By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun
There was confusion yesterday over whether Melanie C has officially left the Spice Girls or not.
In a phone interview with Reuters, the one they call Sporty Spice was quoted as saying: "I don't intend to do any more work with the Spice Girls .... Really, I've not been comfortable being in the Spice Girls for probably the last two years. It doesn't really feel that natural to me anymore."
However, there was an immediate response from Spice Girls spokesman Alan Edwards in England, who denied Sporty has left the group: "What she said is that we've got no plans at the moment, and it's been exaggerated into the final split."
Edwards' comment was borne out during Mel C's interview with The Toronto Sun yesterday.
When asked point blank about the future of the Spice Girls, especially since their third album, Forever, flopped last year, Mel C said down the line from London: "I feel more comfortable as an individual than as part of a group at the moment.
"We've got no plans to do anything this year," Mel C added of her and the other Spices, who are also pursuing solo careers.
"When things were really hectic with the Spice Girls, our plans were pretty much laid out for two years ahead. But now, it's really a matter of months. Nothing's that structured really. At the moment I'm concentrating on touring."
Mel C, who plays a solo show at the Guvernment on April 9, also told The Toronto Sun she hadn't heard about rapper Eminem's recent comments during a BBC interview, when he called the Spice Girls "all fat and ugly now."
"No, I didn't read that," she said, laughing. "So many things are printed that I'm supposed to have said or done, so I don't know if he said that. He can say it to my face, that's when I'll believe it."
In fact, Mel C said she'd love him as a duet partner. While she disagrees with some of the rapper's controversial lyrics, she admires his artistry.
"There are a lot of lyrics and ideas he has about a lot of things that I completely disagree with, but as a musician and artist, I think he's fantastic," said the singer. "I think it'd be a very interesting collaboration."
Mel C said she'll start work on the followup to her first solo album, 1999's Northern Star, once her tour ends in May, and plans to work with producers Rick Knowles, Marius De Vries and Phil Thornally. She'll likely record in London and L.A.
"I would like to approach Eminem and I'd love to work with Dr. Dre," she said of Eminem's producing mentor. "I'd love him to do some production on my album."
