Spice Girls turn 25: world's best-selling female group marks quarter-century milestone

As the celebrated British band marks 25 years since the release of ‘Wannabe’, we look back at the group and solo careers of Ginger, Baby, Posh, Scary and Sporty

Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress from the Spice Girls' performance of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' at the Brits in 1997 became one of fashion's most famous and emulated moments. Shutterstock

More than 400 women answered an advertisement to form the group which went on to become The Spice Girls. The group later parted ways with Heart Management and signed with Richard Branson's Virgin label. Instagram

The Spice Girls have UK journalist Peter Loraine to thank for their world-famous nicknames Sporty, Baby, Posh, Scary and Ginger. As the then-editor of British pop music magazine 'Top of the Pops', Loraine came up with the nicknames for a July 1996 feature on the group. Instagram

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The Spice Girls' debut album, 'Spice', was certified multi-platinum in 27 countries and spawned the singles 'Wannabe', 'Say You'll Be There', '2 Become 1' and 'Mama'. Instagram

The group met Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Command Performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre on December 1, 1997. That same year they released 'Spice Up Your Life', the first single from 'Spice World'. It went straight to number one on the UK singles chart, becoming the group's fifth consecutive number one single. Getty Images

On May 31, 1998, Halliwell announced she was leaving The Spice Girls after missing two concerts in Norway. 'I need to say something I should have said a long time ago,' she told Wembley Stadium during the Spice World 2019 tour. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left. I was just being a brat. It is so good to be back with the girls that I love.' Getty Images

Bunton and Jade Jones, who used to be in the British boyband Damage, share two children. Instagram

Mel C has had the most prolific solo career, releasing eight studio albums. Revealing that Madonna is her biggest life and musical influence, she told 'The Sun': 'I've always admired how hard she works and what a strong lady she is, so she's always inspired me in that way.' AFP

The Spice Girls promoted their film 'Spice World: The Movie' at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. The film featured cameos from the likes of Richard E Grant, Meat Loaf, Elton John, Bob Geldof and Stephen Fry. Rex

The group reunited in 2012 to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. The five-piece were driven into the arena atop black London taxis and sang a medley of their hits. Getty Images

Melanie Brown aka Mel B has released two solo albums, 2000's 'Hot' and 'LA State of Mind' in 2005. Instagram

Their debut song 'Wannabe' stayed at number one in the UK charts for seven weeks, and hit the number one spot in 37 countries, including four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It remains the biggest-selling single by an all-female group. Reuters

The then-Victoria Adams married David Beckham in July 1999, and the pair have four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. Instagram

Mel C told 'Music Week' that The Spice Girls' message of girl power was unintentional to begin with. 'Girl power was something that we never intended," she said. "As soon as we were heading into the music industry, we started to be faced with some sexism. We were told girls don't sell." Getty Images

Halliwell and Bunton on the set of The Spice Girls' music video for 'Say You'll Be There'. David Beckham told friends that Victoria would be his future wife after seeing her in the video. Instagram

The Spice Girls' management team helped make them multimillionaires by setting up a range of endorsement deals with brands including Pepsi, Walkers, Impulse, Cadbury and Polaroid. Getty Images

The Spice Girls' third and final studio album 'Forever' was their least successful, selling just four million copies compared to 23 million for 'Spice' and the 14 million clocked up by 'Spice World'. Reuters

Post-Spice Girls, Beckham's eponymous debut album was released in October 2001 and reached number 10 in the UK album chart, selling 50,000 copies. Beckham quit her solo music career in 2004 to focus on fashion. Instagram

The group's Spice World 2019 tour won the Billboard Live Music Award for the highest-grossing engagement of the year. The UK tour comprised 13 dates in cities including London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Instagram

After the Spice Girls split, Mel C launched her solo career in 1998 with the track 'When You're Gone', a duet with Canadian singer Bryan Adams. Her solo debut album 'Northern Star' sold more than four million copies worldwide, and is the best-selling solo album of all the Spice Girls. Instagram

Mel C and Bunton share a hug onstage during the Spice World 2019 tour. Instagram

Among the many accolades the group has won are five Brit Awards, three American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, three MTV Europe Music Awards and one MTV Video Music Award. Instagram

Halliwell married Christian Horner, the team principal of the Red Bull Racing Formula One team, in May 2015, and the pair share a son, Montague. Instagram

Before they became famous, the five women shared a house in Maidenhead, Berkshire. Bunton told 'The Guardian': 'I used to make beans on toast for everyone, while Mel B used to cook corned beef and rice. We used to make Victoria clean the bathroom.' Shutterstock

With accolades including the title of best-selling female group of all time under their belts, the Spice Girls have another reason to celebrate this week.

The British five-piece celebrates 25 years in the spotlight on Friday, marking a quarter-century since their debut song Wannabe was released.

Geri Horner, Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown and Melanie Chisholm, aka Ginger, Baby, Posh, Scary and Sporty, were formed in 1994 after they answered an advertisement seeking “streetwise, outgoing, ambitious and dedicated” women who could sing and dance.

The Spice Girls became household names after instant hit Wannabe was released in July 1996, reaching the No 1 spot in 37 countries and shifting more than 7 million copies.

Their debut album Spice sold more than 23 million copies to become the best-selling album by a female group in history.

The group later became a quartet when Horner, nee Halliwell, quit in May 1998 citing exhaustion amid rumours of a falling out with Mel B.

Years later, during the Spice World 2019 tour at Wembley Arena, she told the audience: “I need to say something I should have said a long time ago. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left. I was just being a brat. It is so good to be back with the girls that I love.”

Following the release of their third album, Forever, the group went on hiatus in December 2000, with each of the women releasing separate material. Of all their solo careers, Mel C enjoyed the most success, releasing eight albums altogether, while her debut album, Northern Star, sold more than four million copies worldwide.

On June 28, 2007, all five of the Spice Girls held a press conference to reveal they were reuniting for a world tour, with each pocketing a rumoured $20 million.

They next reunited for the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, arriving on top of black London taxis and performing a medley of their biggest hits.

For the Spice World – 2019 UK Tour, the group continued as a four-piece after Victoria Beckham declined to take part to focus on her fashion business.

“We’ve had so many ups and downs in our friendships, in our careers, in our lives as Spice Girls,” Mel C recently told the NME. “And just that acceptance that we are all absolute pains in the backside, but we love each other dearly.”

Scroll through the gallery for 25 photos of the Spice Girls through the years …