Wander behind the scenes during the tapings of The Voice Australia’s blind auditions and you’ll witness plenty of pre-show jitters, mixed with a healthy dose of passion from the budding contestants looking to prove themselves – and their talent – to the panel of coaches.
And this year, there will be one coach sitting with her hand on her big red buzzer who remembers those feelings all too well.
In fact, in March 1994, Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm was the one auditioning for her own shot at fame, not knowing that the journey ahead would see her become one-fifth of the bestselling girl group of all time.
A little more than three decades and 100 million records sold later, ‘Sporty Spice’ can’t help but reflect back on the “magic of that time” when she sees those who have come to audition for The Voice Australia.
“I know myself and the other Spice Girls – when we talk about the very beginning and getting together and releasing our first song – that time for us, it held such a special place in our hearts,” Mel C tells WHO when we sit down to chat ahead of the new season’s premiere.
“[The feeling that] anything’s possible. You don’t know what the future holds.”
Certainly, the star could never have predicted the success that the Spice Girls would have in their short six years together and in the decades since.
“The beginning’s so exciting, and then the ride was incredible,” she recalls. “And then when you reflect back, like when we got the opportunity to tour [together again] in 2019, we could fully appreciate it and be present in a way that [you can’t] when you’re caught in the eye of the storm – it’s a bit like you’re in survival mode.”
Reflecting back has also allowed Mel C to see how much she has to offer the aspiring artists as she joins the Voice Australia coaching panel for the first time this year.
“What I enjoy more than anything is the mentoring side of things,” she admits.
“The parts of the show where you have to really talk yourself up, I’m not that comfortable with that. But then I think about it, and it’s like, ‘Wow, I have so much experience – whether it’s in the studio, on stage, working with other artists.’ I realise I do have a lot of advice. And I have learned a lot over the years from all the different things that I’ve done.”
Talking yourself up doesn’t seem necessary when you’re a Spice Girl, and Mel C acknowledges being part of the girl group has certainly played in her favour when competing against fellow coaches Ronan Keating, Kate Miller-Heidke and Richard Marx for contestants to join their respective teams.
“We don’t really tread on each other’s toes until we have a singer we really want. And then, of course, the big guns come out to play,” she says with a laugh. “And, yeah, sometimes my fellow coaches do find it hard to top my Spice Girl.”
That dash of rivalry aside, Mel C says it’s been “really fun” working with them all. T
he singer has looked to returning coach Kate for guidance and admits she’s “a little bit in awe” of Richard. As for Ronan?
“I’ve been really impressed with Ronan, actually, because obviously, I’ve known him for so long and I sometimes refer to him as my annoying little brother, but he’s brilliant on the show,” she shares. “It’s really interesting to see how everybody plays the game. We’re all very different, which is good.”
Besides her fellow coaches, Spice Girls bandmate Melanie Brown – who has become a regular face on Aussie reality TV through her previous roles on The X Factor Australia and, more recently, The Masked Singer Australia – was also “full of advice” when she learned Mel C was heading to Oz for The Voice Australia.
“The problem is with me and Melanie, we’re so different,” she admits. “She’s such the disruptor. I love her on TV, she’s great TV. But obviously, I have to do things my own way.”
With her pop star pedigree, it would be safe to assume that Mel C could have had her pick of reality competition shows across the globe.
But she admits that out of them all, The Voice is her favourite.
“I just think it’s a really nurturing show for talent,” the singer-turned-DJ explains. “I was just so happy to be asked, especially here in Australia, because it’s a country I love to visit. I love to work here. I love to play here. So it was ticks all around for me.”
The fact she could also spend “a nice chunk of time” with her Aussie beau, actor and model Chris Dingwall, appears to have only added to the appeal.
“It definitely helps, doesn’t it?” she says with a wink, when asked whether that connection to Australia played a factor in signing on.
“Working here, being here as a Spice Girl, then as a solo artist, in a theatre production and, more recently, touring as a DJ – it’s just lovely, because there was a time in the ’90s when it was rare to get to Australia,” Mel C adds.
“And sometimes when you come in, if you’re doing shows or you’re doing promo, it’s in for a few days and out. So I’m enjoying living here.”
The 2025 season of The Voice Australia Season 14 premieres Sunday, August 10 at 7pm on Channel Seven and 7plus.
