IN CONVERSATION WITH MELANIE C

interview by JANA LETONJA and TIMOTEJ LETONJA

Before she was Sporty Spice, she was a teenage raver in a tracksuit, losing herself to breakbeats in Northern Spain. Decades later, Melanie C returns to those formative dancefloor days with Sweat, her ninth studio album and a euphoric fusion of pop legacy and underground club culture. Recorded between London, Stockholm and LA, the record channels the freedom, resilience and communal joy that first shaped her, blending Melanie C the global pop icon with Melanie C the DJ. Set for release on 1st May, Sweat is both a celebration and a reclamation, proof that even in dark times, joy can still be radical.

Sweat feels like a full-circle moment, back to the rave culture that shaped you before the Spice Girls. What made now the right time to revisit that part of your story?

I feel like I’ve been edging my way towards it for a little while. With my last two records before this one, I was leaning more into an electronic sound, and I think a version of me, way back in 2016, was a bit more experimental production-wise. Then, with my self-titled album in 2020, I was getting more into pop-dance. Throughout this period, I’d also been DJing more, and I was just so desperate to bring my world as a DJ closer to who I am as a solo artist.

So it’s really been about finding the confidence, the right team around me, and the right subject matter. I’ve always found that whatever is going on in my life influences what I want to write about, and often dictates the genre within the music as well.

I suppose there’s also another song to come that isn’t even on the record, and it’s very much like a love letter to discovering clubbing at that time in my life. For the first time in the writing sessions for this album, I really embraced that era, rather than putting it on the back burner. There was a period when, because the Spice Girls happened and so many other things followed, it became less important. But then I realized how important it actually was, because it has influenced everything I’ve ever done as a music artist. It’s a huge influence on my life musically.

full look VICTORIA BECKHAM

You’ve described the album as a love letter to your teenage rave days. What do you remember most vividly about that era?

It was such a time of discovery. I’d grown up through the 80s, and things were very different then. Obviously, I was too young to go clubbing, but we had disco in the 70s, and in the UK it was quite cheesy, very high-street, very local. Then rave culture suddenly arrived, with house music coming from Chicago, Detroit, and New York, and all these communities came together and socialized in ways they never had before. That was such a huge part of rave culture.

To find these incredible spaces where everyone was happy, for whatever reason, the music was unlike anything I’d ever heard, people were dancing all night, completely free, with this wild abandon. It always felt like such a safe place. In the UK, alcohol has always been a big part of socializing, which can sometimes lead to aggression or conflict, but rave culture was the complete opposite. Everyone was full of love, everyone was unified. Those are my strongest memories, thinking, “Wow, what is this incredible experience?”

There’s such a strong sense of community woven through Sweat. What does the dancefloor represent to you today?

Exactly those things we were talking about. It helps me reminisce, and I feel for my generation, the ravers of the late 80s and early 90s, we grew up, got jobs, had children, and then the pandemic happened. After being locked away for so long, people really wanted to get out and start living again. I feel like there’s been a huge shift back to the dancefloor.

It’s a reminder that life can be tough. We all work hard, we go through difficult times, but the weekend is when we let go, we release, we see our friends, and we connect, even with strangers. The dancefloor represents that release. I think human beings really need that, and in our culture, that’s how we let go.

You’ve had one of the most unique chart legacies in UK history, topping the charts solo and as part of multiple group formats. How do you continue to challenge yourself creatively after so much success?

It’s life. It continues to throw things at you, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but it’s all fuel for the fire. I feel really grateful that I’ve been able to take adversity and turn it into creativity.

What’s different about this album is that it’s full of joy. When I started working on it, I was at the end of a relationship, and there was a lot of negativity and anger. But then I met someone new, fell in love, and that created a real emotional arc across the record. I’ve been having so much fun, making music, performing, DJing all over the world, and I wanted to capture that. It’s made the album a very joyous record, because I wanted to create something I could bring to life on stage and really enjoy.

full look FENDI

full look MITHRIDATE

You’ve said you’ve done a lot of soul-searching and now want to have fun. What did that inner work teach you?

Life is a funny old thing. I think turning 50 gives you a completely different perspective. In my twenties, I had so many insecurities. In my thirties, so much self-doubt. Even into my forties. But once you hit 50, there’s a real shift. You genuinely care less about what people think.

When you’re younger, you spend so much time questioning yourself, trying to heal from all the bruises and scars you’ve collected. Everyone has an opinion. But as you get older, you start to remember who you are. You return to the fundamentals, you realize you do know best, you are good enough. Once you come home to yourself, you can truly be free. And that’s when you say, “You know what? I’m going to have fun.”

How different does it feel commanding a club as a DJ versus a stadium as a pop star?

It’s very different, and I love them both. People often ask if I prefer DJing now, and I always say you can’t compare them. I feel incredibly lucky, and maybe a bit greedy, that I get to do both.

With DJing, you have so much at your fingertips. You can play your own music, other people’s music, remix and mash things up into something completely unique. That’s powerful. But as a singer, you’re expressing your own words, your own music, and seeing how that affects people, that’s something really special too. So they’re both beautiful experiences, just in very different ways.

full look ELISABETTA FRANCHI

We have to touch on this topic of course. The 2019 Spice Girls reunion tour was monumental. How did it feel returning to Wembley with a new perspective and presence?

Those shows were incredible. It was a moment for all four of us, sadly Victoria wasn’t there, but we’d had enough time to reflect. Performing in stadiums brings this incredible collective energy.

I remember our first show in Dublin, we were terrified, holding hands, shaking. But the moment we stepped on stage, this wave of love hit us, and all the nerves disappeared. That energy carried us through the entire tour. It allowed us to truly appreciate what we’d achieved, and to see how it had impacted not just one generation, but multiple generations. That made it really special.

How do you balance being “Melanie C” the solo artist and DJ with being eternally part of the Spice Girls story?

It’s exhausting. But I love what I do. I feel so lucky. I’m constantly moving. I’m in Australia right now filming ‘The Voice’, while also preparing to release the album. It’s relentless, but exciting.

We’ve announced a world tour, and that’s my favorite part, getting out there and performing. This time, I’ll also be doing DJ sets in different cities, which makes it even more fun. And of course, if there’s ever an opportunity to do something with the girls, I’ll always make time for that. It’s busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

full look GIVENCHY
shoes GIANVITO ROSSI

You’ve always embraced youth culture and collaboration. What excites you most about the new generation of artists?

There are fewer constraints now. There was a time when you had to stay within one genre, but now there’s so much crossover. People collaborate constantly, and there’s a lot more freedom.

Younger artists are also incredibly savvy with technology—recording, producing, mixing—and that opens up endless possibilities. There are no boundaries anymore. Artists can experiment freely, and that’s really exciting for music.

What can you tease about your upcoming projects for 2026, besides Sweat coming out very soon?

We’ve got another couple of weeks working on The Voice, then I’m heading to LA for more album promo. After that, I’ll be home for the summer, doing some festivals, maybe fewer than usual because of the tour starting in September.

So there’s going to be a lot of live work, but really, the album is the priority right now. That’s my focus for the next 12 months.

full look STELLA MCCARTNEY
shoes GUISEPPE ZANOTTI

full look JW ANDERSON

TEAM CREDITS:

talent MELANIE C
photography ZEB DAEMEN
styling THOMAS GEORGE WULBERN
makeup FRANCESCA ANGELINA BRAZZO at The Wall Group
hair LEIGH KEATES at The Wall Group
light assistant RAMI HASSEN
styling assistant LEONIE DENNETT
set design ANNIE ALVIN
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA and TIMOTEJ LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN