Born Melanie Janine Brown on the 29th May 1975, in Harehills, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, Mel B is singer, actress, TV personality and model, who sprang to prominence as Scary Spice, in one of the most popular music groups – The Spice Girls – from 1994 until 2000. The group grossed more than $800 million from their tours, and became a significant part of popular culture, launching several initiatives, while also being big supporters of the Girl power movement.
Have you ever wondered how rich Mel B is, as of early 2018? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Mel B’s net worth is as high as $10 million, earned through her successful career, active since the mid- ‘90s. However, she has had several problems with her finances, even at one time having less than $10,000 in her main account.
Mel Be Net Worth $10 Million
The daughter of Martin Brown, who is from Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and his wife, Andrea, an English native, Mel went to Intake High School in Leeds, where she studied performing arts, and even before finishing her studies entered the entertainment industry. Before making a name for herself, she was a part of the band Touch, and also worked as a dancer in resort town of Blackpool, Lancashire.
The Spice Girls was formed1994; Mel B, Mel C, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria (now) Beckham answered an audition invitation in The Stage magazine, and with 400 other women performed at Danceworks Studios in Mayfair, London. They were chosen as the four original members, and with the addition of Emma Bunton – Baby Spice – became a quintet. They struggled in the beginning, but after they ceased collaboration with Heart Management, The Spice Girls began a search for a new record label. After visiting a number of labels in London and Los Angeles, they finally struck an agreement with Virgin Records, and the quintet started working on their debut self-titled album, which came out in 1996, and became an instant hit, topping the charts in several countries, including the UK, Canada and the US, selling 23 million copies, which in large part increased Mel B’s net worth. The album was 10x platinum in the UK, and achieved diamond status in Canada and France.
The group continued to dominate the pop scene, releasing two more albums – “Spiceworld” (1997) which sold in 14 million copies, and “Forever” (2000) – before they went on hiatus. The Spice Girls reunited in 2007, and released one single “Headlines”, while also venturing on a tour, which became one of the biggest tours of 2008, as they had sold out The O2 Arena for 17 nights, and grossed around $70 million, while total ticket sales and merchandising contributed a massive $107.2 million. This also added considerably to Mel B’s net worth.
To speak of Mel B’s solo career, she actually made her debut in 1998 with the release of the single “I Want You Back”, a collaboration with Missy Elliott, which topped the UK chart and achieved silver status, further increasing her net worth. Her debut album came out in 2000 – “Hot” sold 100,000 copies, while it reached No. 28 on the UK chart. Her second album came out in 2005 “L.A. State of Mind”, but she didn’t have much success. She is now working on her third album, after in 2013 releasing the new single “For Once in My Life”, while in 2014 featuring on the song “Shine Bright”, performed by Terrell Thomas, Fresh I.E., and Bubba B.
Aside from singing, Mel B has also served as judge and mentor in several music talent shows, including “The X Factor”, “America’s Got Talent” and “The Voice Kids”, while she also competed in the dance competition show “Dance With the Stars”, teamed with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and finishing second overall. She had made many other appearances on television, all of which have added a significant amount to her net worth.
Mel B is also an actress, making her debut in 1993 in the long-running UK TV series “Coronation Street”, but after her career in music was set in motion, she left acting behind, though came back in 2003 with the role of Louise in the film “LD 50 Lethal Dose”, and the next year featured in the film “The Seat Filler”. In 2008 she starred in the thriller film “Telling Lies”, and in 2013 had one of her most prominent roles to date, as Cordelia in the television film “The Twelve Trees of Christmas”, so adding steadily to her net worth.
When it comes to her personal life, Mel B has had quite an interesting time; she was married to Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar from 1998 until 2000, and the couple have a daughter. Two years later she started dating Christine Crokos, drawing comments from people that Mel was lesbian, bisexual, though she didn’t respond to those comments. Their relationship lasted until 2006. The same year she started a relationship with film star Eddie Murphy, to whom she later bore a daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown. A whole lot negative attention came from this relationship, as Mel B was involved in tabloid stories, and Murphy even demanded a paternity test, which confirmed Eddie as the father of Mel B’s child.
In 2007, she started dating film producer Stephen Belafonte, and the two married in June 2007, in a secret ceremony, though had an official ceremony the following year. She and Stephen became parents to Madison Brown Belafonte in September 2011, but divorced in December 2017. She was ordered to pay Stephen $40,000 per month in spousal support, which has significantly affected her net worth negatively, although evidence during proceedings suggested that Mel B had spent a huge amount on an extravagant lifestyle. For the moment she is apparently single, and resides in Los Angeles, California.
Hot, Spice, L.A. State of Mind, Forever, Spiceworld, Greatest Hits, Reimagined
Music Groups
Spice Girls, Spice Girls, Spice Girls
Nominations
Brit Award for British Video, Brit Award for British Video, Brit Award for British Video
Movies
Spice World, LD 50 Lethal Dose, Telling Lies, The Seat Filler, Raw Spice, South Africa Freedom Day: Concert on the Square, Trouble Don't Last Always, Chocolate City: Vegas, Spice World, LD 50 Lethal Dose, Telling Lies, The Seat Filler, Raw Spice, South Africa Freedom Day: Concert on the Square, Trou...
