Mel B

Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975) is a British R&B and pop recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress, author, television presenter and model. Brown rose to fame as a member of the Brit-pop girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was famously known as Scary Spice and is also known colloquially as Mel B. The Spice Girls signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe", which hit number 1 in more than 30 countries and helped establish the group as a "global phenomenon". It was followed by their debut album, Spice, which sold more than 28 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in music history. The band's second album, Spiceworld, went on to sell over 20 million copies world wide. As of 2013, the Spice Girls have sold over 75 million records worldwide, making them the biggest selling female group in history and also one of the best-selling music artists in the world. Brown is also known for supporting Girl Power and their global grosses estimated at $500–800 million between 1996 and 1998. Return of the Spice Girls was the band's comeback turn and said to have grossed US$100 million and won the Billboard 2008 Touring Award. Her net worth as of August 2012 is estimated to be £40.5m.

Brown began her solo career when she released "I Want You Back" with Missy Elliott on Virgin Records. The single charted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, followed by the release of debut album, Hot—the album also saw release of top 10 singles "Tell Me" and "Feels So Good". L.A. State of Mind was Brown's second studio album, released in 2005 on the independent label Amber Café, and saw the release of only one single—"Today". In mid-2012, Brown announced a return to her solo recording career with the release of her third studio album by signing with EMI Music Australia. The scope of the deal with the Australian EMI office includes concessions for global partnering with EMI.

Brown returned to television in 2011 when she joined the judging panel of the Australian version of The X Factor where she sat alongside Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Bassingthwaighte. She later became the co-presenter of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars. It was later announced that Brown would appear as a guest judge on the UK's version of The X Factor after a replacement for Kelly Rowland had not yet been found. In February 2013, it was announced that Brown was hired as a judge on the variety talent show America's Got Talent.

Early Life
Brown was born in Harehills, Leeds, England, to an English mother, Andrea, and a black Nevisian father, Martin, and grew up in Burley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. She has a younger sister named Danielle, who is an actress.

Brown studied performing arts at Intake High School, in Leeds, before entering the entertainment industry. For a time, she worked as a dancer in the holiday resort, Blackpool, Lancashire. After seeing an advertisement for an audition in a newspaper, Brown started her music career in a band known as Touch. The group left the original management team and eventually teamed up with music manager Simon Fuller. In this pairing, she and the other girls became known as the Spice Girls.