Melanie C Returns to Her Rave Roots with 'Sweat', a Dance Album Born from Heartbreak and New Love

Key facts

• Melanie C's ninth studio album 'Sweat' was released on May 1, 2026.
• The album features 13 tracks described as thumping, slick, sensual and stylish.
• Melanie C began DJing eight years ago, reconnecting with her early 1990s rave days.
• She met Australian model and screenwriter Chris Dingwall via celebrity dating app Raya in late 2023.
• The album's creation coincided with the end of a previous relationship and the beginning of her new romance.
• Melanie C's barbell bench press is 38kg and dumbbell bench press is 40kg.
• The Spice Girls' single 'Wannabe' reached No. 1 in the UK in 1996, sparking Spice mania.
• Melanie C performed a Sex Pistols cover at V99 festival, incorporating 'Anarchy in the UK' with altered lyrics.

From Rave to Rave: The Return to Club Roots

Melanie Chisholm, known to millions as Sporty Spice, releases her ninth studio album 'Sweat' today, a full-circle return to the dance music that first captivated her as a teenager. The 13-track record, out May 1, marks a deliberate shift toward the club, drawing on the thumping, slick and sensual sounds of the early 1990s rave scene. Chisholm discovered house music on her first holiday without parents, a trip to Spain's Costa Brava with three girlfriends who called themselves the 'F**king Yeah Four'. That experience led her to clubs like Berwick Manor in Essex and The Cross in King's Cross, where she found self-expression and freedom on the dance floor. Though her rave days were put on hold when the Spice Girls launched, Chisholm reconnected with that world eight years ago when she began DJing. 'It reconnects me with that 17-year-old who used to go out raving,' she said. 'I get the opportunity to play the music I love. I dance my socks off and I get paid. It's bloody brilliant.'

A Soundtrack of Heartbreak and New Love

The album's lyrical content is deeply personal, charting the end of a long-term relationship and the beginning of a romance with Australian model and screenwriter Chris Dingwall, whom she met via the celebrity dating app Raya in late 2023. Chisholm describes the creation of 'Sweat' as occurring 'at the cross-section of the end of a relationship, the unentanglement of that situation, which sadly often gets a little bit nasty, and meeting somebody new, falling in love, that relationship evolving. It's the whole ride.' Songs like 'Good For Nothing' are both funny and brutal, and Chisholm acknowledges that someone will recognize themselves in the lyrics. 'Anger is my energy, my emotion this time around; it brings out an untapped side of me sometimes. I'm not a confrontational person, so it's good to get those feelings out,' she said. The album's title track, 'Sweat', leans into an '80s vibe, inspired by the first album she ever bought: 'The Kids From 'Fame' on vinyl from Woolworths.

The Spice Girls Legacy and a Career of Reinvention

Chisholm has enjoyed more second acts than any other Spice Girl, transforming from Sporty Spice into Indie Spice, Theatre Spice, DJ Spice, and now Club Spice. Her solo career began with 1999's 'Northern Star', largely written and recorded in Los Angeles, where she also worked with producer Rick Rubin on two tracks. It was during that time that Rubin played her 'Emit Remmus', a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis about her. 'I was a little bit embarrassed because it's a bit saucy. But I was so flattered because I'm a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fan,' she recalled. She also had dinner with Madonna in 1998 after the Spiceworld tour. The Spice Girls' 'girl power' phrase, Chisholm noted, may have been borrowed from the band Shampoo, who had a single called 'Girl Power' in 1996. 'I don't really remember how we ended up going with it. But we loved Shampoo. We were big fans,' she said.

The Moment Everything Changed: Spice Mania and Its Aftermath

The moment Chisholm knew life would never be the same came in 1996 after the Spice Girls returned from Japan. 'Wannabe' had been released in the UK and entered the charts at No. 3, but after two weeks away, it had climbed to No. 1 and stayed there. 'When we came back, everything had changed. There were fans at the airport. That was when Spice mania really hit,' she said. Despite the fame, the schedule was brutal. 'All of my wildest dreams were coming true through being part of the Spice Girls, real life was put on hold. The schedule was brutal. There was very little time for socialising,' she said. The tabloid media and paparazzi made it impossible to go out, so the group kept a low profile. Chisholm's tattoos, which were among the most visible on a female pop star at the time, were part of her image. She got her first tattoo at Tattoomania in Los Angeles with the other Spice Girls, picking designs off the wall. 'It's a strange relationship you have with your body and your image when you're young and in the public eye,' she reflected.

Fearlessness as a Mantra: 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?'

A track midway through 'Sweat' titled 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?' encapsulates Chisholm's approach to her career. 'I think 'what could possibly go wrong?' has been like a subconscious mantra from day dot,' she said. 'We had no money, we had no experience, we had no contacts. What could possibly go wrong? But we had belief and we had ambition and we had determination and everything we wanted, we achieved.' That fearlessness was evident early on. At the V99 festival, she performed a cover of the Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy in the UK', changing the lyrics to 'I am an antichrist. I am a sporty spice.' The performance was a 'baptism of fire' — she received bottles and possibly urine thrown at her, but she continued. Chisholm also addressed a line from her 2000 single 'If That Were Me': 'I couldn't live without my phone, but you don't even have a home.' She has no regrets. 'Now, it's really freaking true,' she said.

What Comes Next: Touring and a New Chapter

With 'Sweat' released, Chisholm is preparing for a tour that will take her across the United States, Europe and the UK this summer and fall. Her goal is to spread the happiness she feels in her current life. 'I'm really happy,' she said, and the album reflects that contentment. The tour will mark another chapter in a career that has spanned three decades, from Spice Girls to solo stardom to DJing. Chisholm, now in her 50s, shows no signs of slowing down. 'There have been moments in my personal life when I've felt lacking in confidence and sometimes that's come through musically, so I regret that. But not on this new record,' she said. As for the Spice Girls' future, Chisholm remains proud of the group's legacy. When asked which spice she would be, she chose 'five spice' — a little bit of everything. 'I'm really proud of all the different things I've done in my career,' she said.

The bottom line

• Melanie C's ninth album 'Sweat' is a dance record rooted in her early 1990s rave experiences, released May 1.
• The album documents the end of a previous relationship and the start of a romance with Australian model Chris Dingwall, met via Raya in late 2023.
• Chisholm has reinvented herself multiple times since the Spice Girls, including as a DJ for the past eight years.
• Her fearlessness, encapsulated in the mantra 'What could possibly go wrong?', has driven her career from Spice Girls to solo success.
• The Spice Girls' 'girl power' phrase may have originated from the band Shampoo's 1996 single of the same name.
• Chisholm's upcoming tour will cover the US, Europe, and the UK in summer and fall 2026.