Here's Why The Spice Girls Really Broke Up
Some of the most famous girl bands in the world include Fifth Harmony, TLC, The Pussycat Dolls, and of course, the Spice Girls. The five members of the iconic girl band — Ginger Spice (Geraldine Halliwell), Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm), Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham), Scary Spice (Melanie Brown), and Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) — helped to empower women all across the globe.
Britannica reports the band was formed by the girls responding to an advertisement for a girl group. In 1996 the band released their hit single, "Wannabe." It quickly topped the charts and put the Spice Girls on the map. Sporty Spice talked about her time in the band with ABC News, "We had this vision that we knew we wanted to be the biggest band in the world. We never entertained that we might not do it." The band continued to create successful music and tour around the world.
It wasn't until the late '90s before things began to take a turn for the Spice Girls. Members of the group began pursuing their own professional and personal ventures. When band members grow, they start to identify less with the band's music. Sadly, for fans of the Spice Girls, this is exactly what happened. In 2001, fans had to deal with the fact that the band they once loved had officially broken up, via Britannica. There was a lot of speculation as to why the band broke up, but at the end of the day, people simply grew up.
Ginger Spice left the band first
Several musicians in famous bands made their exit before the band officially called it quits. Fans were shocked when Ginger Spice, Geraldine Halliwell, did the same. Halliwell decided to leave the band in 1998 in the middle of a tour (via Wonderwall). The Mirror reported that at the time, Halliwell decided to exit the band because of "differences." For a long time, the Spice Girls never detailed the real reasons as to why Ginger Spice left.
Wonderwall reports, in her 2007 documentary, "Giving You Everything," Halliwell explained her decision to leave the Spice Girls. Halliwell shared that she had "given all" to the band. She said, "I felt like I didn't belong anymore. They didn't need me anymore really, and I definitely felt very redundant. I kind of threw in the towel and gave up."
The Daily Mail reported that Melanie Brown was particularly hurt because she decided to leave on her birthday. Brown shared, "I considered her as my best friend," continuing with, "That bothered me more than anything, she didn't feel like she could talk to me and just tell me what's going on. She was just gone." While it shook up Brown and the rest of the band, the remaining members tried their best to keep the Spice Girls going. The group decided to release their last album titled "Forever" in 2000, via Britannica. It was after the final album that the group went their separate ways.
Ginger Spice apologized for leaving the band
After the band called it quits, some group members pursued solo careers, and others decided to focus on their personal life, according to Distractify. Fans hoped the Spice Girls would reunite in the future, and it turns out, they would get what they wished for.
In 2019, the band decided to reunite and go on the "Spice World" tour, per Wonderwall. While it was exciting for fans, they were missing a key member. Victoria Beckham, Posh Spice, was not on the tour. Although Beckham was not there, fans were happy to see their favorite band reunite. Especially, because there was no tension with Geraldine Halliwell, Ginger Spice, and the rest of the band members despite her leaving.
It was on the tour that Halliwell decided to apologize for her abrupt exit from the band. BBC reported that the musician shared her apology in front of thousands of fans at Wembley Stadium at their final stop. She said, "I need to say something I should have said a long time ago. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left," she continued, "I was just being a brat. It is so good to be back with the girls that I love." The crowd erupted in cheers as Halliwell apologized, and her fellow bandmates seemed past the situation as they embraced one another. The Spice Girls were important parts of each other's lives and continue to be by each other's side.