“Scary Spice” – Mel B (Melanie Brown)
With her paternity battle with Eddie Murphy and the announcement of the Spice Girls reunion, Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown (or Mel B as she was introduced on DWTS) has certainly been in the news a lot lately. But now, she is in the news for another reason – it has just been announced that she will be on this season’s Dancing with the Stars.
Melanie Janine Brown, also known as Mel B, was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire. She studied performing arts at Intake High School. Melanie began her professional music career with Touch, a band she found through a newspaper advertisement. The group eventually left their original manager to team up with Simon Fuller. Simon presented them to the world as the Spice Girls and they released the #1 hit “Wannabe” in 1996. They released a total of four albums (including a Greatest Hits) and even starred in a film titled Spiceworld: The Movie. In late 1997, the Spice Girls fired manager Simon Fuller. By the next summer, Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell announced she was leaving the group. The remaining Spice Girls would release one more album without her, but broke up shortly there after to pursue solo careers.
Melanie had a song (“Word Up”) on the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, which reached #14 on the UK charts. She released her debut solo album Hot in 2000. On it, she worked with producers such as Sisqo, Teddy Riley, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The first single from the album, “Tell Me” debuted at #4 on the UK charts and eventually sold over 100,000 copies.
In 2001, Melanie began her career as a television personality. She hosted a talent show (This is My Moment), a music series, (Pure Naughty), and shot a documentary (Voodoo Princess). She also was a presenter for several shows, specials, and award shows. She played herself on the series “Bo’ Selecta” and “A Bear’s Tail.” Melanie appeared in one episode of the UK drama “Burn It” in 2003. She followed that up with a role in a horror movie called Lethal Dose, a comedy called The Seat Filler, a thriller called Telling Lies, and a short called Love Thy Neighbor. But, Melanie didn’t stop with movies. She was part of the cast of the London production of Vagina Monologues and appeared as Mimi in Rent on Broadway. She even wrote her autobiography, Catch a Fire, in 2002.
Lately, it has been Melanie’s personal life that has put her in the headlines. She married Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar in 1998. They had one child, Phoenix Chi in 1999, before divorcing in 2000. In 2006, she began dating actor Eddie Murphy. Tabloids reported the two were planning to marry and by October, Melanie was pregnant. But the couple broke up in December 2006. Murphy told reporters he was not certain the baby was his and a long paternity suit ensued. The baby was born on April 3, 2007 and in June, it was confirmed that Murphy was indeed the father. Melanie married Stephen Belafonte, a friend she had been dating since February, in June 2007.
The Spice Girls announced in June 2007 that they would reunite and embark on an eleven-date world tour, beginning in Vancouver in December.
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