TV Shows
Dancing with the Stars, The X Factor
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Trademark
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Yorkshire accent
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Frequently appears wearing halfshirts or corsets during her times with the Spice Girls.
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Quote
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[About being bi sexual] "I had a great five year relationship with a lovely lady who I still talk to to this day, and that's that. I mean, if it happened yesterday I would probably be saying something different. But I've been happily married to my husband for seven years."
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I live on my gut instinct.
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If my senses don't feel right then I don't do it.
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I live my life on self-belief and I live it partly on going with the flow.
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Whether I was dancing around the house with headphones on or on stage with the Spice Girls... I learned firsthand that dancing was the key to shedding off the pounds and keeping them off.
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I collect art. I just recently bought two gorgeous photographs of Marilyn Monroe by international photographer Eve Arnold and I know it sounds horrible but when she dies all her pictures are going to be worth triple. But I won't tell you how much I got them for - let's just say it was a lot.
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I know about investment. It's really obvious - you buy property, let it sit for a couple of years and then sell it and reinvest.
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Look, everything that you experience as a kid is the foundation of how you are today. I was brought up in a working class family in Leeds and when it comes to money both my parents worked hard and instilled the same attitude into me.
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I've always said that kids should enhance your life, not hinder your life, so I just try to make the most out of being with my kids. You have to have a life for yourself somewhere in the mix of being a wife and mum.
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Hopefully, next year if we can get everything sorted out and together.
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I'm well-travelled so I can see places coming up. I went to St. Croix in the West Indies at Christmas and it had been hit by a really bad tornado. Values there have gone down but I guarantee they will be up again in eight years. So I'll get in now while it's cheap as chips.
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The way that I live my life is on spontaneity.
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Sometimes I can be tactful and sometimes not. It all depends on the mood I'm in.
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I'm always down for a Spice Girls reunion. I love the Scary hair and platforms. Any time of day or night I'll be there.
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I'm overly excited to finally announce this amazing global partnership deal back home with EMI Music. I know I have mentioned doing music in the past but for legal reasons I was not in a position to release any new music.
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Love me or hate me, Scary Spice is back.
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I would love to have twins. I think there's something nice about having two babies, and they're there for each other their whole entire life.
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Fact
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In 2016 Mel B, Emma Bunton, and Geri Halliwell reunited as The Spice Girls for the 20th anniversary of "Wannabe". They are recording new music. A new album and tour are expected in 2017. Former Spice Girls members Victoria Beckham and Mel C opted to not take part in the reunion to focus on their own careers.
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Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 31, a daughter named Angel Iris Murphy-Brown on April 3, 2007. Child's father is her ex-boyfriend, Eddie Murphy.
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Gave birth to her 3rd child at age 36, a daughter named Madison Brown-Belafonte on September 1, 2011. Child's father is her 2nd husband, Stephen Belafonte.
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(June 6, 2007) Married for the 2nd time her boyfriend of 4 months Stephen Belafonte in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Shortly dated Eddie Murphy in 2006. They have a daughter together.
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Gave birth to her 3rd child at age 36, a daughter Madison Brown-Belafonte on September 1, 2011. Child's father is her now estranged 2nd husband, Stephen Belafonte.
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Dated Eddie Murphy in 2006. They have a daughter together.
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Gave birth to her 1st child at age 23, a daughter named Phoenix Chi Gulzar on February 19, 1999. Child's father is her now ex-1st husband, Jimmy Gulzar.
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Replaces fellow Brit and girl band-member Sarah Harding as the face and body of underwear label Ultimo. The contract earns her £100,000. [April 2008]
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Made a return to the music scene with the release of her first single in four years, "Today", released on 13th June, followed by the release of her second album, "L.A. State Of Mind", on 27th June. [June 2005]
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She's enjoying her succesful debut on Broadway with the lead role of Mimi in the world famous musical, "Rent". [June 2004]
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On 16th April 2004, she will officially join the cast of "Rent" at Broadway in New York. She will play the main role Mimi, until September 2004. [April 2004]
Following the low-key release of her second album "L.A. State Of Mind" in June 2005, Melanie returned to the US where she continued her acting career, famously turning down Live 8 for "acting commitments". Melanie has been busy writing a sitcom based on her life in LA, of which the scripts have now been delivered to the BBC, and is also planning a return to the music scene, following recent meetings with an A-list urban producer [August 2006]
Made her London West End theatre debut in Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" in February 2002.
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After a struggling solo career, Virgin Records and Melanie B parted company in July 2001. The Spice Girl says she wants to concentrate on her television career
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Winner of the 1997 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Group.
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Winner of the 1997 MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video, "Wannabe".