The Spice Girls made their debut over two decades ago in 1994. And for those of you who were born near then (and even if you weren't), you probably don’t remember much about the iconic pop group beyond their hit singles, including “Wannabe." From meeting the Queen and Prince Charles multiple times to the story behind their formation, ahead 50 surprising things you never knew about the Spice Girls.
The first auditions took place in 1994.
The girls chose the following songs to sing: Melanie Chisholm sang "I'm So Excited" by the Pointer Sisters, Melanie Brown sang "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston, Victoria Adams (AKA Victoria Beckham) sang "Mein Herr" by Cabaret, and Michelle Stephenson sang "Don't Be a Stranger" by Dina Carroll. (Don't recognize all these names? More on that...)
"Wannabe" was written in 10 minutes...
Mel B revealed,"We were listening to an old Shaggy reggae song and we were like, ‘Oh my God, we have to do something annoying like that song.’”
They asked former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to be in the "Wannabe" music video.
But he reportedly refused.
They would often turn Beckham's mic off while she performed.
Beckham revealed in a 2016 interview, "They used to turn [my mic] off and just let the others sing. Luckily because I used to wear heels, I just used to jig about a bit and I got away with it, but it never came easily. I was always much more reserved than the other girls.”
Geri's iconic Union Jack dress sold for a ton of money.
41,300 euros, to be exact. She wore it to perform at the 1997 Brit Awards. 🇬🇧
They actually didn't make up their nicknames themselves.
The British magazine Top of the Pops gave it to them (and it clearly stuck). Incase you forgot (from left to right): Posh Spice, Baby Spice, Scary Spice, Ginger Spice, and Sporty Spice.
Despite the fashion choices, Mandela loved meeting the girls.
He called the Spice Girls his "heroes."
He also said meeting them was "one of the greatest moments of his life."
And of the Spice Girls proceeded to yell, "Wicked!”
They were activists.
In honor of Red Nose Day in 2016, Emma Bunton pretended to be a flight attendant and fans were freaking out.
They become the most "recognizable faces" of the "Cool Brittania" era...
...According to Time. This period is otherwise known as an era of increased pride for the United Kingdom throughout the 1990s. (Also peep Ben Affleck behind Geri.)
Mel B and Victoria found out they were both pregnant at the same time.
On the final leg of their American tour.
It was also one of Emma Bunton's favorite memories.
"It felt really special representing our country,” she revealed to US Weekly.
Despite how close they were, there was often a lot of fighting going on.
In a 2014 interview Mel B admits,"we fought like cats and dogs."
And Mel C says she was bullied.
She told Attitude,"I'm not going to name names. But yes. It's been addressed, they were aware of what they'd done. They apologized...now I'm older, I'm a lot more confident and I will not be shat upon." 👏
The group *may* get back together.
Rumors have been swirling amid their 20-year anniversary, and we'd probably die of happiness.
