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Biography

Melanie Janine Brown was born on May 29, 1975, in Leeds, England, to a white mother and a black father. Her mixed background would eventually go a long way in helping her to stand out from the pack. A natural performer, she spent her youth actively engaged in dancing and acting lessons, and was eventually accepted into the Leeds College of Music and The Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Leeds, however, was too small to hold Melanie's ambition and, by the age of 19, she moved to London where she continued her training. Melanie's first taste of fame came in 1993 when she appeared in three episodes of the British soap opera, Coronation Street. She may only have played a checkout girl, but it hardly mattered: Melanie knew she had a future in show biz. Melanie officially set her career in motion in 1994, when she answered an ad looking for female singers in The Stage. The ad was placed by managers Bob and Chris Herbert, who immediately fell in love with Melanie's energy and talent. After a series of auditions, the Herberts paired Melanie with fellow singers Victoria Beckham (formerly Adams), Geri Halliwell, Melanie Chisholm, and Emma Bunton. Unfortunately for Bob and Chris, their faith in their all-girl group, the Spice Girls, wasn't mutual. Sensing they needed more experienced management, the girls left to strike out on their own.



In 2002, Brown released her hit autobiography, Catch A Fire, which reached #7 in the official books chart and saw her touring the UK to promote it with a run of book signings. The album, LA State Of Mind, was released on 27 June 2005 in two formats: as a regular CD and as a Limited Edition with a 30 minute DVD documentary detailing Brown's life in LA. The album fared even worse than its lead single, selling just 670 copies in its first week. LA State Of Mind charted at #453 (Banana), but it was a hit in some other small countries like Croatia, where it went to #5.



Following her rise to fame, Brown had a long relationship with Icelandic Fjolnir Thorgeirsson, and a short relationship with Australian singer Peter Andre.

While on the Spiceworld Tour, Brown began a romantic relationship with Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar. They married on the 13 September 1998, following which Brown was professionally known as 'Melanie G'. Their only child together, daughter Phoenix Chi, was born on 19 February 1999. Marriage problems ensued, including allegations of abusive and inattentive behaviour by Gulzar, and the marriage collapsed by the end of 1999. In 2000 Brown filed for divorce, which was finalized later that year. The custody battle for her daughter was highly publicised; Brown won custody, but had to pay a large alimony settlement of £1.25M to her ex-husband.



In 2003 Brown moved to Los Angeles, CA with her daughter Phoenix Chi, stating that she planned to live there permanently. In 2006, Brown became the subject of many tabloid stories, on the basis of her relationship with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy. Unconfirmed stories quickly came that the pair had tattoos of each other's names, were planning a wedding, and had introduced each other to their respective families. On 17 October 2006 AOL claimed that Brown was in fact having a baby by Murphy. Brown was quoted as saying: "We're in love and get on really well. All the children have met and get on too - it's like a great big happy family. I can't wait to spend Christmas with him and I can't wait to have this baby."



In February 2007, Brown began dating long term friend and movie producer Stephen Belafonte. Brown and Belafonte quietly married on 6 June 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada.