Ok, and we're ready! Hello Mel C! Sorry we had to keep you waiting on the line a little there...

Oh, it's okay! It was interesting to hear your news.. you know more stuff about England than I do!

Hahaha! There you go! Yeah, I was just saying on the air before and you know it yourself when you know, a newspaper does an article with you and they're all nice and warm and friendly with you and then like, you know you read the article the next day and it's just a bunch of crap that you never said. Do you know what I mean?

Ah, absolutely. Not only that, not only things you didn't say. Sometimes they say you've spoken to them and you haven't.

Yeah, you haven't even spoken to them in the first place.

Yeah.

So do you ever bother setting about to set the record straight or do you just let it go because there's too many stories out there to even bother with?

Well over the years you know I've really been able to, I dunno. You never get used it, but I suppose you expect it. But quite recently there was a slanderous piece written about me in the newspaper, and it was concerning a friend of mine as well and her family were involved, and things like that and there just so, it was so, so many lies are printed and so much you know was out of order that I did. I was going about sueing the newspaper. You just can't, you can't win them.

But I guess people do want to find out the gossipy stuff and there have been a lot of things written about your sexuality lately. Is there anything you just, you know, you won't touch? That you just give a no comment to or I mean..

Ehm... no I mean really, with the whole sexuality thing you know, I just thought it was quite comical at first, but now it's starting to bother me because I've got a lot of fans who are gay, you know they often ask me when I'm gonna come out, the thing is I'm not gay, I'm never gonna come out and it's unfair that the newspapers portray me as a liar. You know I'm not a liar. I'm not decieving anybody and I'm just sick and tired of them saying that. So that's what I had to. I did actually put the record straight in one magazine over here.

Sure. So if you were gay you'd have no drama coming out then, it wouldn't be an issue for you at all, cos I know that..

Not at all. I think... you know the kind of person that I am, if I was gay I would be very proud and I would be fighting for the cause.

Yeah, yeah.

But the thing is I just don't happen to be gay, that's all.

So why do you think they're saying these things continually then, and questioning your sexuality. Like why do you think they're pinpointing you?

I think firstly all this interest in me has been since my solo record has been so successful especially with the last single, "Never Be The Same Again", so it's like I suppose they think you sell records you sell newspapers. You know and there's not really a lot to be said about me because I do spend most of my life working and I don't really go to many celeb parties with boys on my arm. So I suppose it's obvious isn't it, there's not much left to write about me.

Okay, listen moving onto other things and better things, and I say better or positive things, you went number 1 in the UK. Well done!

Yes, thank you very much.

So uh, I mean this is your first solo number 1 in the UK, is that correct?

It is.

Right, okay!

Fantastic though. I was so pleased, but I think something else which is even better than that is that it's been successful all over Europe and even in... did it get to Number 3 in Australia?

The single? Yeah, it's been really successful here people love it.

Yeah, so that's my biggest hit over your way.

Yeah.

So that's cool, and you know if people are interested in Melanie C, then I'll be back to do some live shows later in the year.

You know I gotta tell you. When I saw you doing "Goin' Down" and then "Northern Star". "Northern Star" is one of those songs that actually grows on you, you know about 3 or 4 listens down the track. So I think the song should have been more successful over here for you than it has been. Was it a hit in the UK?

Yeah, I think all my singles have been very successful. The first two singles were in at number 4 in the UK charts, and hung around for ages and "Never Be The Same Again" is getting greater play and it's just really broke the album again which is great, you know cos i wanted to be able to appreciate it, because it is a great album.

Absolutely. Any more new tattoos?

Yes actually. But it's only tiny. I've got a star on my hand. It's my little northern star.

Oh, ok. Have you got to the stage where you're thinking, well maybe I have a bit too many now?

Well for the first time ever I started thinking.. 'OHH!! What am I gonna look like when I'm old?'

Yeah. Doesn't matter.

But that's hopefully then.

Yeah, but that's the old fallicy though about tattoos. It's like you know it's like convicts and criminals have them, but now I think that they're very fashionable. I think that when you get older, you'll still have your individuality. [Melanie C laughs] What do you think? Does that make you feel a bit better?

Well talking about convicts and criminals..

Hahaha, Oh no! Don't talk about me though! No you know what I mean, you know when people used to think that bikies would have tattoos.

