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Emma Bunton

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Emma Bunton was born in 1976 in Finchley, in north London. She attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School and as a teenager played small roles in television series such as EastEnders and The Bill. Soon afterwards she joined a new girl group, put together from auditions after an advertisement in the trade paper The Stage in 1994. She took the place of a singer who had quickly dropped out and was the youngest of the five. The press gave her the nickname Baby Spice.

Music and breakthrough

The Spice Girls signed to Virgin Records in 1995. Their first single, Wannabe (1996), spent seven weeks at number 1 in England and reached number one in thirty-four other countries, including the United States. Eight more number 1 hits followed from the albums Spice, Spiceworld and Forever. With more than a hundred million records sold, the Spice Girls are the most successful girl group ever.

Influence

After the group Bunton began a solo career. Her first single, What Took You So Long? (2001), entered at number 1 in England straight away, and the album A Girl Like Me (2001) reached number four. On Free Me (2004) and Life in Mono (2006) she chose a sound that harked back to the 1960s, to Motown and to French pop. Her version of Downtown, the hit by Petula Clark, became a charity single for Children in Need in 2006. Afterwards she worked mainly as a judge on talent shows and as a radio presenter. Bunton shows how a pop group conceived as a concept nevertheless produced five personalities of their own that the public could tell apart.

Listening

Listening tip. In Wannabe, listen to how the five voices alternate: half-rapped lines, sung passages and a chorus that they deliver together. Try to pick out Bunton's light, high voice.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists