Melanie Jayne Chisholm was born in Whiston, Lancashire, and grew up in Widnes, Cheshire. She rose to fame as a member of The Spice Girls, who would become the bestselling girl group of all time. In 1999, she released her first solo album,Northern Star, which sold four million copies worldwide, and since then has released seven albums, including the UK Top 10 albumMelanie C in 2020, and has (including collaborations) sold 23 million records as a solo artist.