Melanie Jayne Chisholm (born 12 January 1974), professionally known as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer-songwriter, DJ, businesswoman and media personality. As one of the five members of the Spice Girls, she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. She rose to fame in 1996 with the Spice Girls, with whom she released two consecutive number-one albums and eight number-one singles. The group’s debut single “Wannabe” is the biggest-selling debut single of all time and the group’s debut album Spice is the biggest-selling album in music history by a girl group. The Spice Girls have sold 105 million records worldwide, making them the best-selling girl group of all time.

Chisholm began her solo career in late 1998 on the single “When You’re Gone” with Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams. In 1999, Chisholm signed with Virgin Records as a solo arist; her debut solo album Northern Star was released in October of that year. The album reached number one in Sweden and number 4 on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified internationally with seven platinum and three gold certifications, including the triple-Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. Northern Star sold over 4 million copies worldwide, and is the best selling solo album of any Spice Girls member.

In 2003, Chisholm released her second album, Reason. The following year, Chisholm departed from Virgin Records and founded her own record company, Red Girl Records. In 2005, Chisholm released her third album, Beautiful Intentions. It spent 9 weeks at number one in Portugal and spawned international hit singles, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Her fourth studio album, This Time, was released in 2007, which spawned three number one singles in Portugal. In December 2007, Chisholm reunited with the Spice Girls to release a greatest hits album supported by a world tour. Chisholm continued to release albums in the following years, including The Sea (2011), Stages (2012), and Version of Me (2016). Her eponymous eighth studio album was released in 2020.

Chisholm has co-written 11 UK number-ones, more than any other female artist in chart history. She remains the only female performer to top the charts as a solo artist, as part of a duo, quartet, and quintet. With twelve UK number-one singles, she is the second female artist – and the first British female artist – with most singles at number one in the United Kingdom. 

With a total of fourteen songs that have received the number one in Britain (including double A-sides), Chisholm is the female artist with most songs at number one in the UK ranking history. Her work has earned her several awards, including three World Music Awards, five Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, eight Billboard special awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards, one MTV Video Music Award, ten ASCAP awards, and one Juno Award.

As a solo artist, Chisholm has sold more than 30 million albums, singles and collaborations, and has earned over 332 worldwide certifications, including 41 silver, gold and platinum certifications as a solo artist. Chisholm’s autobiography, Who I Am: My Story, was released on 15 September 2022. Melanie Jayne Chisholm was born on 12 January 1974 in Whiston, Merseyside, the only daughter of Joan O’Neill, who worked as a secretary and personal assistant and has been singing in music bands since she was 14, and Alan Chisholm, a fitter at the Otis Elevator Company. Her parents married in 1971 and separated in 1978, when Chisholm was four years old. 

Her mother remarried and had more children, one of whom is racing driver Paul O’Neill, who was born when Chisholm was six years old. She grew up in Widnes, Cheshire, attending Brookvale Junior School in nearby Runcorn  and Fairfield High School in Widnes. Following school, she studied for a diploma course in singing, dancing, and musical theatre at the Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts in London. During college, she replied to an advert in The Stage placed by Chris and Bob Herbert, who were looking to form a new girl group, later to become the Spice Girls. She left college just short of completing her three-year course, and gained teaching qualifications in tap and modern theatre dance with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.

When she was 18, she moved to Los Angeles and only six months later, joined the Spice Girls. In 1994, Chisholm, along with Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria Beckham (née Adams) responded to an advertisement in The Stage magazine. Around 400 women who answered the ad went to Dance Works studios. Halliwell, Chisholm, Beckham and Brown were originally chosen as the members of the group, and then formed a quintet with Emma Bunton. 

The group felt insecure about the lack of a contract and were frustrated by the direction of Heart Management and broke with them. In 1995, they toured record labels in London and Los Angeles and finally signed a deal with Virgin. Their debut album, Spice, was a huge worldwide commercial success, peaked at number 1 in more than 17 countries across the world, and was certified multi-platinum in 27 countries.