Yeah, I think now it's a lot more accepted in our society, and I suppose there'll be a lot of us getting old with um.. with drawings on us.

That's right. It'll be the thing, you know like cos I like love tattoos too and I always wanna go get another one and every time I get another one I think 'Oh God, what about when I get older.' That you know.. but by that stage they'll invent something where you can get rid of them, quite quickly and painlessly.

Yeah, easy! But you know what will happen is that they'll become so out of fashion and when we're old new people are like 'oh no! Can you believe they used to do that to themselves!'

Either that, or you know how everything goes around comes around. By the time we're 80 we'll be hip again. People go 'woah! Check out those hip old dudes! Look at the flared pants and the tatts!' [Melanie C laughs] Hey listen, could I get you to speak to a couple of your fans? Is that ok Mel?

Yeah.

Okay, Mel C's still on the phone and about to talk to Fiona. Go ahead Fiona.

Fiona: Hello Mel C! How are you?

I'm good. How are you?

Fiona: I'm well, thanks.

Good.

Fiona: I've got a question for you.

Oh, what do you wanna know?

Fiona: I wanna know what inspired you to work with Left Eye and who are you planning on working with in the future?

Ehm.. well TLC has always been a really, you know, an exciting group for me and they were very influential in when the Spice Girls first got together and Left Eye was always my favorite and I think she is in my opinion the best female rapper around at the moment. Just with her rhythm and style. It was just really lucky that she happened to be in the same place, you know that I was in, and it all just came together like that really.

Ok, lets go to Sarah. Mel is on the phone, go ahead.

Sarah: Oh hello Melanie!

Hi Sarah, what do you wanna know?

Sarah: I was gonna say my favorite song on your album is "If That Were Me", because it brings out a really good message. I was wondering, what's your favorite song?

Ehm, wow. It's really hard because you know I'm fond of them all, but I think at the moment "Why" is my favorite one cos it's quite dramatic. And sometimes when I'm feeling a little self-indulgent, you know and it's one of them ones where you know you go up to your bedroom and you're sulking, you can really scream that one into your pillow. So I like that one at the moment.

There you go Sarah. Listen hold on one second, and everytime you hear that song now you'll know that Mel is singing it specially for you.

Sarah: Yeah, thanks.

Hehe

Let's go to Krystal. Melanie's on the phone, go ahead.

Krystal: Oh, hi Mel C. I'd just like to say congratulations on the mega success you've had as a solo artist. It's so amazing.

Thank you very much!

Krystal: If a TV show or movie producer made you an offer to use one of your songs on their show or movie, would you accept it?

Ehm, I think if it was right. You know if it was something that I thought was a good project, and it was relevant that the song was used. I wouldn't just do it for the sake of it. You know if it worked in the context of the song and the movie or whatever, then definitely, yeah.

Krystal: What show would you like it to be on if you were given a choice? Like one that you actually liked.

Well, I'd love to do a James Bond theme tune. I think loads of artists would like that.

Yeah, they would. It's the epitomy isn't it?

Yeah definitely. Um.. Gosh I don't know. I mean "Ga Ga" was on the Big Daddy soundtrack. I don't know if you saw that but that was an Adam Sandler movie which was really funny, so I was happy to be in that film.

Right, well hang on cos I wanna find out the inevitable rumors about the Spice Girls breakup. We'll talk about that in just a moment with Mel C on the countdown.

[break]

Ok, about to wrap it up with Mel C. Thanks to the folks that called up to ask questions. Now listen, I've been bettin' with Jack(co-host) that it's the last one for the Spice Girls, so hey.. what's the update?

Yeah man. We've just finished writing and recording the album in Miami and it's just all that needs to be done now is for it to be mixed. We'll have a single out towards the end of the summer, and the album will be out in the autumn.

So no truth in the rumors again this year?

Well come on, they've been saying that since "Wannabe" haven't they? [Ugly Phil laughs] 6 years.

Listen all the best, thank you so much again for speaking with us, well done on the single and hopefully we'll see you in Australia soon.

Thank you. Yeah, we'll see you around.. hmmm... November. Hopefully we'll be over there.

November?

Yeah, when the weather starts getting warm!

Heh, yeah. Exactly!

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