20 Questions With Melanie C: ‘I Feel Like Raving Really Shaped Myself & The Other Spice Girls’
Categoria: Musica
Out today (May 1) Melanie C's ninth studio album Sweat is one for the clubs.
Por Billboard | 01/05/2026
Just before she changed the trajectory of pop music and culture at large as part of the Spice Girls , Melanie C was out raving. After discovering dance music as a teenager while on holiday in Spain, the artist got into the scene in her native U.K. during its hallowed early ’90s era, finding the self expression, freedom and high energy of this world aligned with her own interests. While her club kid days were put aside when she was reborn as Sporty Spice, the artist born Melanie Chisolm brought the pep and individualism of the rave into her work as a pop star. More recently, she’s revisited and honed this early era of her musical evolution when she started DJing nearly seven years ago. Now, Melanie C is taking herself and her music fully to the club via her ninth studio album Sweat . Out today (May 1), the album’s 13 tracks are variously thumping, slick, sensual and stylish. The project comes at a point in Chisolm’s life where she says she’s “really happy,” with her goal being to spread such happiness through the album and its upcoming tour, which will take her across the United States, Europe and the U.K. this summer and fall. Here, she talks about the new music, how the rave world influenced the Spice Girls and more. 1. Where are you in the world right now, and what’s the setting like? I’m in LA. I’m in an Airbnb, and it’s very lovely to be back in this city. I actually had some writing sessions here, so it always feels special to me, because my first album, Northern Star , mostly was written and recorded here. I have such fond memories, and it’s a very creative place for me, so I always enjoy being here. 2. What is the first album or piece of music you bought for yourself, and what was the medium? Oh, my goodness. The first album I saved up for, I went to a store in the U.K. called Woolworths, which we sadly no longer have, but that’s where everybody went for their singles and albums. I bought on vinyl The Kids From “Fame” . It’s obviously been very influential in my life, and with this new album in particular, I’ve been able to really lean into that whole ’80s vibe, with “Sweat” especially. 3. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid, and what do or did they think of what you do for a living now? My mum has always sung; she was in bands from the age of 14 and continues to perform now. She’s in her 70s, and she’s also done other jobs. She was very busy. She used to work for the NHS, our health service, until a couple of years ago. My dad, when I was a kid, he was a holiday rep. My mum and dad are divorced, and he went to work in France and Spain with holiday companies. As I’ve got older, he went into more sports travel and still does a little bit of stuff with premiership soccer teams. That’s like his dream job. Mum obviously was always super supportive. Dad was a little nervous, though