We might know Mel B as the bombastic Scary Spice from the Spice Girls, but this 1990s pop star has been busy since her heyday in the world’s biggest girl band. She’s recorded and released solo music, most notably her 2000 album, Hot, which boasted two hit singles, “Tell Me” and “Feels So Good.” She has written two books, the 2002 autobiography Catch a Fire and 2018’s Brutally Honest, both of which detailed her early life and rise to fame. Mel B has, perhaps most notably since her time in the Spice Girls, carved a niche in the TV world as a judge on talent-based competition series like The X Factor in both Britain and Australia, America’s Got Talent in the U.S., and The Masked Singer in Australia. Now, she’s joining the judges for the second season of Queen of the Universe, which debuted on June 2 on Paramount+.
The drag queen singing competition is a refreshing series that, after so many exceptional lip-sync battles on RuPaul’s Drag Race, actually gives drag queens the chance to take the mic for real. But in this new season, 10 international singers — from Italy to Brazil to the Netherlands and even the U.S. — aren’t just showing off their singing skills; they’re also giving personality, pizzazz, and high fashion wrapped up in a way that no reality show has ever done before.
Mel B joins a judging panel spearheaded by Irish comedian Graham Norton that also features award-winning singer Vanessa Williams, veteran Drag Race judge Michelle Visage, and drag star Trixie Mattel. She sat down with Shondaland to talk about the judging experience and the fashion inspiration she takes from the series.
NADJA SAYEJ: On Queen of the Universe, I love how the queens are singing rather than lip-synching. How was it judged?
MEL B: Oh, yeah, it was proper live vocals. In full drag, in their corsets, I don’t know how they do it. I had a corset for one of the episodes because I thought to myself, “I have to throw myself into this and do it,” and I was sitting there not being able to breathe. Never mind doing the dance moves that they were doing, and singing, on top of it. It’s brilliant. It’s a huge platform, Paramount+. It gets to be international all over the world, and the contestants are international too. We have people from Mexico, the Philippines, and Argentina. All over. Everywhere. I know I’m the new girl on the panel, but I absolutely loved it.
NS: You have a lot of experience with singing and knowing what makes a good voice, so what do you focus on when looking for true talent?
MB: They get a theme each week, so one week it’s something like “represent your country through your costume and song choices.” Through this, you really get to know and understand each contestant and what their style is. A lot of them have their own styles, but they get challenged to go outside of their own comfort zone.
NS: What do you love about the show?
MB: The whole show in general is exciting — and I have the best seat in the house. You don’t realize how much effort and work goes into the choreography, the styling, the hair, makeup, and the contour. From head to toe, it’s all spot-on. And if it’s not spot-on, they don’t get to go to the next round. I don’t feel too bad because the show is going to be on an international platform, so whether you’re in episode one or 10, you will be seen by the public. This should have happened a long time ago, but thank God it’s happening now.
NS: Lip-synching is a drag tradition — do you think it’s underestimated?
MB: It’s a tradition, and it’s still hard to do it correctly. It’s hard work. Singing live, you can’t beat it. With the outfits and the choreography, it’s just impressive.
NS: How much is fashion an influence in that mix?
MB: Fashion is everything. Absolutely. It’s what you see first. Before they talk or open their mouth, even before they walk, you see them. It’s just their image. That’s really important. The outfits are just insane, some of them. The contestant from Spain has one outfit in the show that’s made by the LGBTQ community in Spain. It’s very much about her heritage and where she is from. It’s great to see it so embraced.
NS: I know in your autobiography, I read how you said goodbye to your father in the hospital. That was so powerful to read because you were so close. Your book was amazing.
MB: Aww, thank you.
NS: Are there any fashion designers you’re excited about right now?
MB: I have a wardrobe that my daughter, who is 24 now, says “is so old-fashioned that it’s vintage.” It has come full circle. It has come back around in fashion. I have things I bought when I was 18 years old, from Givenchy and Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood, that I held on to. My wardrobe is everything right now. I’ll see on Instagram my daughter wearing my pants that I was looking for. I like mixing my high-end wardrobe with street style too. Items from Camden markets and mixed with high fashion. When people weren’t really into fashion, I was majorly into fashion. Thank God I was.
NS: Your style is so trailblazing, especially with the leopard prints you’ve worn since your days with the Spice Girls, right?
MB: I’m going to always wear my leopard print [raises a leg on the Zoom interview, showing her leopard-print Louboutin boot].
NS: You’re wearing Louboutin boots!
MB: I’ve had these boots for 25 years! They’re definitely still in fashion, in my mind.
Nadja Sayej is an arts and culture journalist based in New York City who has written 5 books, including Biennale Bitch and The Celebrity Interview Book.
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