dancefloor-driven spirit of the ‘Sweat’ era whilst showcasing a sharper, more playful side of Melanie’s astonishing artistry.
Pulsing with attitude and self-assurance, the single celebrates the unapologetic joy of owning exactly who you are.
“‘Attitude’ is that rush of adrenaline you get when you decide you’re done playing small,” she says. “I’ve always believed in strength through self-belief, and this song is that feeling turned all the way up. It’s fearless, it’s playful, it’s a little bit cheeky - but at its heart, it’s about confidence and independence.”
“There’s a defiance in it, but it’s joyful,” she says. “I wanted it to feel bold and a bit dangerous. That magnetic energy when you meet someone who matches your fire; you’re not looking to be saved; you’re choosing to connect. There’s confidence in that choice.”
“It’s that electric moment when you walk into a room and know exactly who you are. ‘Every night’s a Friday’ is that mindset of living boldly, unapologetically, and celebrating yourself. For me, ‘Attitude’ is pure energy - sassy, cool, confident. And it’s about coming through with a brand-new perspective and saying, ‘Clear the room… this is me.’ It’s the sound of stepping into your power and loving every second of it.”
A PASSION FOR DANCE MUSIC & THE WHITE ISLE’S PACHA
With recent change for Melanie C creatively, her new album, ‘Sweat’, released via Virgin Music Group, feels like her most liberated record yet.
“So many things have changed. Every album I’ve ever made has been a reflection of that moment in my life. And over the last eight years I’ve been DJing. I’ve been lucky enough to play at so many great festivals all over the world, as well as playing in Ibiza. For the past five years I’ve been playing at Pacha, and it just really reignited a passion that I have for dance music.”
‘Sweat’ is both a love letter to those early dancefloor experiences and a celebration of connection and escapism. Written and recorded across London, Stockholm, LA and Sydney, it fuses the Spice Girl’s pop pedigree with her evolution as a respected DJ.
The songs channel pure, communal euphoria, while built for both the gym and the club, the title track delivers an electro-house punch, sampling Diana Ross.
Alongside its high-energy moments, ‘Sweat’ retains Melanie’s emotional honesty, exploring resilience, heartbreak and self-renewal. It’s a record shaped by experience, balancing vulnerability with uplift.
PLAYING O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON
She’ll be taking this on her October headline tour, including a date at O2 Academy Brixton. What does it mean for Melanie C to play at such an iconic, massive venue at this stage of her career?
“I feel quite emotional about it. I’ve been to see some of my favourite artists at Brixton Academy. I actually saw Madonna there way back in the noughties, which was an insane venue to see her at. And I’ve been on that stage. I guested with Blossoms a few years ago but I have never played there as a solo artist. And this will be my biggest UK headline show since I played Wembley Arena, way back on my very first ‘Northern Star’ tour back in the very early noughties.”
She says it means so much to her at this point in her career. “It’s 30 years since I started with the Spice Girls, it is over 25 years since I became a solo artist, I’m in my 50s, I’m 52 years old, and I’m playing this brilliant, iconic venue for the very first time. So, that show is going to be extra special.”
THE NEW SWEAT ERA
With fans from all walks of life, some of whom knew Melanie as a Spice Girl but also as a solo artist, how will she balance giving fans the biggest hits and introducing them to the new ‘Sweat’ era?
“My mind is buzzing right now with tour creative because like the album, I want to approach this tour differently. I have this whole new perspective and am going to cram in as many hits as I can. I know as a gig-goer I wanna hear the hits, right?! I’m not going to leave anybody disappointed. I know the fans want to hear the deep cuts. But I’ve got plans. I want to keep everybody satisfied.”
She reveals the live shows are a place where she can really bring this bold new album to life. “To celebrate my career to this point. And it’s going to be full of everything. It’s going to be really energetic… a journey. And when they leave, I want fans to be exhausted but elated, and really, really sweaty!” she laughs.
Which ‘Sweat’ track surprised her most? “Ooh, I loved to have light and shade on the album, and although I wanted it to be really uplifting and motivating, I also like darkness. I always feel like you have to have the moment of real depth on the record.”
“One of my favourite writing sessions was when I was in a room that was completely female for the very first time, producing ‘Flick of the Wrist’ - a darker track from an all-female session.”
The song she’s most excited to perform live? “Undefeated Champion”.
Finally, she succinctly sums up the ‘Sweat’ era as “Joyous, energetic and fun!”
UK TOUR DATES 2026
Sun 18 Oct — Dublin — 3Olympia
Tue 20 Oct — Glasgow — Barrowland Ballroom
Wed 21 Oct — Manchester — O2 Ritz
Fri 23 Oct — London — O2 Academy Brixton
Sat 24 Oct — Birmingham — O2 Institute
THE MELANIE C WORLD TOUR
Melanie C Tour Dates 2026
Tue 8 Sep — Montreal — Club Soda
Wed 9 Sep — Toronto — Phoenix Concert Theatre
Fri 11 Sep — Washington DC — 9:30 Club
Sat 12 Sep — New York — Webster Hall
Mon 14 Sep — Boston — Paradise Rock Club
Wed 16 Sep — Chicago — Concord Music Hall
Fri 18 Sep — Vancouver — Vogue Theatre
Sat 19 Sep — Seattle — The Showbox
Tue 22 Sep — San Francisco — The Castro
Wed 23 Sep — Los Angeles — The Fonda Theatre
Fri 25 Sep — San Diego — House of Blues
Sun 18 Oct — Dublin — 3Olympia
Tue 20 Oct — Glasgow — Barrowland Ballroom
Wed 21 Oct — Manchester — O2 Ritz
Fri 23 Oct — London — O2 Academy Brixton
Sat 24 Oct — Birmingham — O2 Institute
Mon 26 Oct — Brussels — Botanique - Museum
Tue 27 Oct — Paris — La Machine du Moulin Rouge
Thu 29 Oct — Amsterdam — Melkweg OZ
Fri 30 Oct — Berlin — Metropol
Fri 6 Nov — Tokyo — Ex Theater
Wed 11 Nov — Perth — Astor Theatre
Fri 13 Nov — Melbourne — Northcote Theatre
Sat 14 Nov — Brisbane — The Tivoli
Sun 15 Nov — Sydney — Enmore Theatre