Thirty years ago, a simple bass riff followed by a chorus of laughter was enough to rock global pop. Wannabe felt good about its time: a very nineties mix of dance-pop and R&B, these choruses hammered more than sung and this completely invented word, which has become cult, which none of the five has ever really been able to explain: Wannabe. The title was established in more than thirty countries in just a few weeks, worn by five girls in low-rise jeans, platform shoes, colorful fringes and a simple message, repeated like a slogan: friendship first, everything else later.
From the soul ballad 2 Become 1 to the assertive italo-disco of Spice Up Your Life, the group navigates without complexes between genres, carried by an infectious energy and a message of emancipation. Thirty years later, their cult hit has accumulated nearly 1.5 billion plays on Spotify, but each of them has carved its own path.
Victoria, from Posh Spice to businesswoman
She is undoubtedly the one who changed my life the most. Having become a stylist after attempting a solo career without much fanfare, Victoria Beckham, married to British footballer David Beckham in 1999, now runs her own fashion house, praised by critics after her debut, which was nonetheless mocked. A Netflix documentary broadcast in October 2025 recounted, with an unusual sincerity for her, the years of debt and doubts behind the podiums.
But the start of 2026 also reminded him that fame comes at a price: a public falling out with his eldest son Brooklyn made British headlines.
Mel B, la Scary Spice increvable
Melanie Brown has never really left the screens: a talent jury around the world, from The X Factor to America’s Got Talent Australia, she tirelessly cultivates a media presence.
His first album, Hot, released in 2000 to relative indifference, enjoyed an unexpected second life in vinyl edition in April 2026, becoming one of the best sellers of the genre, like a revenge twenty-six years later.
Geri, the feather and the paddock
After leaving the group in 1998 in the middle of a world tour, Geri Halliwell built a career in her own way: solo albums, children’s best-sellers with the Ugenia Lavender saga and forays into the cinema alongside Orlando Bloom in Gran Turismo. She even stood out in a web series where she played Queen Elizabeth I, the former queen of England and Ireland.
Married since 2015 to Christian Horner, long-time boss of the Red Bull Formula 1 team, she continues to write, with the release of a fantastic novel starting a new trilogy.
Emma, the Baby Spice who became the voice of the morning
The youngest of the group chose discretion rather than the spotlight. Married to actor Jade Jones, author of a book of advice for young parents which became a best-seller, Emma Bunton has above all become a familiar figure on British radio, regularly hosting the morning show on the Heart station.
For his 50th birthday, in January 2026, it was Mel B and Mel C who surprised him with an emotional message live on the airwaves, proof that friendship, as Wannabe promised, “never ends”.
Mel C, the most disciplined of the five
Melanie Chisholm has never stopped recording: after Northern Star and its millions of copies sold, she followed up with solo albums until a ninth opus, Sweat, released in early May 2026. On May 2, in Leeds, her hometown, she had a surprise in store for her audience by bringing Mel B on stage to cover Spice Up Your Life as a duet.
There remains the question that has obsessed fans since 2012 since their appearance together at the London Olympic Games: will we one day see a total reformation? For now, only a t-shirt and a collector’s vinyl officially celebrate Wannabe’s 30th anniversary.
