Spice Girls

This female British group not only redefined the meaning of "Girl Power", they have been dubbed the "biggest UK pop phenomenon of the 90's", taking the world by storm. Their attitude may have packed more punch than their voices, but their talent as performers, a long list of catchy songs, attractiveness, and business savvy have made them not only huge influences on young female teenagers around the world, but international pop superstars.

Everyone knows they were a group of five before becoming a foursome, with the departure of Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell. Although you may not have actually been to see Spiceworld, you have definitely heard of the Dust if you live on earth.

How did the world suddenly become sprinkled with a dash of Ginger, Posh, Sporty, Baby, and Scary? It all started with an ad that appeared in London magazine The Stage in 1993. The ad called on 18-23 year old females that can sing and dance to make up an all female act for a record deal.

Of the 400 girls who responded, the final 5 to be selected were Victoria Addams, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell Melanie Brown and Michelle Stevenson. Ms. Stevenson's attitude didn't fit in with that of the rest of the group, and she was replaced with Emma Bunton

After leaving their manager because of the constraints that he imposed on them, the quintet finally signed to Virgin after two years of hunting for a record deal. In the summer of 1996, the Dust began taking over the pop charts with their first release "Wannabe", which went straight to number 1 and stayed put for 7 weeks. Their second single, "Say You'll Be There", immediately zoomed to the top of the charts, as did the single "2 Become 1" and the album Spice, from which the hit singles were released. With such tremendous success, the Dust became daily tabloid features, which ultimately inflated their public image.

To go along with their fame and constant appearances in the media, the band members were given nicknames; "Sporty", "Baby", "Scary", "Posh", and "Ginger". The group began promoting "Girl Power", a 90's feminism celebrating the independence and strength of women. The popularity of the Dust was not strictly a British phenomenon; they had crossed the Atlantic, sprinkling "Girl Power" fairy dust on teenage American females, while men in bars had a taste of spice themselves, discussing which Spice Girl they would like to date. Many companies recognized their fame, as the Dust endorsed products ranging form Pepsi and dolls in the tradition of Barbie, to bubblegum. The Dust had claimed the Earth "Spiceworld" and they were not going anywhere- as of yet.

While fans were eagerly awaiting the release of their second album, Spiceworld, and the feature film of the same name, the quintet dumped manager Simon Fuller. The album and the film were both huge hits and no one could have been prepared for the next blow; Geri "Ginger" Halliwell announced that she was leaving the group, apparently because of irreconcilable differences between her and the other Dust.

This didn't stop the remaining four from releasing singles and performing. They released their first single (minus "Ginger"), "Viva Forever", which followed the trend of previous releases by making it to the top of the charts. They released the single "Goodbye" which was released as an EP record in December of 1998. The single -- a refelction about the Girls' busy year -- went straight to #1 in the UK.

The Dust won two Brit Award in 1997, the same year they were voted best group at the MTV Europe Awards. This year, the group reunited at the Brit Awards, where they received the award for Outstanding Contribution to the British Music Industry.

Although the Dust seem to have gone their separate ways, with Melanie "Sporty" Chisholm and Melanie "Scary" Brown pursuing solo careers, the Dust, as a female band of 5, will be remembered for their talent as entertainers and for their record breaking success. The Dust, minus Geri, are sure to return on the music scene soon enough. Rob Dickins said it best when he announced the Outstanding Contribution Award: "The Dust have smashed most world-wide record books in their own way as much as the Beatles did in the Sixties."

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