Spice Girls Aren’t Reuniting, But At Least ‘Wannabe’ Is Being Remade


Spice Girls became one of the most famous girl bands in the world when their hit single, “Wannabe,” topped the charts in 1996. During the 1990s, the group sold more than 80 million records to become the best-selling all-female band in music history. The band’s popularity was compared with that of the 1960’s Beatlemania.

Although the Spice Girls disbanded in 2001, the band members got together in 2007 to perform a global tour. The girls were popular as ever even after a seven years hiatus, and their Greatest Hits album soared to the number three position on the UK albums chart. In 2012, the band members reunited to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. The girls entertained the crowds by singing their hit numbers that included “Wannabe” and “Spice Up Your Life.”

However, fans dreaming of another reunion to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of “Wannabe” will be disappointed to know that the band members will not be regrouping again. According to the Daily Mail, Melanie Chisholm (known as Mel C) turned down the offer to regroup with Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell, and Emma Bunton.

In fact, the three band members even offered to wait for a year so that Mel C could take time off from her solo career. But Mel C has dashed the hopes of her former band members by ruling out a return. Additionally, Victoria Beckham is not keen to return to the group as she wishes to focus on her fashion designing career.

Even though they have ceased to exist as a band, the Spice Girls have had a powerful influence over their British fandom. According to BT, a British fan drew parallels between the Spice Girls and all the famous Brits who had recently resigned from their positions.

Famous British personalities like Prime Minister David Cameron, Boris Johnson, football manager Roy Hodgson, Top Gear host Chris Evans and UKIP leader Nigel Farage were compared with respective Spice Girl members in a Twitter post. Another Brit, Daniel Wright, went a step further and utilized his Photoshop skills to morph each of the men’s faces onto a famous Spice Girls picture.

Apart from entertaining the fans with their tunes, Spice Girls are to be credited with empowering and encouraging a whole new generation of females. Present day singing sensations like Rihanna and Beyoncé have derived their motivation through Spice Girls. The Spice Girls achieved fame by gatecrashing in an era that was primarily dominated by boy bands. For many women, Spice Girls were a symbol of fun and freedom mixed with glamour. According to the Independent, the band’s movie, Spice World, encouraged women to be brave and forward when dealing with feminist issues.

This is made evident by a scene in the movie which shows Ginger scaring the wits out of a potential suitor through her brash behavior and the usage of the dreaded “F” word. Moreover, the band’s lyrics suggested that women should feel free to wear what they like and to kiss and even sleep with their desired lovers without any inhibitions. According to The Guardian, the Spice Girls’ hit “Wannabe” is now being remade into an anthem that highlights gender inequality problems faced by females all over the globe.

The video, which features various artists from India, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK, the USA, and Canada, will be produced and launched by Project Everyone. Apart from Richard Curtis, Frida Pinto, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, the video will also feature Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez and London R&B trio M.O. SAWA.

Project Everyone and the global cinema advertising association will be promoting the video in movie theaters internationally, in addition to launching it on YouTube. According to M.J. Delaney, the film’s director, the Spice Girls have always been a symbol for modern day girl power which can be harnessed to eradicate various issues faced by women across the world.

[Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for St Pancras Renaissance Hotel]

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