The Spice Girls: Then and now

With a musical featuring songs by the British pop band in the works, here’s a look at the songstresses’ careers since their hit “Wannabe” topped the charts in the late ’90s.

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The all-female pop group the Spice Girls formed in 1994 and were soon signed by Virgin Records. The five members adopted nicknames, which they are often referred to as today: Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown, Melanie “Sporty Spice” Chisholm, Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton, Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell and Victoria “Posh Spice” Adams.

Doug Kanter / AP

Their first single, “Wannabe,” reached number one in the United Kingdom and 30 other countries. In the United States, the song became the highest debut ever for a British band, topping the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Jon Adams / AP

Their first album, 1996’s “Spice,” became the best-selling album by a female music group ever.

Mike Stephens / AP

Geri Halliwell left the band in May 1998, though all five members rejoined for a reunion tour in 2007.

John Stillwell / AP

Emma Bunton debuted her first solo album, “A Girl Like Me,” in 2001 and her second, “Free Me,” in 2004. In 2010 she joined the judging panel on the celebrity ice-skating reality TV show “Dancing on Ice,” and is expecting her second child with R&B singer and chef Jade Jones.

Jonathan Short / AP

Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton, left, and Melanie “Sporty Spice” Chisholm show their award for best group — their second in as many years — at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Luca Bruno / AP

Melanie Chisholm released her first solo album, “Northern Star,” in 1999, and has since sold 12 million records as a solo artist.

Jim Ross / AP

Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown performs, with Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton on the video screen, at the Zurich Hallenstadion at the beginning of 1998’s Spice Girls World Tour.

Christoph Ruckstuhl / AP

Melanie Brown has released two albums, 2000’s “Hot” and 2005’s “L.A. State of Mind.” She has also been a judge on the British and Australian versions of “The X Factor” and the Australian version of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Evan Agostini / AP

Victoria Beckham — she changed her last name from Adams after marrying soccer star David Beckham in 1999 — released her eponymous solo debut album in 2001, the same year she appeared, here, on the German-language television show "Wetten dass..?"

Jens Meyer / AP

After pursuing a solo music career, Victoria Beckham transitioned into fashion, making her first appearance as a model in London Fashion Week in 2000, and debuting her own line at New York Fashion Week in 2008. She recently partnered with the eyewear brand Cutler and Gross; their collaboration will debut in October.

Evan Agostini / AP

Geri Halliwell poses during a news conference in New York promoting “Look at Me,” a single off her 1998 solo debut album “Psychophonic.”

Stuart Ramson / AP

Since starting her solo career in 1998, Geri Halliwell has released two more albums, published a children’s book series around title character Ugenia Lavender and written two memoirs.

Paul Jeffers / AP

The Spice Girls reconnected in 2012 to launch “Viva Forever,” a musical based on their songs, which will open in December 2012.

Ian West / AP

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

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