Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, television personality, and actress. She rose to prominence in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, where she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group in history. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2000, before reuniting for a greatest hits album in 2007 and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019). Mel B debuted as a solo artist in 1998 with the release of "I Want You Back" which peaked atop the UK Singles Chart. Her debut solo studio album, Hot (2000), produced the successful singles "Tell Me" and "Feels So Good". Her second studio album, L.A. State of Mind (2005), spawned the single "Today". Mel B released "For Once in My Life" in 2013, her first single in eight years; it peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Since 2007, Mel B has established herself as a television personality and talent show judge. She participated on the fifth season of the American dance competition series Dancing with the Stars (2007), finishing in second place with her professional partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Between 2011 and 2016, Mel B served as a guest and main judge on the Australian and British shows of The X Factor. In 2012, she co-presented the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars for one season. Mel B has also judged on America's Got Talent (2013–2018, 2025–present), The Voice Kids Australia (2014), The Masked Singer Australia (2022–2023), Queen of the Universe (2023), and America's Got Talent: Fantasy League (2024). From 2016 to 2018, she co-presented Lip Sync Battle UK alongside rapper Professor Green. Mel B was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to charitable causes.