Emma Bunton
Encyclopedia
Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...

, the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...

, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...

. She is also the host of Heart FM Saturday afternoon drive-time
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...

 slot.

Her debut solo album A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Emma Bunton album)
A Girl Like Me is the debut solo album by English recording artist Emma Bunton, released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with 21,500 copies sold in its first week. Although initial success was promising, A...

was released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

. On 7 September 2001, A Girl Like Me was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...

 for sales in excess of 100,000 copies, ultimately becoming the 147th best-selling album in the UK for 2001. The album brought the UK number-one "What Took You So Long?
What Took You So Long?
"What Took You So Long?" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Martin Harrington, John Themis, and Dave Morgan and released as the album's lead single in the United Kingdom on 2 April...

" as well as top five hits "What I Am
What I Am
"What I Am" is a song written by Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow and recorded by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians for their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars . It peaked at number thirty-one in the United Kingdom, while reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States...

" (a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of a 1988 song by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an alternative rock jam band that originated in Texas in the mid-1980s. The band is best known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. Their music contains elements of rock, folk, blues, and jazz...

) and "Take My Breath Away
Take My Breath Away (Emma Bunton song)
"Take My Breath Away" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton, Steve Mac, and Wayne Hector and released in the United Kingdom as the album's second single on 27 August 2001, the ballad debuted and peaked at number five on the...

" and the top 20 hit "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight
We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight
"We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton and Rhett Lawrence, the track was released in the United Kingdom as the album's third and final single on 10 December 2001. It debuted and peaked at number...

". The album sold 125,000 copies in the UK.

Bunton's second album, Free Me, was released in 2004 through 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...

/Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

. Four singles were taken from it: "Free Me", "Maybe
Maybe (Emma Bunton song)
"Maybe" is a pop song written by English singer-songwriter Emma Bunton and Yak Bondy for Bunton's second solo studio album, Free Me . It was released in 2003 as the album's second single to moderate success on different record charts, and it entered the top forty on the majority of which it...

", "I'll Be There
I'll Be There (Emma Bunton song)
"I'll Be There" is the third single from Emma Bunton's second solo studio album, Free Me . Released in the winter of 2004 in the UK, it debuted and peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, lower than her previous singles from her second album. It sold 40,496 copies, and was the one hundred...

" and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria
Crickets Sing for Anamaria
"Crickets Sing for Anamaria" was originally a track from Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto's album Windy, and was produced by the Homali Brothers, a Brazilian Latin jazz pop production team...

". After some success in the American dance charts
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

 the album was sold in North America. The American edition included remixes and a different cover. The album was the second to follow her 2001 release, A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Emma Bunton album)
A Girl Like Me is the debut solo album by English recording artist Emma Bunton, released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with 21,500 copies sold in its first week. Although initial success was promising, A...

, and spent over twelve weeks inside the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

, peaking at number seven and selling over 141,712 copies, earning gold award status.

1976–92: Early life and career beginnings

Bunton was born in Finchley
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...

, north London, raised a Catholic, and grew up in Woodside Park
Woodside Park
Woodside Park is a suburban residential development in the London Borough of Barnet, in postal district N12.It is very varied in character. The area to the east of the tube station consists predominantly of large Victorian and Edwardian houses, many of which have been converted into flats...

. Her parents, Pauline, a karate instructor, and Trevor, a milkman, split up when she was 11, after which she stayed with her mother. She has a younger brother, Paul James. Bunton went to St. Theresa's primary school in Finchley, then to Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young.-Outline:...

 in Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....

. She appeared briefly in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 series EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

in 1992 as a mugger. In 1993, she appeared in the ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...

 police series, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...

, and also made a brief appearance as a prostitute in the BBC drama series To Play the King
To Play the King
To Play The King is a 1993 BBC television serial, the second part of the House of Cards trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on the Michael Dobbs novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies...

. After appearing on the show she was offered a temporary role as a troubled prostitute trying to kick her drug habit, but she turned it down because she wanted to maintain a wholesome image. Bunton also appeared in a public information film
Public information film
Public Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...

 for the British government concerning fire safety.

1993–00: Spice Girls

She joined the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...

