Formed in 1993, the group had their first hit in 1996 with the catchy Wannabe. A cleverly constructed image combined sex appeal with post-feminist self-confidence, and their self-titled album followed with many millions of copies sold around the globe. Part of their success was the individual members' appeal to different types of teenage fans. The five members, dubbed "Ginger", "Baby", "Scary", "Posh", and "Sporty" Spice (originally by a British pop music magazine aimed at teenage girls, though the nicknames soon became universal) , diverse appearance and class/cultural backgrounds ensured broad demographic appeal, along with any innate catchiness of the music various producers selected.
Several number one hits followed, particularly in Britain.
In 1997, their next album, Spiceworld, was released, with a film of the same name featuring many of the songs. The film was in the same vein as some of the Beatles films, a factor deliberately played on by director [Bob Spiers]? (the director of The Goodies, [Absolutely Fabulous]?, and Press Gang amongst other, notable British comedy successes) and the resulting film was a commercial success.
In 1998, one member, [Geri Haliwell]?, chose to leave the group to pursue solo projects. The group continued as a foursome, but they are currently (as of October 2001) in the middle of a long hiatus from recording and touring as a group, and each has released solo albums (with respectable commercial success, if not in the class of their group efforts), and several have had children. As their layoff extends, doubts grow that the group will likely not perform or record again.
Even by the standards of manufactured pop groups, the Spice Girls are generally regarded as very modestly musically talented. Nevertheless, their commercial success marked the trend at the time away from singer-songwriters and back towards production-line pop.
Members of the group:
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