Geri Halliwell

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Halliwell (2020)

Geraldine "Geri" Estelle Horner (born August 6, 1972 in Watford , Hertfordshire , England ; née Halliwell ) is a British pop singer, songwriter , author and actress who became famous in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls ( also under their nicknames "Ginger Spice" and "Sexy Spice"). As a solo artist, she received four BRIT Awards nominations, released four number 1 singles in England and sold over 13.9 million solo records worldwide.

Beginnings

Halliwell is the daughter of Lawrence Halliwell (1922-1993), who has partly Swedish ancestors, and his Spanish wife Ana María (nee Hidalgo). She grew up in Watford. For a short while, Halliwell's mother tried to raise her as a Jehovah's Witness. When she was 14, she spent a summer as an exchange student with a Mainz host family .

Halliwell completed her A-Level from Camden School for Girls . Before starting her music career, she worked as a nightclub dancer in Mallorca ( Spain ), as a model, as a showmaster in the Turkish edition of Go Whole! and as a pin-up girl. After Halliwell became acquainted with the Spice Girls, nude photos of her appeared in several erotic magazines, including the British men's magazine Club International . In the December 2007 documentary Spice Girls: Giving You Everything , Halliwell reiterated that she only took “harmless topless pictures” in her opinion, despite numerous counter-evidence - including pictures in her own autobiography.

Musical biography

1994-1998: Ginger Spice

Halliwell became known as one of five members of the Spice Girls and was nicknamed "Sexy Spice" for her seductive outfits and stage costumes. However, she preferred to be called "Ginger Spice". “I always thought of myself as plump, not sexy.” Of all her flashy outfits, the most famous is the Union Jack dress she wore at the 1997 BRIT Awards .

She became known for her independent and feminist attitude. The group was one of the most successful in the 1990s, selling over 35 million albums with Spice and Spiceworld . Her debut single Wannabe became the first of nine number 1 hits in England and topped the charts in 41 countries worldwide, including Australia , Canada and the USA . Other successful releases included Say You'll Be There and 2 Become 1 from Spice and Spice Up Your Life , Too Much and Stop from Spiceworld . As a songwriter, Geri - as part of the Spice Girls - broke the record for the shortest time to get six number 1 singles in the UK: only 1 year and five months between the top rankings for Wannabe and Too Much ; the duo Lennon / McCartney needed an extra month from From Me to You to I Feel Fine .

On May 30, 1998 Halliwell left the band due to "differences with the band members". The first confirmation was her attorney's announcement to the media the following day. Their actions were controversial at the time, as their former band members were obliged to tour North America, which they finally did without Halliwell. Although she had already left the group, the Spice Girls released the video for Viva Forever with Halliwell as the animated character. For the following album Forever , the other band members wrote some songs that were understood as an homage to Halliwell, especially Goodbye and Let Love Lead the Way .

Solo career: Schizophonic

Geri Halliwell in Rome (2000)

Shortly after leaving the Spice Girls, Halliwell appeared in the 90-minute documentary Geri by Molly Dineen, which was broadcast on Channel 4.

In 1999 Halliwell started her solo career and released her solo album Schizophonic and, in advance, the single Look at Me , which was produced by her old friend Absolute. The single reached number 2 in the UK charts, just 700 units behind Boyzone's You Needed Me , and sold over a million copies worldwide. The other singles from the album Mi chico latino and Lift Me Up were number one hits in the British charts, with the latter selling better than What I Am by Halliwell's former bandmate Emma Bunton , which was also number 2. The fourth single Bag It Up also reached the top of the UK chart. Halliwell set another two records for the shortest time it took a female songwriter to score ninth and tenth number one singles in England. Lift Me Up topped the charts three years, three months and three weeks after Wannabe topped the first week, and Bag It Up also topped the top four months later. By comparison, it took Melanie C seven more months to reach her tenth number one songwriter with I Turn To You . Lennon and McCartney needed the shortest time, with three years, a month and three weeks between From Me to You and their tenth British number one hit paperback writer .

