Melanie Chisholm a.k.a. Melanie C was part of the iconic five-member Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed ‘Sporty Spice’. Following that, as a solo artist, Melanie C sold more than 12 million records from six albums that she released. She has the second most No.1 singles in the United Kingdom and is also the only female to top the charts as part of a quintet, a quartet, a duo and solo.
Melanie C also performed the role of Mrs. Johnstone in the West End musical “Blood Brothers,” for which she was nominated for ‘Best Actress in a Musical’ at the Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2012, Melanie C co-starred in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar“, and also judged the preceding talent search series “Superstar” to select the lead actor for the said musical.
This year, Melanie C joined talent competition show, “Asia’s Got Talent”, as one of the judges alongside Grammy-winning musician David Foster, Indonesian rock icon Anggun and Taiwanese-American pop idol Vanness Wu.
“Asia’s Got Talent” is the world’s first ever pan-regional edition of the global hit “Got Talent” format. Billed as the biggest talent competition in the world, “Asia’s Got Talent” will feature some of the region’s most incredible performing artists as they compete to take home the coveted winning title.
As part of the promotional campaign for Asia’s Got Talent. Orange Magazine had the opportunity to represent the Philippines to do a phone interview with Melanie C last March 3. Here’s a clip of our phone conversation with Melanie C:
And here’s the full transcript of Melanie C’s interview, with additional questions coming from other Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines:
Question: It is very exciting that you are gonna be judging one of Asia’s got talent, I’d like to know what kind of judge do you think you’d be like, good cop or bad cop. What would you be bringing to the contest?
Melanie C: Well, I think it’s quite difficult as a performer to be a judge because you know how it feels to be on the stage and how vulnerable you can be as a performer. So, I want to be critical but I want it to be constructive criticism, you know, I want to be honest but I want to be kind and I think the interesting thing with this particular show is that such a wealth of talent in Asia when it’s so diverse but the Europeans, I think are bringing a kind of a more international, and I suppose, so yes, I’m hoping to be very honest and to be very fair and, you know, giving the uhm contestants real international viewpoint of their act.
Question: If competition like this was available before you became a spice girl, do you see yourself auditioning as well?
Melanie C: Absolutely! I was auditioning when I left college and it was this show, then of course it was an audition that start the bond that went on to become the Spice Girls. So for me and as a performer it would be a natural thing to go on to something like this but, uhm yeah, it’s amazing now there are so many great opportunities for singers and something like talent. You know it’s very diverse and it’s very much, I think what we love, you know, when I got together with the other judges, is one of the thing that we love with this particular show is, it’s really family-friendly you know, I mean my little girl loves this show, she watch this in the UK, and so many different things when we know dancers, fire eaters, to singers to acrobats and it appeals to everybody you know it’s not like an X-Factor show when it is just the singing. It is something that the whole family can sit down and enjoy together.
Question: If you will be joining today, what will be your audition song?
Melanie C: My audition song? Wow, that is a really a good question. Yeah, I mean it is so important what you choose to sing as a singer you know I’ve actually choose to do, it has to be something that really showcases your strength so, I think probably a ballad and a you know a big ballad and yeah, gosh that’s a good question, I might need to pondered on that one.
Question: Do you think it is important to think big?
Melanie C: Think big? Absolutely! I think it is something I really encourage with my little girl and I think it is really important for, you know, everybody whatever your dream is whether in the world to performing or any profession, you have to be ambitious don’t and, you know, we don’t always succeed but it is important to try.
Question: What are you looking forward to seeing in this Asian contest, like is there anything you like or dislike about working in Asia rather than you, you know your previous experience of working in Europe.
Melanie C: Well, for me it’s really exciting being in Asia because culturally it is very different to where I’ve grown up. And I’ve been really lucky over the years in working in lots of different countries and in Southeast Asia and, you know, all of the world, so for me I think its diversity, you know, so many countries is involved in this show, I think we have act of 15 countries and I’m really intrigued to see the more traditional act, things I haven’t seen before and also I, you know, I believe the standard would be very high because I just feel you know that the limited knowledge I have of Asian performers, and the culture of Asia is that you k now people work very hard and very determined and that something that I found very exciting.
Question: Why did you choose Asia’s got talent instead of a music competition? Why in Asia?
Melanie C: Well I was approached about the show and I just, quite similar to, you know, the reasons I answered in the last question, I just thought it seems more exciting to go to a continent which although I’ve been there, I haven’t spent a lot of time there and I’m very intrigued to see things I’ve never seen before and well, as you know, here in UK I’ve grown up here so I’m quite aware, you know, of the talent and the kind of act I know the TV show very well and its lovely for me to come back to southeast Asia because I’ve had too much success there with the girls and as a solo artist, it’s been quite a while since I’ve spent my time there so it was really something that I wanted to do.
Question: What is your impression of Asian talents, especially the ones from the Philippines?
Melanie C: Well, it was really quite strange because we realized quite quickly that the search in talent traits in different countries and in Philippines, and I weren’t aware of this until I came over to do the auditions. But there’s so many quite good singers in the Philippines and it’s such a peculiar thing about, you know, how your country, people are just so talented at one specific thing shall we say great singers and I would say again, you know, I wasn’t disappointed, I knew the standard would be really high and, you know, all of the countries over there is kind of I suppose it was more acrobats from China, and lots of dancers from Japan and there was lots of musicians from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines and, you know, it really well quite breath taking how high the standard was.
