19 March 2018 - VICTORIA BECKHAM

VICTORIA BECKHAM

G'day folks,

Welcome to some background on a woman who hit the world as a pop star, but has gone on to achieve other claims to fame. Pop singer Victoria Beckham rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Spice Girls. She is also known for her successful fashion empire and her marriage to former soccer star David Beckham.

Who Is Victoria Beckham?

Victoria Beckham rose to fame as "Posh Spice" in the British pop group the Spice Girls. The group released their debut album, Spice, in 1996, a smash success that sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. After the group split up in 2000, Beckham embarked on a solo musical career and later explored her love of fashion, developing a line of jeans called VB Rocks in 2004. In 2007, Beckham went on a reunion tour with the Spice Girls, but she ultimately focused her career on fashion, launching her own fashion line in 2008. Beckham also makes headlines because of her high-profile marriage to former soccer star David Beckham.

 Aspiring Dancer

 

Victoria Adams was born on April 17, 1974, in Hertfordshire, England. After achieving success as a pop singer in the 1990s, Beckham became one of the most photographed women in the world, with the tabloids seeming to follow nearly every move that she and her husband, soccer star David Beckham, make. Capitalizing on her broad exposure, Victoria Beckham built her own brand, consisting of clothing, perfume and sunglasses.

Raised in an affluent family, Beckham started studying ballet at a young age. She pursued her interest in dance at the Laine Arts Theatre College in Surrey when she was 17. After three years there, Beckham moved to London to try to make it as a dancer. Her lucky break came when she answered a casting call seeking energetic and hard-working female performers in 1993. Out of the 400 women who applied, Beckham was chosen to become part of a new all-female pop music group.

 Spice Girls

 

Created by manager Chris Herbert, the band that would become known as the Spice Girls started rehearsing together. The final lineup came together by mid-1993 and included Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Beckham. The group wanted more creative control and soon broke off with Herbert. They later signed with manager Brian Fuller and landed a contract with Virgin Records.

Each of the five members of the Spice Girls developed their own persona: Melanie Brown was known as "Scary Spice"; Melanie Chisholm was "Sporty Spice"; Geri Halliwell was "Ginger Spice"; Emma Bunton was "Baby Spice"; and Beckham was "Posh Spice." They released their debut album, Spice, in 1996 and reached the top of the charts with the catchy dance-pop song "Wannabe" the following year. The follow-up single, "Say You'll Be There," climbed as high as No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album eventually sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

 The group's "girl power" message attracted a substantial audience, especially young teenage girls. In 1997, the group released their second album, Spiceworld, and starred in a film of the same name early the following year. While they scored a hit with the song "2 Become 1," the Spice Girls failed to duplicate the success of their debut recording. The film featured cameos by such performers as Elvis Costello, Bob Geldof and Elton John, and had some success at the box office, netting close to $30 million.

In 2000, the Spice Girls released the album Forever, recorded after Halliwell had left the group. As the remaining members drifted apart to pursue other projects, Beckham went solo, releasing a self-titled album in 2001. 

 The Spice Girls reunited for a series of concerts in 2007 and 2008. In June 2012, they reunited again, this time to announce the creation of a new musical about their rise and fall, Viva Forever!, written by Jennifer Saunders and named after the group's 1998 No. 1 single. That year, the group also performed at the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games, held in London.

Whispers of another reunion surfaced in February 2018, when the Spice Girls met with former manager Simon Fuller in London. One week later, TMZ reported that a summer tour was indeed in the works, though the group had yet to formally confirm anything.

 Marriage to David Beckham

 

In 1997, Beckham met soccer star David Beckham, then with Manchester United. The two soon became one of Britain's most popular couples, known in the tabloid as "Posh" and "Becks." They became engaged in 1998 and welcomed their first child together, son Brooklyn, on March 4, 1999. That summer, the couple wed in a lavish ceremony at a castle in Ireland. The Beckhams have three other children: sons Romeo (born September 1, 2002) and Cruz (February 20, 2005) and daughter Harper (July 10, 2011).

The Beckhams packed up for a move to Spain when David signed a lucrative deal to play for the Real Madrid club in 2003. Four years later it was on to America, where the well-known soccer star signed on to play for the L.A. Galaxy. The arrival of the Beckhams in Hollywood created quite a media frenzy. Beckham's friend and neighbor, model and TV personality Heidi Klum, told Harper's Bazaar: "Under all that glam and glitz is a really lovely person who is genuine, funny, sexy and such a great mother." 

 Fashion Empire

 

Stepping away from the music scene, Beckham explored her love of fashion. She developed a line of jeans called VB Rocks for the Rock & Republic brand in 2004. In 2006, Beckham shared her fashion tips in the book That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between. One year later, Beckham launched her own line of sunglasses called dVb Eyewear, and a line of jeans soon followed.

Although Beckham has rejoined the Spice Girls for their reunions, she has said several times that her main focus is fashion. She expanded her clothing line in 2008, introducing a new line of dresses. "Everything that I design I would wear myself," Beckham once said. Her business empire also includes a line of fragrances.

 In 2009, Beckham became the model for the Emporio Armani underwear line for women. Her husband had previously been featured in ads for their men's line. Beckham explained that she took the job because "when I'm 50, I can look back and say, 'Hey, Mommy didn't look too bad after having three kids,'" she told Time.

Beckham maintains a light-hearted attitude about being the target of frequent tabloid news stories. "I've had so many ludicrous things written about me and my family and my friends that it's almost like a joke," she told Allure magazine. For right now, Beckham is focused on her work as a designer. "I'm so grateful to the fashion industry for accepting me and giving me a chance."

 Other Projects

 

Beckham penned an autobiography, Learning to Fly, which became a best-seller in Britain following its 2001 publication.

Beckham invited television audiences inside her life with the reality special Victoria's Secrets, which aired on British television in 2000. She has been the focus of several other television programs since then, including Being Victoria Beckham, The Real Beckhams, Victoria Beckham - A Mile In Their Shoes and Victoria Beckham: Coming to America. 

Beckham's success has also attracted its share of unwanted attention: In 2002, authorities uncovered a plot to kidnap the pop star and hold her for ransom.

 Clancy's comment: And, I'd hate to mention the figure I heard a few years back as to what her husband was paid per month to play soccer / football. It was gob smacking, but fame and fortune do not always lead to happiness.

I'm ...