Halliwell showed her penchant for provocative advertising when she appeared at the BRIT Awards in 2000 with the song Bag It Up . She came out between huge, inflatable legs, where she then danced on a pole in a gigantic vagina. During the song, she tore open her shirt and stepped in stilettos over the backs of her undressed dancers, who all had pink-dyed hair.

Look at Me was released to American radio stations in late 1999, but was rarely played. With only one radio single, Schizophonic placed 42 on the Billboard 200, but fell off the charts just a month later. To date, this is the highest chart position that a Spice Girl could achieve there solo (Emma Bunton reached number 183 with Free Me and Melanie C with Northern Star number 208). The album went gold after selling over 500,000 copies. Mi chico latino did not have a noticeable impact on American radio and no further singles or albums were released in the USA. Schizophonic sold a total of 2.5 million copies worldwide.

At the time, Halliwell had a brief relationship with Chris Evans and an affair with Robbie Williams .

Second album: Scream if You Wanna Go Faster

Geri Halliwell performing with her song Scream if You Wanna Go Faster (2001)

In 2001 her second album Scream if You Wanna Go Faster followed . As on the previous album and in the Spice Girls days, Halliwell was involved in the composition and text of the album's title. The album was viewed more skeptically by music critics but was more commercially successful than Schizophonic . For the production Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels have included Steve Lipson, responsible. The album contained a cover version of the old Weather Girls title It's Raining Men , which was only added towards the end of the production, but was finally released as a pre-single. The title Feels Like Sex was originally planned as the first single, but remained only an album track. Also Circles Round the Moon was traded as a single because the song Halliwell at the UK music show CD: UK aufführte and already 12 "vinyl promos were sent to different clubs.

Halliwell's version of It's Raining Men was used in the soundtrack for Bridget Jones - Chocolate for Breakfast and the DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution 7thMix video game . The single became a huge international success; only the Lady Marmalade cover by Christina Aguilera , Lil 'Kim , Mýa and Pink sold more often in a global comparison in 2001.

Other singles were Scream if You Wanna Go Faster (8th place in England) and Calling (7th place in England). The latter was Halliwell's favorite song on the album. A French version, Calling (Au Nom de L'amour) has also been included. The album sold more than 1.3 million copies worldwide, but was not released in the United States.

In 2003 Halliwell landed at number 9 on the TV show 100 Worst Britons , the English version of the ranking show The 100 Most Annoying Germans .

Halliwell published two autobiographies, If Only (1999) and Just for the Record (2002), about her rise to star and tumultuous life as a celebrity. She also published two yoga DVDs Geri Yoga and Geri Body Yoga .

In 2002 Halliwell sat next to Pete Waterman and Louis Walsh on the jury of Popstars: The Rivals , from which the band Girls Aloud emerged .

Halliwell also pursued a television career in America. Through former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller , Geri sat on the jury of the American reality show All American Girl in 2003 and appeared as a guest reporter in tabloid magazines such as Extra , which deal with topics about celebrities. She also had a guest role in the television series Sex and the City and in the film Fat Slags (2004), which is based on the characters from the British comic magazine Viz (similar to MAD magazine ).

Third album: Passion

Geri Halliwell sings her hit Ride It (2005)

In 2004 Halliwell started a collaboration with the television station “Five” as the presenter of Party in the Park for the benefit of the charity “The Prince's Trust”, she was the presenter and main artist of the event Tickled Pink Girls' Night in Live! and made the documentary There's Something About Geri.

At the end of 2004 Halliwell returned to music with the single Ride It , which reached number 4 in the UK singles charts and number 1 in the dance charts. The single was not advertised everywhere, but reached high chart positions in various European countries, such as number 3 in Spain.

This was the first single from the third album Passion , which was supposed to be released in spring 2005 after a second single. However, several months passed before another single was released. During this time, Halliwell was apparently obliged to record more songs for their previously unreleased album, as their record company was unhappy with the setlist.

Halliwell planned their first solo tour with performances in England and Ireland, but poor management and tour planning, as well as pressure from the record company to record more songs and poor ticket sales caused Halliwell to cancel the tour.