Question: Is the music industry in Asia different from where you from?
Melanie C: Well, I think you know the music industry itself is very different to how it was, and, you know, having the opportunity to work as an international artist and, you know, there were slight variations but It’s very much, you know, when you’re working with a major label whether it be Sony, Universal and whoever they tend to work similarly in every country, in every continent and but I think the big change from when I started with the Spice Girls is the internet and you know the ability to have mp3s, then downloading and all of those things that kind of made the industry have to change quite rapidly so, I think so that’s the biggest change its kind of a global when I think from countries to countries obviously taste vary but, uhm, I feel very lucky that I was part of something that was internationally successful because there’s not a lot of artists that have that opportunity.
Question: I would like to know what do you expect from the Indonesian talent.
Melanie C: From Indonesian talent, well with what, the things I’ve seen so far is actually, it’s one of the countries what it’s quite diverse, we have some wonderful dancers and we’ve have lots of great musicians from Indonesia and, uhm, I would say, I don’t know if you could hear earlier as you know we couldn’t hear you, but, uhm, it was really interesting to see how countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines. It was very, uhm, musical, you know, there’s lot of singers and performers and then in China we had more acrobats and then from Japan we have lots of dancers, so uhm yeah, I think you know your particular part of Asia is, uhm, very strong musically.
Question: I know that the other Spice Girls are also jury of got talent franchise, I would like to know did you consult with you know other members of the Spice Girls like Emma Bunton or Melanie B?
Melanie C: Yeah, *giggle* Well, all of us girls have seen each other over the last few months and being in touch. Geri in fact was a judge on Australia’s Got Talent and Melanie, as so you know, does America’s Got Talent and she was a judge here on X-Factor last year, so uhm, yeah, we’ve all had experience judging and personally, I didn’t know because I just I feel it’s important to kind of established who you are with the judge, you know, so uhm I kind of just wanting to, uhm, wanted to find out for myself but then, but it is lovely that all of us girls have had opportunities and we’re very supportive with each other.
Question: Do you still have all of your entire tracksuit from the Spice Girls?
Melanie C: *giggles* I don’t have all of them. But yeah, I kept some, we still have all our costumes from the different shows that we’ve done and I think it would be nice to maybe, you know, sell them for charities or get them to some Hard Rock café or something and but yeah, it’s funny looking back at those old clothes, lots of memories.
Question: would you like to pass some down to your daughter?
Melanie C: *giggle* well, I keep the old things for her and yeah but she probably, if she’s so tall I just think that my clothes are probably fit her when she’s eleven. And uhm I mean, and then past that she’s gonna, especially when she’s, I think she’s gonna have quite big feet. So unfortunately, all my lovely shoes she might not be able to have.
Question: You did several collaboration with great artist. Any possibility of working with an Asian artist like Vaness Wu.
Melanie C: Oh gosh, I would love too! I mean we have had such great time and we worked together in January filming the auditions and we just immediately all paid off, and idol David, Anggun and Vaness, I mean, you know, we kind of have a mess around back stage and a did a little play and we sing and I think a collaboration would be, you know, with all of the guys would be very brilliant!
Question: I would like to know how is your chemistry with other judges in Asia’s Got Talent. Is there anyone that you know have, you know, perhaps close to you and Anggun? I would like to know how was your chemistry with Anggun?
Melanie C: Hmm, you know I think we were a really good team, we are all, you know, very experienced, we’ve had wonderful careers and, you know, it just work, it’s a great dynamic I absolutely adore Anggun, we both have daughters of a very similar age, and we have a lot of common, you know, which is really nice. I think the good thing about this particular judging panel is we have a lot of respect for each other and I think it’s the first time they got talents panel has been made of all performers so, you know, it’s interesting is like everybody has the experience and the knowledge of what is like to be up on that stage and I think it gives this particular show, uhm, the edge of what really got talents of the world.
Question: What are you looking forward to seeing or learning anything from the show?
Melanie C: I’m looking forward to, uhm, you know, already, I’ve seen incredible things and there were particular act that we have put to the semi-finals that I just can’t wait to see them again and I can’t wait to see what are they going to do next, we literally, in their audition we have laughed, we have cried, we’ve been amazed, we’ve been able to not look at certain things, I mean, every emotion was experienced on those days and I think myself, any of the judges now was so excited for the show to air, and so people to see the wonderful act there, there are lot of laughs as well. so it will be lovely to have it all go out people to see and see how it should ..
Question: How is your experience with the Spice Girls, the biggest girl group in the world, considering being the judges of mentoring the talent, and also I would like to know what’s your other activities besides, right now or in the future for Asia’s Got Talent?
Melanie C: I’m actually working on a new album here in the UK, so yeah, when I’m not over in Asia. Uhm I’m hovering away the studio here and yeah I mean other than that, that’s kind of my priority after the show and because I continue to make music as a solo artist and I love to perform live so uhm yeah it’s time for me to make new records.
I think its, uhm you know, it’s invaluable, you know, it’s the kind of thing that, you know, I’m so fortunate that I’ve had that experience and I’m able to put it to good use, you know, it’s something I’ve learned so much over the years. That it’s nice to be able to give some advice to young performers and, you know, hopefully will help them in their journey as well.
Asia’s Got Talent premieres on 12 March at 8:05 P.M. (SG, MY, PH) / 7.05pm (JKT), subsequent episodes air on Thursdays at 8:30 P.M. first and exclusively on AXN.
