The Spice Girls released “Wannabe” as their debut single in 1996.
Written by the group with Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe, the song introduced the five-member English girl group to a worldwide audience. Its energetic message about friendship over romance became central to the group’s image.
“Wannabe” reached number one in 37 countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States. It also became the best-selling single by a female group worldwide at the time of its release.
A common mix-up is to associate the song with the group’s first album title; the album was called Spice, while “Wannabe” was its opening single. The group’s original lineup was Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell.