When five become three. The Spice Girls released a video to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their iconic 1996 smash “Wannabe,” in which they introduced a new name that represents the group without Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham or Melanie “Sporty Spice” Chisholm.
As a trio now called GEM (an acronym for their first names), Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell, Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton and Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown took to YouTube to thank their loyal fans for making their first hit the highest-selling debut single by a female group in the history of pop music.
“We’ve been thinking, we have the best fans in the whole entire world,” Brown, 41, boasts at the beginning of the clip, while Halliwell, 43, says, “You’ve stood by us for 20 years, and we want to say a big thank you.”
Adds Bunton, 40: “We’ve had our ups and downs, but you’ve always been there.”
“And we want to celebrate and have a party,” Brown continues, teasing the “Spice Up Your Life” singers’ long-rumored reunion tour No. 2. “And when we do, you’re all invited!”
The 40-second video ends with large text written across the screen, suggesting that a big announcement is on its way. “Happy 20th birthday to all our fans,” the message reads. “This is a celebration for you! We hope to tell you soon, what you want, what you really really want. #WANNABE.”
The last time all five original members of the band — who embarked on their first reunion world tour, The Return of the Spice Girls, in 2007 — performed together was at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics in London.
As Us Weekly exclusively reported on March 25, the Spice World stars — well, three of them anyway — have been planning another highly anticipated reunion tour to mark two decades of Girl Power.
“This has been in the works for the past year,” a source explained to Us at the time. “The girls have long been keen to do a major reunion tour together.”
However, Beckham and Chisholm, both 42, are not completely on board with hitting the road again. A source told Us that Beckham, now a successful fashion designer and half of one of the most famous couples in the world, “doesn’t want to do it,” but another insider said, “There’s a small chance she’ll film something with them or make an appearance at a show here and there.”
While she isn’t ruling out her participation entirely, Chisholm is currently focused on her next solo record. “I am keeping tight-lipped. There are lots of discussions going on. Right now I am in the studio working on my own album, and that is my focus,” she told The Sun on July 6. “I’m taking it slowly.”
Watch the video above.
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