Fans of “American Idol” anticipate the arrival of the upcoming 25th season early next year.
The landmark season will be bringing about some big changes, with news that the show will be undergoing a major shift now that it’s been confirmed that production of the hit singing competition will be moving to Georgia after 24 seasons in Los Angeles.
In the midst of that impending change, fans have been sending their best wishes to fan-favorite judge Lionel Richie, who’s undergone some challenging health concerns in recent months, forced to cut short his tour with Earth, Wind & Fire to deal with heart issues.
Among Richie’s many fans is Mel C, a.k.a. Melanie Chisholm, a.k.a Sporty Spice.
In a recent interview, the Spice Girls co-founder shared a sweet memory of Richie — and the life-changing advice he gave her and her fellow singers.
Some Sage Advice
Speaking with the Sydney Morning Herald, Chisholm recalls she and the rest of the Spice Girls — Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), Mel B (Scary Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) and Gerri Halliwell-Horner (Ginger Spice) — meeting Richie early in the group’s rise to stardom.
“We were at an awards show, and Lionel Richie said to us, ‘Earn here [raises one hand] and spend here [lowers the other hand],'” Chisholm told the newspaper.
“In other words, ‘Live within your means.’ It stuck with all of us,” she added.
In the interview, she was asked, “Do you remember there being a point in your career where you thought, ‘Oh, I’m rich now’?”
“When I got my first check from Virgin Records for £10,000 [in the mid-1990s]. I could go to JD Sports and buy whatever trainers [sneakers] I wanted that day,” she remembered.
Money Can Be a ‘Curse’
However, she admitted she had mixed feelings about the sudden wealth that came with the Spice Girls’ meteoric rise to stardom.
“Becoming rich so young can be a curse, too …” she added.
“Actually, it was very difficult. Being where I’m from, I didn’t know anybody with money,” she continued. “The Spice Girls became very successful, money started coming in very quickly, and I felt guilty.”
Asked to elaborate on the guilt she experienced, she explained, “I had this career — which was my ultimate dream — and I was being rewarded financially very well for it. I was earning money that my relatives wouldn’t earn in a lifetime. Some of them were doing very hard manual labor, and I was getting up on stage and singing. Getting up on stage and singing doesn’t feel like work to me. It’s not work: it’s joy. It took me a long, long time before I didn’t feel guilty about the money I was earning.”
Over time, however, the guilt she felt about the money she was making subsided as she experienced the peaks and valleys of a lengthy career in show business.
“Fame brings other things with it,” she observed. “I’ve had some very difficult times — personally, emotionally, psychologically — and there can be hardships in this industry. It’s not all happiness and light. So that makes me feel less guilty.”
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Spice Girls Star Recalls the Life-Changing Advice They Received from Lionel Richie