Spice Girl Melanie C talks about joining ITV's The Voice Kids coaching line-up

Forming one fifth of the world’s biggest-selling girl band, Spice Girls member and solo artist Melanie C has pulled off her fair share of live performances over the years.

Having sold more than 100 million albums as part of the group, her credentials make her the perfect addition to The Voice Kids coaching line-up.

Sitting beside her fellow mentors – singer Pixie Lott, McFly guitarist and vocalist Danny Jones and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am – Mel C replaces outgoing singer-songwriter Paloma Faith, who gave birth to her second child in February.

A spin-off of the show’s adult format, The Voice Kids sees the return of presenter Emma Willis, alongside the four coaches and the infamous red rotating chairs.

Guiding their respective teams of seven to 14-year-olds through the process, the kids battle through blind live auditions and competitive head-to-head showdowns in a bid to be crowned champion.

Ahead of the festive new series arriving on ITV this Christmas, we learn more about the show, and what her daughter Scarlet really thinks of the Spice Girls, from the 47-year-old Wannabe singer.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO JOIN THE VOICE KIDS?

I’ve always wanted to get my bum in one of those big red chairs. I was so excited because there is something very special and very magical about the young people that we see on the show. I naturally feel myself meeting younger artists, just trying to give them advice, you know? I feel a little bit maternal towards younger artists. So this felt like the perfect opportunity to become a bit of a mentor to some young people who have similar aspirations to the ones I had growing up.

WHAT IS THE TOUGHEST PART OF BEING A COACH?

The toughest thing on the show is not turning around, because those kids are so courageous and they are so brilliant. There are kids you don’t turn for either because you think they’re more suited to another coach or you think maybe they wouldn’t be ready – or simply it’s just not your taste. It was a challenge because you want to turn for everyone, you totally do.

HAVE THE OTHER COACHES BEEN WELCOMING?

All of the coaches – Danny, Pixie, and Will – I adore, they welcomed me with open arms. They were so helpful, they were so generous. And, you know, they kind of told me the tough bits, they told me the fun bits, they really held my hand through the process. It is competitive, so there were moments, but it was all in good humour.

PIXIE IS A BIT OF A SPICE GIRLS FAN WE HEAR?

Pixie was super excited to work with a Spice Girl. She’s that generation, she was a big Spice Girls fan growing up. So all the judges were lovely.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGES TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY SINCE THE SPICE GIRLS WERE NUMBER ONE?

I think the biggest thing that I noticed is how savvy younger people are. And you’re right it’s a completely different world. Not only how we make music, how we consume music, dealing with social media and all of this attention. So, it’s a very different kind of pressure to the pressures that myself and the Spice Girls had. And they seem to be navigating it well, I think. Maybe the generation before them have suffered through it being a whole ‘Brave New World’ but these upcoming kids seem to have a handle on things, I like to think a little bit better than we had.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE SPICE GIRLS THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME?

Wow, where do I start? Myself and the Spice Girls, we just feel so lucky that we had the opportunity to do the things that we did. It was a magical time. Everything came together. We just had these accidental situations that made us want to talk about girl power, to talk about equality, to really celebrate our individuality. I just think that really resonated with so many people. And it does seem to [have] stood the test of time.

YOU’VE EXPERIENCED THE INDUSTRY AS PART OF A BAND AND AS A SOLO ARTIST, HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

They’re so different. I feel so lucky because I feel like I’ve finally found a space where I am both at all times. I will always be a Spice Girl. And I’ll always be a solo artist. It took me a long time to realise they’re not two different sides of me. Being in a band, that’s great, but along with that comes a lot of pressure. You have pressure externally but you have pressure internally because you don’t want to let each other down. I know that went on within the Spice Girls and that can be difficult to live with at times.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF, KNOWING WHAT YOU DO ABOUT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TODAY?

I think I’ve probably only got a lot of my insecurities through becoming successful and I think it’s really important to hold on to who you are before anything begins. Because the essence of you never, ever changes. And sometimes the industry can push you and pull you and drag you into different directions. So, I just say no. Always be strong, remain true to yourself, and keep those people close who know you – your family, your friends. You can have lots of exciting adventures, but really the people who knew you before are the important people to help keep you grounded.

WHAT REMAIN THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS FROM THAT TIME?

There are those iconic moments like the Brits, the Union Jack dress, the Olympics, and even looking back more recently, the stadium shows in 2019. It was one of my proudest moments being on stage, I think, because we’d had enough time away that we could really fully appreciate it. And it was the first time it hit home for all of us girls, the impact that we’ve had on a generation of young people and how that was continuing.

WHAT DOES YOUR DAUGHTER THINK OF THE SPICE GIRLS?

She is very proud that mum is a Spice Girl. I mean, of course I’m still the most embarrassing person on the planet – my daughter is 12. So you know, that just comes with the territory. But I know she’s very proud of me as well. And I think she’s probably one of the most excited people when we start talking about the possibility of getting back on stage; we’d love to go back. And when we can, once things are a bit safer [and there’s] a bit more certainty in the world with the pandemic, it would be nice to get the Spice Girls back together. She would be the first in the queue getting her name on the guest list.

The Voice Kids returns to ITV on December 27, 28 and 29.