Finally, a new single Desire was released on May 30, 2005, which was # 22 in the UK Singles Chart and # 1 in the UK Dance Charts. Shortly thereafter, the album Passion was released, which received little attention from critics and the public. In Great Britain, the album reached number 41. The placement was explained, among other things, by poor marketing. Rumors that Love Never Loved Me would be released as the third single from Passion did not come true.

Their so far last appearance as a solo artist had Halliwell on June 25, 2005, when it in the TV total Stock Car Crash Challenge the song Desire sang. In 2005 she was seen accompanying Richard Lugner at the Vienna Opera Ball .

After the last single and album flopped, Halliwell announced in November 2006 that they would never record a CD again. She said: "I had my chance and tried to take it, but that was probably not enough, and that's why I am ending my career as a singer for good!"

Spice Girls reunion

Geri Halliwell in a Union Jack Dress (2008)

On June 28, 2007, Halliwell and her former bandmates announced that they would be taking part in "The Return of the Spice Girls" tour, a world tour with all five members of the Spice Girls, where the band will be reunited with their original line-up for the first time since Halliwell left the band in 1998. On the tour Halliwell sang her solo title It's Raining Men . With the other members of the Spice Girls, Halliwell appeared in two commercials for the Tesco supermarket during the 2007 Christmas season .

Children's books Ugenia Lavender

On April 12, 2007 it was announced that Halliwell was able to conclude a contract for six children's books with the publisher Macmillan Children's Books. The books are about the nine-year-old Ugenia Lavender, who Halliwell came up with. In the adventures, Lavender is accompanied by characters based on celebrities among Halliwell's friends, including Victoria Beckham and Gordon Ramsay . A new song, the theme tune to the audio books, was also recorded. An official website was also set up.

politics

Even at the beginning of the Spice Girls, Halliwell emphasized the importance of political awareness: “You can look so good, a hundred times a day 'Girl power!' scream out the window or point the finger to some macho. As long as you have no idea who rules you and where it is going to lead you and your country, you are a stupid sheep trotting with the herd to the slaughterhouse. "In 1997, Halliwell stated during the UK elections:" I saw a lot of what Mrs. Thatcher did. She was definitely the first Spice Girl to rise from the daughter of a fruit and vegetable seller to prime minister. She was a real role model for a strong woman. ”She also claimed that she was closely associated with the Conservative Party , that Thatcher was a pioneer of“ girl power ”and was the“ sixth Spice Girl ”. In 1996 Halliwell said of Tony Blair : “Economic policy cannot be left to him. He's a slick marketing guy with no ideals. "

In 2001 Halliwell supported the British Labor Party . The reason they broke up was their admiration for Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie and "the wonderful example they both set as parents". Some political commentators mocked Halliwell's "quick" (5 years) change in political support and mocked the Labor Party for relying on famous supporters to inspire the electorate.

Private life

Halliwell with Christian Horner in London (2016)

Halliwell became the mother of a daughter in May 2006 from her relationship with director Sacha Gervasi .

On November 11, 2014, she announced her engagement to Christian Horner , team principal of Red Bull Racing , whom she married on May 15, 2015. Their son Montague George Horner was born on January 21, 2017.

Discography

Studio albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK
1999 Schizophonic DE52 (12 weeks)
DE 		AT30 (6 weeks)
AT 		CH31 (4 weeks)
CH 		UK4th
Double platinum
× 2
Double platinum

(63 weeks)UK

Initial Release: June 7, 1999 Sales: +3,500,000 US # 42,7week. gold
2001 Scream if You Wanna Go Faster DE29 (9 weeks)
DE 		AT30 (8 weeks)
AT 		CH22 (15 weeks)
CH 		UK5 (23 weeks)
UK
First published: May 14, 2001 Sales: + 2,200,000
2005 passion - - - UK41 (2 weeks)
UK
First published: June 6, 2005 Sales: + 500,000