 (then called Touch) in 1993 after Michelle Stephenson
Michelle Stephenson
Michelle Stephenson is a British singer and TV presenter. At the age of 17 she was briefly a member of the English vocal girl group that would go on to become the Spice Girls...

 left. Bunton was called Baby Spice because she was the youngest, had long blonde pigtails
Pigtails
In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail shows considerable variation. According to most dictionaries, a pigtail is a braid of tightly woven hair. The name is based on the short, thin and kinked tail of a pig, referring to the way a short, tight braid may stand out from the...

, wore babydoll
Babydoll
A babydoll is a short, sometimes sleeveless, loose fitting nightgown or negligee intended as nightwear for women. It sometimes has formed cups called a bralette for cleavage with an attached loose fitting skirt falling in length usually between the upper thigh and the belly button...

 dresses and had a girly girl
Girly girl
Girly girl is a slang term for a girl or woman who chooses to dress and behave in a traditionally feminine style, such as wearing dresses, blouses and skirts, and talking about relationships and other activities which are associated with the traditional gender role of a girl.-History:The term is...

 personality.

The debut single Wannabe
Wannabe (song)
"Wannabe" is the debut song by British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...

was the first of nine number ones in the United Kingdom for the Spice Girls, and reached the top in 37 countries. As a songwriter, Bunton set the shortest time to achieve six #1 UK singles, one year and five months from Wannabe to Too Much
Too Much (Spice Girls song)
"Too Much" is a song by the British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members with Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins—the songwriters and production duo known as Absolute—at the same time as the group was filming scenes for their movie Spice World, it was produced by Wilson and Watkins for the...

. In 1999, she presented Emma on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...

. She recorded "(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind" for the film Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: The First Movie, originally released as , is a 1998 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series. It is the first theatrical release in the Pokémon franchise...

.

2001–05: A Girl Like Me and Free Me

Her debut solo album A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Emma Bunton album)
A Girl Like Me is the debut solo album by English recording artist Emma Bunton, released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with 21,500 copies sold in its first week. Although initial success was promising, A...

, released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

, with 21,500 copies sold in its first week. Although initial success was promising, A Girl Like Me fell down the chart quickly. However, singles "What Took You So Long?
What Took You So Long?
"What Took You So Long?" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Martin Harrington, John Themis, and Dave Morgan and released as the album's lead single in the United Kingdom on 2 April...

", "Take My Breath Away
Take My Breath Away (Emma Bunton song)
"Take My Breath Away" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton, Steve Mac, and Wayne Hector and released in the United Kingdom as the album's second single on 27 August 2001, the ballad debuted and peaked at number five on the...

", and "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight
We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight
"We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton and Rhett Lawrence, the track was released in the United Kingdom as the album's third and final single on 10 December 2001. It debuted and peaked at number...

" helped the album stay on the UK Albums Chart for several weeks. On 7 September 2001, A Girl Like Me was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...

 for sales in excess of 100,000 copies, ultimately becoming the 147th best-selling album in the UK for 2001. Lacklustre sales may be partially explained by the fact that the album was not released in Latin America (except in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile) and North America. The album brought the UK number-one "What Took You So Long?
What Took You So Long?
"What Took You So Long?" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Martin Harrington, John Themis, and Dave Morgan and released as the album's lead single in the United Kingdom on 2 April...

" as well as top five hits "What I Am
What I Am
"What I Am" is a song written by Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow and recorded by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians for their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars . It peaked at number thirty-one in the United Kingdom, while reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States...

" (a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of a 1988 song by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an alternative rock jam band that originated in Texas in the mid-1980s. The band is best known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. Their music contains elements of rock, folk, blues, and jazz...

) and "Take My Breath Away
Take My Breath Away (Emma Bunton song)
"Take My Breath Away" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton, Steve Mac, and Wayne Hector and released in the United Kingdom as the album's second single on 27 August 2001, the ballad debuted and peaked at number five on the...

" and the top 20 hit "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight
We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight
"We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight" is a song by English recording artist Emma Bunton from her debut solo album, A Girl Like Me . Written by Bunton and Rhett Lawrence, the track was released in the United Kingdom as the album's third and final single on 10 December 2001. It debuted and peaked at number...

