Melanie C has credited Bryan Adams with giving her the “confidence” to embark on a solo career.
The Spice Girl recorded the 1998 duet ‘When You’re Gone’ with the Canadian rock veteran after a chance meeting in an elevator, for what marked her first recording away from the ‘Wannabe’ group.
And after the 48-year-old singer – who is also known as Sporty Spice in the iconic girl band – recently released a new version of the hit for the ‘Summer of ’69’ hitmaker’s record, ‘Classic Pt. II’, she has gushed about how “eternally grateful” she is to the 62-year-old musician for encouraging her to go it alone.
Alongside a clip of the new music video they recorded for the song, which was filmed at Bryan’s concert in Melanie’s hometown of Widnes, Cheshire, in July, she wrote on Facebook: “In 1998 after a chance meeting in a lift Bryan Adams asked me to duet with him. When You’re Gone was my first release as a solo artist. Bryan has remained a great friend and supporter. He believed in me and helped give me the confidence to pursue a solo career alongside being a Spice Girl and I will be eternally grateful. We recently re-recorded the track for his new album Classic pt. II
Last month Bryan was playing my home town of Widnes and of course, I had to get up with him to perform our song.
We couldn’t resist having some fun backstage and recording a new video. Here we are over 20 years later! Love ya Bryan (sic)”
The ‘Never Be The Same Again’ hitmaker released her debut solo album ‘Northern Star’ a year later, which charted at No.4 on the UK Albums Chart.
Melanie has released eight solo albums, her most recent being her 2020 self-titled LP.
Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Victoria Beckham will reunite with the Spice Girls for a new documentary series.
The 48-year-old fashion designer declined to re-join Emma Bunton, Mel B, Melanie C, and Geri Horner for their reunion concerts in 2019 but she’s agreed to join them in a new series documenting their rise to stardom and the group’s wider impact on pop culture, The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column reported last month.
The programme will be made by the same team behind Netflix’s Michael Jordan docuseries ‘The Last Dance’.
Speaking about the basketball programme, Mel B said in an interview in Australia: “The director and the whole concept of how that was shot and filmed is really, really, really good. So we’ll be doing our own version with them.”
The quintet will share some of their favourite stories and previously-unheard anecdotes from their time together.
During her interview, Mel shared one such tale.
She said: “The rap in the ‘Wannabe’ video, I actually wrote on the toilet while the other girls were doing the vocals.
My kids go, ‘Mummy, your music has come full circle’, and I’m thinking, ‘Ooh they’re going to compliment me’. Then I get told, ‘It’s come full circle because now you’re just vintage’. Old but good.”
It seems Victoria has been getting in the mood for the docuseries because a few days earlier, she performed their hit ‘Stop’ on karaoke.
Alongside a video clip of the performance, her husband David wrote on Instagram: “Karaoke night with the one a only Posh Spice”(sic)
The ‘Not Such an Innocent Girl’ singer later reposted the clip to her own Instagram story and captioned it: “Only for you @davidbeckham.”
Melanie was quick to comment on the post and joked that she was pleased to see that her former bandmate was “getting a head start on rehearsals.”
She wrote: “nice to see you getting a head start on rehearsals! [kiss emoji] [cry laugh emoji] (sic)”