<P> Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), also known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality . Brown rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice . With over 85 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best - selling female group of all time . </P> <P> During the group's hiatus, Brown released her debut solo album Hot . The album's lead single, "I Want You Back" charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, and was included on the soundtrack for the 1998 film Why Do Fools Fall in Love . Other singles from the album such as "Tell Me" and "Feels So Good" both charted within the top 10 in the UK . After signing with the independent label Amber Café, she released her second solo album L.A. State of Mind, which spawned the release of one single "Today". Brown released "For Once in My Life" in 2013, her first single in eight years . </P> <P> Brown has since made appearances on television . In 2007, she participated on the fifth season of the American dance competition series Dancing with the Stars, finishing in second place with her professional partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy . Between 2011 and 2016, she served as a guest and main judge on the Australian and British versions of The X Factor . She also co-presented the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars for one season in 2012 . Since 2013, Brown has served as a judge on America's Got Talent . She served as a coach and mentor on The Voice Kids Australia in 2014 . Since 2016, she has also presented the British edition of Lip Sync Battle, alongside rapper Professor Green . </P> <P> Melanie Janine Brown was born in Harehills, Leeds, and grew up in the Burley area of the city, the daughter of Andrea (née Dixon) and Martin Brown . Her father is from the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis; her mother is English . Through her mother, Brown is a first cousin of actor and director Christian Cooke . Cooke's mother, Di, and Brown's mother, Andrea, are sisters . Brown studied performing arts at Intake High School in Leeds before entering the entertainment industry . For a time, she worked as a dancer in Blackpool, Lancashire . After seeing an advertisement for an audition in a newspaper, Brown started her music career in a band known as Touch . The group left the original management team and eventually teamed up with music manager Simon Fuller . </P>

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