Mel C has called on music industry executives to employ more women in key roles.
As a member of the Spice Girls, the singer was part of one of the best-selling pop bands of all time, and a key proponent of promoting "girl power".
Mel has observed changes in the music industry over the course of her 23-year career, and she is disappointed to see that the business is still largely dominated by men in behind-the-scenes positions.
"Predominately, the people I work with are men. All of my band, most of the songwriters, producers, everyone," she told Jane Lush, chair of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), in an interview for the upcoming The Power of Women series. "There are more and more women coming but it feels quite gradual. I think because traditionally (the music industry was so) male-dominated, that there is change happening... I'd love to work with more women, I've worked with very few."
Mel went on to recall how she and her fellow Spice Girls - Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, and Victoria Beckham - had a very different experience to many other women pursuing music careers in the '90s, as they insisted on taking control of their lyrics and image from the outset.
They even started introducing themselves to contacts after gigs when they felt their early management team was not performing.
"We just approached these people ourselves. We went on to demo most of the first album (1996's Spice) without any management at all. We took our destiny into our own hands quite early on. We maintained that then throughout the career," the 45-year-old shared.
The Power of Women documentary series will launch on Sky in the U.K. on 26 August. Other contributors to the first two seasons of the programme include Rose McGowan, Gloria Allred, Jane Goodall, Ruby Wax, Twiggy, Mary Quant, Alexandra Shulman, Elaine Paige, Anna Friel, Joanna Lumley, and Brigitte Nielsen.
