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.