". The album sold 125,000 copies in the UK. Disappointing sales led to Bunton's leaving Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 in 2002.

Bunton's second album, Free Me, was released in 2003 through 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...

/Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

. Four singles were taken from it: "Free Me", "Maybe
Maybe (Emma Bunton song)
"Maybe" is a pop song written by English singer-songwriter Emma Bunton and Yak Bondy for Bunton's second solo studio album, Free Me . It was released in 2003 as the album's second single to moderate success on different record charts, and it entered the top forty on the majority of which it...

", "I'll Be There
I'll Be There (Emma Bunton song)
"I'll Be There" is the third single from Emma Bunton's second solo studio album, Free Me . Released in the winter of 2004 in the UK, it debuted and peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, lower than her previous singles from her second album. It sold 40,496 copies, and was the one hundred...

" and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria
Crickets Sing for Anamaria
"Crickets Sing for Anamaria" was originally a track from Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto's album Windy, and was produced by the Homali Brothers, a Brazilian Latin jazz pop production team...

". After success in the American dance charts
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

 the album was sold in North America. The American edition included remixes and a different cover. The album was the second to follow her 2001 release, A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Emma Bunton album)
A Girl Like Me is the debut solo album by English recording artist Emma Bunton, released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with 21,500 copies sold in its first week. Although initial success was promising, A...

, and spent over twelve weeks inside the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

, peaking at number seven and selling over 141,712 copies, earning gold award status. The album was widely acclaimed by critics as being the "one of best solo Spice records ever" due to its catchy and fun use of sounds from the Motown and the 1960s era. The album was largely produced by Mike Peden
Mike Peden
Mike Peden is a British producer/remixer/composer best known for his work with the Lighthouse Family. He was the producer of the 2004 album Free Me, the second album by former Spice Girl Emma Bunton. He co-wrote the song "You and I" for Will Young...

 and Yak Bondy
Yak Bondy
Yak Bondy was a producer of the 2004 success Free Me, the second album by former Spice Girl Emma Bunton...

, who have produced tracks for S Club 7
S Club 7
S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, were a pop group created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, consisting of members Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, de facto lead singer Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens. The group rose to fame by starring in their...

 and Lucie Silvas
Lucie Silvas
Lucie Silvas is a British singer-songwriter.- Early life :...

, to name a few. Other contributions on the album courtesy of Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...

, Henry Binns, and Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi
Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, more commonly known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Latin Grammy winning Puerto Rican singer and composer.- Early life :...

. "One Thing I Know", an unreleased track co-written by Bunton for Free Me, was recorded by another 19 Management act, S Club 8
S Club 8
S Club 8, previously known as S Club Juniors, was a spin-off of the UK pop group S Club 7. The group's members, Jay Asforis, Daisy Evans, Calvin Goldspink, Stacey McClean, Aaron Renfree, Hannah Richings, Rochelle Wiseman and Frankie Sandford, were all in their early teens or younger when they were...

, for their album Sundown
Sundown (S Club 8 album)
Sundown is the second album by British pop group S Club 8. The album was released in 2003 and went to #13 on the UK album charts.Songwriters and producers who contributed to the album include Korpi & Blackcell, Jewels & Stone, Yak Bondy, Hannah Robinson and former Dead or Alive members Tim Lever...

. Bunton's original vocals can clearly be heard on S Club 8's version.

The lead single, "Free Me", was released in the spring of 2003. The song immediately picked up airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...

, and the single sold well in the UK, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. "Maybe
Maybe (Emma Bunton song)
"Maybe" is a pop song written by English singer-songwriter Emma Bunton and Yak Bondy for Bunton's second solo studio album, Free Me . It was released in 2003 as the album's second single to moderate success on different record charts, and it entered the top forty on the majority of which it...

" was released as the second single in the autumn of 2003, and also gained extensive airplay throughout the UK, peaking at number six, one position lower than its predecessor.

In the spring of 2004, the album and its third single, "I'll Be There
I'll Be There (Emma Bunton song)
"I'll Be There" is the third single from Emma Bunton's second solo studio album, Free Me . Released in the winter of 2004 in the UK, it debuted and peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, lower than her previous singles from her second album. It sold 40,496 copies, and was the one hundred...

