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 Isit odd that none of them released using their Spice names? |
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 24th April 2023, 02:05 PM
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#1
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 there's nothing straight about plump Elvis
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Joined: 21 January 2016 Posts: 13,146 User: 22,895 
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This kinda struck me since Ice Spice has blown up (obviously not one of the Spice Girls) and there have been jokes/confusion about whether she is in any way related to them.
I didn't really follow the Spice Girls actively during their height of success, and I know they were also known by their real names (Mel B and Mel C I remember especially, and Geri - I don't recall Emma ever being called anything other than Baby Spice though and the same for Victoria as Posh, or Victoria Beckham after she got married), but they were also hugely known and marketed by their Spice nicknames. With that in mind it seems kinda wild, unless I'm not aware or something, that none of them ever used the names the public knew them for for their solo releases. Obviously Geri leaving first wanted to establish herself as Geri Halliwell the solo artist, but none of the others? Did it seem weird to anyone at the time, was there any discussion about it, or did it all make perfect sense? |
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24th April 2023, 02:26 PM
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#2
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 BuzzJack Enthusiast
Joined: 6 September 2017
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The last thing 1999 era Mel C was ever going to do was release her album under "Sporty Spice"
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24th April 2023, 02:41 PM
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#3
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 January 2009
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I think it's worth remembering that the names basically came about from a pop magazine at the time, so it wasn't anything they themselves picked out and probably never really felt that much affection towards.
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24th April 2023, 03:09 PM
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#4
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
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hhhmmm music wise it was probably a good thing they didn't use their Spice names, for sure. In fact most of them tried to distance themselves from their Spice names when they went solo, which is sad!
But since then, pretty much all of them have tried to bring their names/spice personas into solo projects. Just look at Mel C's book, Mel B often uses 'Mel B of the Spice Girls' in her projects, etc, but it is always under their individual and proper names for sure. Had they used their Spice names to front any solo project, they would have been even more trashed in the press.. |
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24th April 2023, 03:59 PM
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#5
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 Perfectly Pop
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Yeah there was no way post 1998 that any of them would use their monikers for anything other than promotion of solo endeavours.
Melanie C using “sporty” in the USA title of her book shows this as a striking example. |
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24th April 2023, 05:31 PM
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#6
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there's nothing straight about plump Elvis
Pronouns: they/any
Joined: 21 January 2016 Posts: 13,146 User: 22,895
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Given their reputation now it's easy to forget what a harsh media landscape they were often up against tbh!
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24th April 2023, 06:12 PM
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#7
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 Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
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I can't imagine they'd have been taken at all seriously if they tried this.
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24th April 2023, 06:14 PM
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#8
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 6 September 2017
Posts: 11,848 User: 39,568
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I don’t know about outside of the U.K. but in the U.K. they were just as well know by their real names as their spice monikers. Back then the only one who played up to it was Victoria really with the Beckingham Palace thing and the “posh” crisp.
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24th April 2023, 09:46 PM
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 "Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
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I think Damon Dash said that he wanted/advised Victoria to be marketed with the name "Posh Spice Victoria Beckham" in the US.
 It's an interesting question because obviously they became very recognisable nicknames worldwide, and in theory they could have been viable stage names. There's a number of solo artists who don't use their real names as their artist name. However I agree that the UK press in particular and maybe the UK public would have likely given any of them a hard time for adopting those nicknames as their solo artist stage names. On a different note, I sometimes wonder why Mel B didn't choose to go with "Mel B" as her artist name from 1998 onwards. Nowadays it feels and looks a bit strange that she ever went by Melanie B, it doesn't seem like she's ever called that anymore. I can't remember if this was in an interview or her book, but I'm sure I read somewhere that Melanie C said that in her youth she'd practice signing autographs as "Melanie C", which struck me as a bit odd because I'm not sure why the thought to reduce her surname to C would have crossed her mind that early, pre-meeting Mel B when it became a necessity. Interesting that neither of them thought that they should go by Melanie Chisholm or Melanie Brown for their solo careers, to truly break the connection with the Spice Girls and each other (well, "Melanie Brown" was a thing for her 2005 album). Wow, I rambled x |
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24th April 2023, 11:04 PM
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#10
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Break the tension
Joined: 7 March 2006
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Also, who can forget "Melanie G"?
