WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO JOIN THE VOICE KIDS?
I'VE ALWAYS wanted to get my bum in one of those big red chairs. I was so excited because there is something very special and very magical about the young people that we see on the show. I naturally feel myself meeting younger artists, just trying to give them advice, you know? I feel a little bit maternal towards younger artists. So this felt like the perfect opportunity to become a bit of a mentor to some young people who have similar aspirations to the ones I had growing up.
WHAT IS THE TOUGHEST PART OF BEING A COACH?
The toughest thing on the show is not turning around, because those kids are so courageous and they are so brilliant. There are kids you don't turn for either because you think they're more suited to another coach or you think maybe they wouldn't be ready – or simply it's just not your taste. It was a challenge because you want to turn for everyone, you totally do.
HAVE THE OTHER COACHES BEEN WELCOMING?
All of the coaches – Danny, Pixie, and Will – I adore, they welcomed me with open arms. They were so helpful, they were so generous. And, you know, they kind of told me the tough bits, they told me the fun bits, they really held my hand through the process. It is competitive, so there were moments, but it was all in good humour.
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGES TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY SINCE THE SPICE GIRLS WERE NUMBER ONE?
I think the biggest thing that I noticed is how savvy younger people are. And you're right, it's a completely different world. Not only how we make music, how we consume music, dealing with social media and all of this attention. So, it's a very different kind of pressure to the pressures that myself and the Spice Girls had. And they seem to be navigating it well, I think. Maybe the generation before them have suffered through it being a whole 'Brave New World' but these upcoming kids seem to have a handle on things, I like to think a little bit better than we had.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE SPICE GIRLS THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME?
Wow, where do I start? Myself and the Spice Girls, we just feel so lucky that we had the opportunity to do the things that we did. It was a magical time. Everything came together. We just had these accidental situations that made us want to talk about girl power, to talk about equality, to really celebrate our individuality. I just think that really resonated with so many people. And it does seem to [have] stood the test of time.
WHAT DOES YOUR DAUGHTER THINK OF THE SPICE GIRLS?
She is very proud that mum is a Spice Girl. I mean, of course I'm still the most embarrassing person on the planet – my daughter is 12. So you know, that just comes with the territory. But I know she's very proud of me as well.
And I think she's probably one of the most excited people when we start talking about the possibility of getting back on stage; we'd love to go back. And when we can, once things are a bit safer [and there's] a bit more certainty in the world with the pandemic, it would be nice to get the Spice Girls back together. She would be the first in the queue.
:: The Voice Kids returns to ITV on December 27, 28 and 29.