", were released. The single, like its two predecessors, performed well on the charts, peaking at number seven, one position below "Maybe", and two positions below "Free Me". The album sold more copies in its first week then her debut solo record had, and would ultimately go on to outsell it by 25,000 copies. With this, Bunton became the only Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...

 member to have sold more copies of her second album than her first in UK. Later in the year, the fourth single, "Crickets Sing for Anamaria
Crickets Sing for Anamaria
"Crickets Sing for Anamaria" was originally a track from Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto's album Windy, and was produced by the Homali Brothers, a Brazilian Latin jazz pop production team...

", was released. Despite its harder beat and grittier sound, by now the impact of Free Me was beginning to wear off, and the song only came in at number fifteen on the UK Singles Chart, totalling 25,000 copies, and becoming Bunton's lowest-selling single.

In the U.S., both "Free Me" and "Maybe" were dance club regulars, reaching number four and number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

 respectively. In 2005, Bunton filmed guest roles in two Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

 films: Pyaar Mein Twist and Chocolate: Deep Dark Secrets.

2006–08: Life in Mono and Return of the Spice Girls

In October 2006, Bunton was a contestant in the BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...

, partnered by Darren Bennett
Darren Bennett (dancer)
Darren Lee Bennett is a professional dancer, as were his parents. With his wife Lilia Kopylova he has a successful career in professional Latin dancing, competing nationally and internationally. Darren's favourite dances are the Samba and the Foxtrot.They teach private lessons in their own studio...

. She finished third place in the final.

In November 2006, Bunton released the charity single for the BBC Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...

 appeal, recording Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...

's 1960s song "Downtown". It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 and was followed by her third studio album, Life in Mono
Life in Mono
Life in Mono is the third studio album by British pop singer Emma Bunton. The album was originally set for a November release in the UK, however it was later pushed back to the December 4, 2006. Life In Mono, much like her previous album, Free Me, experimented with elements of 1960s pop music...

on 4 December. The album was originally set for a November release in the UK, however it was later pushed back to the 4 December 2006. Life In Mono, much like her previous album, Free Me, experimented with elements of 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

 pop music. For this particular album the musical arrangement was more directed towards the '60s French pop music, with some elements of British '60s pop and Motown. The first single taken from the album was a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...

's 1964 hit single "Downtown", released on 13 November. "Downtown" is the 2006 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...

 official charity single and reached #3 in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. "All I Need to Know" was released as second single.

Bunton had been working on her third release since winter 2004. The album's title track is a cover version of the hit "Life in Mono
Life in Mono (song)
"Life in Mono" is a song by UK band Mono, which consisted of singer Siobhan de Maré and musician Martin Virgo. It was released on the band's first EP in 1996 which contained various remixes, most notably two by the Propellerheads...

" by 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...

 trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...

 band Mono
Mono (UK band)
Mono was a British electronic music duo which had a hit in the late 1990s with their song "Life in Mono". The group's music is often described as trip hop, based on its similarities to contemporary electronic music acts including Sneaker Pimps and Portishead...

, best known through its usage in the 1998 film Great Expectations
Great Expectations (1998 film)
Great Expectations is a 1998 contemporary film adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft and Chris Cooper. It is known for having moved the setting of the original novel from 1861...

. The track "Take Me to Another Town" contains a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 from Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...

's 1965 "Green Peppers". Due to Emma’s pregnancy all forms of promotion were canceled after a few months. Rumors of a third single surfaced through sites after Emma stated she was thinking of releasing a third single, however this never came. The songs I Wasn’t Looking (When I Found Love), Perfect Strangers and Take Me To Another Town were rumored.

Although it sold almost 13,000 copies in its first week, the album was Emma's first not to reach the UK Top10. It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at #65 on 10 December 2006 falling to #75 in its second week and dropped out of the chart the following week. On the whole, the album sold around 60,000 copies in the UK. The album entered the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

 at 65, selling 13,000 copies in its first week. The second single from it was "All I Need to Know", on 12 February 2007, intended for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...

. Bunton shot the video around Old Street
Old Street
Old Street is a street in east London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street , Kingsland Road and Hackney Road in Shoreditch in the London Borough of Hackney.The nearest...

 in east London, in the week before Christmas 2006. Entering the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 at 60, "All I Need to Know" became the lowest-charting single of Bunton's solo career.