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE AT AT CH CH UK UK
1999 Look at Me
Schizophonic 		DE22 (9 weeks)
DE 		AT27 (7 weeks)
AT 		CH15 (12 weeks)
CH 		UK2
gold
gold

(17 weeks)UK
First published: May 7, 1999 Sales: + 1,500,000
Wed Chico Latino
Schizophonic 		DE28 (11 weeks)
DE 		AT27 (8 weeks)
AT 		CH26 (7 weeks)
CH 		UK1
silver
silver

(27 weeks)UK
First published: August 9, 1999 UK sales: + 391,500
Lift Me Up
Schizophonic 		DE77 (10 weeks)
DE 		- - UK1
silver
silver

(32 weeks)UK
First published: November 1, 1999 UK sales: + 337,000
2000 Bag It Up
Schizophonic 		DE79 (7 weeks)
DE 		- CH66 (7 weeks)
CH 		UK1
silver
silver

(15 weeks)UK
First published: March 13, 2000 UK sales: + 400,000
2001 It's Raining Men
Scream if You Wanna Go Faster 		DE5
gold
gold

(18 weeks)DE 		AT5 (25 weeks)
AT 		CH4th
gold
gold

(42 weeks)CH 		UK1
gold
gold

(20 weeks)UK
First published: May 7, 2001 Sales: + 3,300,000
Scream if You Wanna Go Faster
Scream if You Wanna Go Faster 		DE67 (4 weeks)
DE 		- CH62 (9 weeks)
CH 		UK8th
gold
gold

(13 weeks)UK
First published: Aug 6, 2001 UK sales: + 80,192
Calling
Scream if You Wanna Go Faster 		DE48 (10 weeks)
DE 		AT28 (14 weeks)
AT 		CH21 (22 weeks)
CH 		UK7 (10 weeks)
UK
First published: November 16, 2001 Sales: +150,515
2004 Ride It
Passion 		DE73 (8 weeks)
DE 		AT55 (8 weeks)
AT 		CH63 (6 weeks)
CH 		UK4 (9 weeks)
UK
First published: November 22, 2004 Sales: +1,000,000
2005 Desire
Passion 		DE97 (1 week)
DE 		- - UK22 (6 weeks)
UK
First published: May 20, 2005 UK sales: +22,600

More singles

  • 2013: Half of Me (release: October 25, 2013)
  • 2017: Angels In Chains (release: June 19, 2017)

Filmography

Awards for her solo work

Halliwell received two important music awards in her solo career:

She received other music awards with her band Spice Girls.

Web links

Commons : Geri Halliwell  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Geri Halliwell takes new husband Christian Horner's surname
  2. ^ Geri Halliwell, If Only
  3. ↑ Spice Girls: Giving You Everything. Internet Movie Database , accessed June 10, 2015 .
  4. ↑ Geri Halliwell ends music career . Fan-Lexikon.de
  5. ^ Halliwell launches writing career . BBC News; Retrieved April 12, 2007
  6. ^ Spice Girl Geri books a new career Yahoo Music News; Retrieved April 12, 2007
  7. ↑ Ugenia Lavender
  8. ↑ Damon Liszt: Spice Girls: The cheeky stars from England . Econ Taschenbuch Verlag, Düsseldorf 1997, ISBN 3-612-12027-1 , p. 67
  9. ↑ Damon Liszt: Spice Girls: The cheeky stars from England . Econ Taschenbuch Verlag, Düsseldorf 1997, ISBN 3-612-12027-1 , p. 141
  10. ↑ Geri Halliwell . In: Berliner Zeitung , May 15, 2001
  11. ↑ newstatesman.com
  12. ↑ orf.at
  13. ↑ t-online.de
  14. ↑ mirror.co.uk
  15. ↑ Ex-Spice-Girl Geri Halliwell became a mother for the second time
  16. ↑ a b Awards: DE CH UK US
  17. ↑ Attitude's honourary Gay Award: Geri Horner
personal data
SURNAME Halliwell, Geri
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Halliwell, Geraldine Estelle (maiden name); Horner, Geraldine Estelle (married name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British pop singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 6, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH Watford , Hertfordshire , England