The Spice Girls

Singers

The Spice Girls' sexy charisma, modest musical talent, and "girl power" philosophy made them pop music's Next Big Thing in the mid-1990s. The British band was created in 1994 by two would-be managers who advertised for women to form an all-girl group. The five winning applicants (who quickly ditched the managers) each took nicknames: Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm, also known as Mel C, b. 12 January 1974), Posh Spice (Victoria Adams, b. 17 April 1975), Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell, also known as Sexy Spice, b. 6 August 1972), Baby Spice (Emma Bunton, b. 21 January 1976), and Scary Spice (Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B, b. 29 May 1975). Their 1996 album Spice included the hit singles "WannaBe" and "Say You'll Be There" and launched them to international fame; eventually the group sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. The Spice Girls hit the peak of their fame in 1997 with the release of a second album, Spiceworld, plus a jovial feature film of the same name. Halliwell left the Spice Girls in 1998 to go solo. The group continued on as a quartet, with the individual members also pursuing solo careers; Adams gained extra fame in 1999 when she married soccer star David Beckham. After releasing the album Forever in 2000, the Spice Girls disbanded in 2001. But all five original Spice Girls reunited late in 2007 for an eight-country world concert tour.

Extra credit: The film Spiceworld was titled Spice World in the United States.

Other British pop acts of the same era include Dido, Gorillaz, Kylie Minogue, Radiohead and Fatboy Slim.