Bunton has been seen in a television commercial for the supermarket chain Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...

. She also had a cameo role on the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...

on the episode titled "What's a Spice Girl Like You...?", aired on 19 March 2007 in Australia, and on 25 May 2007 in the UK. Bunton returned to US screens with a nationwide commercial for Prego
Prego
Prego is a trade mark brand name pasta sauce of Campbell Soup Company. It was introduced internationally in 1981-Varieties:...

 in May 2007.

In July 2008, Bunton stood in as co-presenter alongside Richard Madeley
Richard Madeley
Richard Madeley is a British television presenter and columnist. With his wife Judy Finnigan, Madeley has presented This Morning and later the weekday chat show Richard & Judy...

 on the UK television show Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...

while Judy Finnigan
Judy Finnigan
Judith "Judy" Finnigan is a British television presenter and columnist. She has usually co-presented with her husband, Richard Madeley, and the two are collectively known, informally, as Richard and Judy...

 was recovering from a knee operation. In October 2008, Bunton appeared on the UK series of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...

 to assist judge Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...

 in choosing the three best over-25s acts to take to the live X Factor finals. In December 2008, Bunton debuted as a member of the panel on Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...

on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

.

2009–present: Television, Fourth Studio Album and radio

In February, and again between May and June 2009, she starred as guest presenter on Heart London's Heart Breakfast alongside Jamie Theakston
Jamie Theakston
Jamie Theakston is an English television and radio presenter, producer and actor.-Education:...

 and Harriet Scott
Harriet Scott
Harriet Marie Scott is a British radio presenter, and current co-host of the Breakfast show on London's Heart along with Jamie Theakston....

. Bunton began hosting her own pre-recorded Saturday drive time radio show on Heart in the Saturday afternoon slot 4pm – 7pm starting on Saturday 13 June 2009.

In January 2010, Emma joined the "Ice Panel" on ITV dancing show Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...

replacing former judge Ruthie Henshall
Ruthie Henshall
Valentine Ruth Henshall , better known as Ruthie Henshall, is an English singer, dancer, and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Henshall attended the Laine Theatre Arts school in Epsom, Surrey before making her first professional appearance on stage in 1986...

. In February 2010, Bunton appeared in a UK National Television campaign first aired during Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...

, showing her in the Heart Radio studios at the start and the end of the advert. In summer 2010, she presented the Five program Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing is a British television talent show that aired on Channel 5 in summer 2010. It was inspired by the musical comedy-drama Glee, which airs in the United States on the Fox network. The series featured live shows in which musical performance groups competed against each other, with...

.

In August 2010 she guest presented GMTV with Lorraine on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...

. On 8 October 2010, 19 November 2010 and 7 January 2011, she guest presented Lorraine
Lorraine (TV programme)
Lorraine is the early weekday morning, lifestyle and entertainment show for the British ITV network, presented by Lorraine Kelly. ITV Breakfast produces Lorraine, which airs every weekday from 08:30 until 09:25, following Daybreak...

on ITV Breakfast
ITV Breakfast
ITV Breakfast Limited is the national ITV breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom...

. Bunton is providing maternity leave cover for Heart Breakfast co-presenter Harriet Scott
Harriet Scott
Harriet Marie Scott is a British radio presenter, and current co-host of the Breakfast show on London's Heart along with Jamie Theakston....

 from 3 October until 23 December 2011 on Heart London.

Personal life

Bunton's long-term partner
Domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...

 since 2000 is former Damage
Damage (British band)
Damage were a British R&B boy band who achieved success in the 1990s with eleven hit singles, including four Top 10 successes in the UK Singles Chart.-Biography:...

 and CherryBlackStone
CherryBlackStone
CherryBlackStone is a four piece British music group, formed in London in 2002. They are not to be confused with American rock band Black Stone Cherry. The group was founded by former Damage vocalist Andrez Harriott together with his wife ReDD. Their aim was to create a new sound and to "make an...

 lead singer Jade Jones
Jade Jones
Jade Jones is an English R&B singer turned chef. He is most famous for being the former lead singer of the band Damage....

