Three decades since Girl Power took the world by storm, Spice Girls' former manager, Chris Herbert, spilled some behind-the-scenes gossip to Betway.
He was the son of Bob Herbert, a music talent manager, and set up his own company aged 21. Their first project in 1994, was to make an all-girl pop group. He ultimately auditioned 600 girls before narrowing it down to Mel B, Mel C, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham.
How The Spice Girls Were Formed
Herbert spoke to the outlet about putting together the girlband, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each girl. Herbert revealed that Mel B "really stood out" during auditions. “Initially, it was her look,” he recalled.
“She stood out in the crowd. She dressed the part, looked cool, looked confident and carried herself brilliantly. Then I started talking to her. The remarkable thing is that Mel B hasn’t really changed since the day I met her. Over the years, they’ve all naturally grown into their public personas, but Mel B has always been exactly who she is," he explained, calling the singer and reality TV judge "down-to-earth" and "never pulls any punches."
He also noted how differently Victoria Beckham "carried herself" during her audition. "There was a grace and maturity about her that stood out immediately. She sang "Mein Herr" from Cabaret, which was a really unusual choice because everyone else was performing current pop songs. She felt comfortable singing something completely different. She was lovely, really charming, and I was very impressed.”
When asked who had to work harder on their singing and dancing, Herbert admitted Geri Horner (then known as Halliwell) wasn't a "natural." But, despite her lack of natural popstar abilities, their former manager admitted she "embraced the challenge" and put the work in.
He previously told Febe that Geri had the "X-factor" when she walked into the room. "In my career, I’ve never worked with anyone as ambitious and driven as Geri. If she walked into a room of 50 people, she’d have this internal heat-seeking camera that picked out the ones who could make a difference to her career."
The Spice Girls - Melanie B, Melanie C, Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams And Emma Bunton, The Spice Girls - Melanie B, Melanie C, Geri Halliwell, Victoria Adams And Emma Bunton (Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images)Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images
The manager also worked with Five, Hear'Say, B*Witched and Honeyz, although he is still best known for putting together the Spice Girls. What did creating one of the most famous bands in pop music history teach him? Well, that you can't fast-track the process and rush perfection.
"Whenever we’ve skipped that groundwork, it’s caused problems further down the line because the group hasn’t had the time to become a proper unit," Herbert explained.
He added: "Eventually, cracks started to appear because the foundations were never properly built. With the Spice Girls, that year of development was absolutely fundamental to the success they went on to achieve."
Chris Herbert Only Managed The Band For Eighteen Months
Spice Girls, portrait session in Paris, France, September 1996. L-R: Mel C, Victoria Adams, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Mel B. (Photo by Tim Roney/Getty Images)Photo by Tim Roney/Getty Images
Despite putting the band together, the Spice Girls walked away from Chris Herbert after just eighteen months.
The girlband wanted to jump straight into a single and tour, while Herbert had other plans. “They became frustrated because we’d rehearse the same routine every day. Drilling and drilling, vocal coaches, choreography. Ultimately, there was a mutiny. They walked out," he told Febe.
The split hurt Chris as he and the girls had formed a genuine friendship. “But I didn’t feel bitter because I knew I could repeat the process. So, I vowed to myself: I’m going to do this again.”
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