Mel C was young, rich and famous. This is the advice Lionel Richie gave her

Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we’re told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they’re given. This week, he talks to Melanie C. The singer, songwriter and performer, 52, is also known as former Spice Girl Mel C, aka Sporty Spice. Her latest release, Sweat, is the highest-charting solo album by any member of the band.

MONEY

What was money like, growing up? My family’s from Liverpool and I grew up in a place called Whiston, in between Liverpool and Manchester, a  working-class area. There wasn’t much money around, and people worked really hard to just put food on the table and pay the bills. But we’re proud to be working-class: of our work ethic, of our community, of the way we  stick together.

What did you always have and what did you go without? We went without anything that was surplus to requirements. As a young kid, I went to dance class, but my mum and dad got divorced when I was, like, four, and finances changed a lot. Dance classes weren’t something my mum could afford, though they were something I went on and on about. Eventually, she found the money to get me there, which led to … this. Gosh, how different life is now.

Do you remember there being a point in your career where you thought, “Oh, I’m rich now”? When I got my first cheque from Virgin Records for £10,000 [in the mid-1990s]. I could go to JD Sports and buy whatever trainers I wanted that day.

Becoming rich so young can be a curse, too … Actually, it was very difficult. Being where I’m from, I didn’t know anybody with money. The Spice Girls became very successful, money started coming in very quickly, and I felt guilty.

Guilty. Why? I had this career – which was my ultimate dream – and I was being rewarded financially very well for it. I  was earning money that my relatives wouldn’t earn in a lifetime. Some of them were doing very hard manual labour, and I was getting up on stage and singing. Getting up on stage and singing doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s not work: it’s joy. It took me a long, long time before I didn’t feel guilty about the money I was earning.

What changed? Fame brings other things with it. I’ve  had some very difficult times – personally, emotionally, psychologically – and there can be hardships in this industry. It’s not all happiness and light. So that makes me feel less guilty.

What advice would you give to young pop stars on the rise? We were at an awards show, and Lionel Richie said to us, “Earn here [raises one hand] and spend here [lowers the other hand].” In other words, “Live within your means.” It stuck with all of us.

SEX

When I say “sex”, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? That I didn’t want to land on this topic  [laughs]. I think I’m a bit of prude  at heart.

And yet the video clip for Sweat – the lead single on your new album – is pretty steamy. Thank you for saying that! [Beams] What’s interesting about that is: I’ve never felt comfortable, as an artist and performer, being sexual. I was very comfortable being Sporty Spice; I didn’t have to be an overtly sexual performer. The most sexual I’ve ever been in my career is this video – which is interesting, given I’m now in my 50s.

Has it unlocked something? I think the older you get, the more comfortable you become in your own skin, and the fewer f—s you give. It’s a beautiful thing. We often talk about the negatives of ageing, and there are shit things. Physically, it’s harder to recover; things kinda fall apart. But the beauty of ageing is you do feel more courageous, and you care less about what people think. I don’t think I ever would’ve felt comfortable doing that video before now.

What first attracted you to your new husband, model Chris Dingwall? I mean, I can guess … I met him on [celebrity dating app] Raya, so of course it’s all about appearances! [Laughs] However, I was in the UK and he lived in Sydney, and I was like, “What’s the point? He lives on the other side of the world … but he is really hot.” Two-and-a-half years later, we’re married. Sometimes, it works. And he is beautiful to look at! But he’s a beautiful person as well. I hit the jackpot.

POLITICS

You once publicly disagreed with Geri Halliwell’s assertion that “Thatcher was the first Spice Girl.” Why was it so important to you to set the record straight? It was really difficult for me when she made that statement. Liverpool was affected very negatively by Margaret Thatcher being in power. Generations of my family had worked on the docks and the city was decimated, through the ’80s, by decisions she made. It was very hard for me to be tarred with that brush, but that’s one of the problems of being in a band.

Did that lead to a moment where you had to hold Geri’s hand and say, “I love you, but we’re going to have to disagree on this”? [Nods, laughs] “I love you, but don’t ever say that again.”

How do you feel the UK is going generally right now? Well, I’m very happy that we have a  new prime minister in Andy Burnham. He’s got charisma and he’s a human. I’ve been lucky enough to do some charity work with Andy. He’s from Liverpool and we’ve done lots of fundraising for Hillsborough [after the 1989 soccer stadium tragedy in which 96 people were killed]. Andy just feels like a human who cares about other humans. I think people like him are the kind we need in power.

Have you ever been approached to run for office, Melanie? Only the Office of Girl Power.

Melanie C will perform in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, November 11–15.

diceytopics@goodweekend.com.au

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