. Bunton – after being proposed to on 21 January 2011, the day of her 35th birthday – announced her engagement to Jones during an episode of Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...

on 23 January 2011. The couple have 2 sons: Beau Lee Jones born on 10 August 2007 at the Portland Hospital
Portland Hospital
The Portland Hospital for Women and Children, usually referred to simply as the Portland Hospital, is a hospital in Great Portland Street, London...

 in London, and Tate Lee Jones born on 6 May 2011.

Filmography

Film
Year 1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...

 
Thatcherworld 'Josie Jenkins' TV movie
1997
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...

 
Spice World 'Baby Spice' Main Role
2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...

 
Yes You Can 'Pop Angel' Supporting role
2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...

 
Pyaar Mein Twist
Pyaar Mein Twist
To see the TV show, see Pyaar Mein Twist .Pyaar Mein Twist is a 2005 Indian Bollywood movie directed by Hariday Shetty and stars Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in the pivotal roles.-Synopsis:...

'Kylie Milligan' Cameo
2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...

 
Chocolate: Deep Dark Secrets 'Tabetha Gagoh' Cameo
2009
2009 in film
The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...

 
Ant & Dec's Christmas Show 'Evil Stepmother' TV movie


Television
Year EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

Unknown 1
1993 The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...

'Janice' 1
The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...

'Bridget' 1
To Play the King
To Play the King
To Play The King is a 1993 BBC television serial, the second part of the House of Cards trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on the Michael Dobbs novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies...

Prostitute 1
1994 EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

'Casey' 12
2000 The Norm Show
The Norm Show
The Norm Show is an American television sitcom that ran from 1999 through 2001 on the ABC television network.-Synopsis:...

'Baby Spice' 1
Emma Presenter
2003 Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...

Herself 2
2006 Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...

Herself 1
2007 Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...

Contestant 23
2008 Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy
Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...

1
Presenter 10
The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...

Judge 1
Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...

Panellist 5
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...

 
Guest 1
2009 Eurovision: Your Country Needs You Judge 1
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
Let's Dance for Comic Relief is a British television programme shown on BBC One, featuring celebrities performing famous dance routines to raise money for the charity Comic Relief. The programme is currently presented by Steve Jones and Alex Jones, who replaced previous host Claudia Winkleman in...

Judge 1
2010 Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice (Series 5)
The fifth series of British television celebrity skating show Dancing On Ice began airing on ITV on 8 January 2010 with a preview show, then started officially on 10 January, and concluded with the final on 28 March 2010. The show was presented by returning hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly...

Judge 12
Don't Stop Believing Presenter
The Million Pound Drop Live Celebrity contestant 1
GMTV with Lorraine Presenter 11
Lorraine
Lorraine (TV programme)
Lorraine is the early weekday morning, lifestyle and entertainment show for the British ITV network, presented by Lorraine Kelly. ITV Breakfast produces Lorraine, which airs every weekday from 08:30 until 09:25, following Daybreak...

Presenter 2
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...

Guest 1
2011 Lorraine Presenter 1
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice (series 6)
The sixth series of Dancing on Ice started on 9 January 2011 and ended on 27 March 2011 on ITV. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby return as hosts whilst Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean return to mentor the celebrities...

Judge 12
Loose Women Panelist 1
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...

Guest 1
  • 1: Emma presented the program Richard & Judy
    Richard & Judy
    Richard & Judy was a British magazine/chat show which was presented by married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. It originally aired on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2008 but later moved to digital channel Watch in October 2008. It featured the world's most famous stars, along with their Book Club...

    while Judy Finnigan was recovering from a knee operation.

Discography

  • 2001: A Girl Like Me
    A Girl Like Me (Emma Bunton album)
    A Girl Like Me is the debut solo album by English recording artist Emma Bunton, released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with 21,500 copies sold in its first week. Although initial success was promising, A...

  • 2004: Free Me
  • 2006: Life in Mono
    Life in Mono
    Life in Mono is the third studio album by British pop singer Emma Bunton. The album was originally set for a November release in the UK, however it was later pushed back to the December 4, 2006. Life In Mono, much like her previous album, Free Me, experimented with elements of 1960s pop music...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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