 I don't think she was destined for a big career with great longevity or anything, but following up a #1 debut with that (and everything about it) really was a choice. |
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25th April 2023, 01:57 AM
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#11
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 7 September 2017
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QUOTE(-Jay- @ Apr 24 2023, 10:46 PM)  I think Damon Dash said that he wanted/advised Victoria to be marketed with the name "Posh Spice Victoria Beckham" in the US. It's an interesting question because obviously they became very recognisable nicknames worldwide, and in theory they could have been viable stage names. There's a number of solo artists who don't use their real names as their artist name. However I agree that the UK press in particular and maybe the UK public would have likely given any of them a hard time for adopting those nicknames as their solo artist stage names. On a different note, I sometimes wonder why Mel B didn't choose to go with "Mel B" as her artist name from 1998 onwards. Nowadays it feels and looks a bit strange that she ever went by Melanie B, it doesn't seem like she's ever called that anymore. I can't remember if this was in an interview or her book, but I'm sure I read somewhere that Melanie C said that in her youth she'd practice signing autographs as "Melanie C", which struck me as a bit odd because I'm not sure why the thought to reduce her surname to C would have crossed her mind that early, pre-meeting Mel B when it became a necessity. Interesting that neither of them thought that they should go by Melanie Chisholm or Melanie Brown for their solo careers, to truly break the connection with the Spice Girls and each other (well, "Melanie Brown" was a thing for her 2005 album). Wow, I rambled x Mel B was the logical choice back then, I agree  it would have cemented her better in the public's concisouness, I think!Mel G was tragic, sorry  But it gave us the BOP that is Word Up 
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25th April 2023, 02:19 AM
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#12
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"Jayrusaleminians" - Umi.
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 4 April 2007 Posts: 41,456 User: 3,217
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Oh yes it’s even weirder to think that she ever went by Melanie G / Mel G professionally
 As well as Word Up, the Forever Spice book has her as Melanie G too. It looks so strange!
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25th April 2023, 10:06 AM
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#13
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there's nothing straight about plump Elvis
Pronouns: they/any
Joined: 21 January 2016 Posts: 13,146 User: 22,895
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Tbh comparing to kpop idols and the like it's almost surprising that they let two girls called Melanie into the group at all without asking one to adopt a stage name!
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30th April 2023, 01:56 AM
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#14
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BuzzJack Regular
Joined: 25 March 2018
Posts: 397 User: 69,521
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There actually would have been a little precedence for the Spices going by their nicknames as solo artists...and that precedence is TLC. They released some solo stuff as "T-Boz" and as "Lisa Left Eye Lopes". It made some business sense. In the US in the late 90s, if I started talking about Rozonda Thomas and Tionne Watkins, no one would know who I was referring to. T-Boz and Chilli, though...they would. The Spice Girls had a similar situation in the US where they were far better known as their nicknames in the 90s.
The inherent problem I see is unlike "T-Boz" and "Left Eye", the Spices' nicknames were somewhat limiting. How much of the girls' debut solo albums reflected their nicknames? I think you could say Victoria's was somewhat Posh Spice...and Geri's was somewhat Ginger Spice (though she quite obviously wasn't going to use that). But the others? I guess A World Without You/A Girl Like Me are a bit Baby Spice...and I Want You Back/Step Inside are a bit Scary Spice...but their albums as a whole were more reflective of their full character. For me, releasing What Took You So Long under the name Baby Spice seems...off. Releasing Goin Down under the name Sporty Spice seems...even more off. |
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