Mel B

 
 
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  • Mel B at the MTV VMAs alongside husband, Stephen Belafonte

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  • AP

    Mel B at the MTV VMAs alongside husband, Stephen Belafonte
 
 

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Although she was born Melanie Janine Brown, most folks now refer to the bouncy brunette as Mel B. But she’s also well known as “Scary Spice,” the nickname she was given during her stint in the British pop combo the Spice Girls.

While still in her early twenties, the Leeds, England lass answered a trade paper ad that led to her joining what would soon become, the Spice Girls. The group recorded their debut album, “Spice,” and released it to international fanfare in 1996. As their popularity grew, Mel B and her fellow Spice Girls turned into international icons, filming a movie, “Spiceworld,” and releasing an album of the same name.

Mel recorded a third album with the outfit, “Forever,” before embarking on a solo career in 1998, the same year she married her former backup dancer, Jimmy Gulzar.The two were only married for a few years, but the union produced one child, daughter Phoenix Chi, in 1999.

Mel B kept a low stateside profile for most of the years that followed, but she did appear on Broadway as “Mimi” in the hit musical, “Rent.”

In 2007, Mel gave birth to her second child, Angel Iris, who was fathered by Eddie Murphy. The same year she married producer Stephen Belafonte and joined the cast of the fifth season of ABC’s hit show"Dancing With the Stars,” reviving her career. She also rejoined her old band the Spice Girls for a reunion tour in 2007-2008.

  • Name: Mel B
  • Birthdate: May 29, 1975
  • Birthplace: Leeds, West Yorkshire