Summary
Kirsty Young talks to the pop star Melanie Brown about what she’s learned from her life so far.
Mel B is the girl from Leeds who became a global superstar with the Spice Girls. Glamour, fortune, drugs, violence, redemption and healing, her life has an air of make believe - except, of course, she has actually lived it.
If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.
Producer: Laura Northedge Content Editor: Richard Hooper Executive Editor: Alice Feinstein Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant Presenter: Kirsty Young
A BBC Audio Production
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before this BBC podcast kicks off, I'd like to tell you about some others you might enjoy. |
| 0:05.1 | My name's Will Wilkin and I Commission Music Podcast for the BBC. |
| 0:08.7 | It's a really cool job, but every day we get to tell the incredible stories behind songs, |
| 0:13.5 | moments and movements, stories of struggle and success, rises and falls, the funny, the ridiculous. |
| 0:19.1 | And the BBC's position, at the heart of British music |
| 0:21.7 | means we can tell those stories like no one else. |
| 0:24.5 | We were, are and always will be right there at the centre of the narrative. |
| 0:28.6 | So whether you want an insightful take on music right now |
| 0:31.3 | or a nostalgic deep dive into some of the most famous and infamous moments in music, |
| 0:36.1 | check out the music podcasts on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:40.3 | BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts. |
| 0:44.5 | Hi, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is Young Again, my podcast for BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:54.9 | What conversations would you have with your younger self? |
| 0:58.3 | How do you reflect on the big decisions you've made? |
| 1:00.8 | What have you learned from your life so far? |
| 1:03.0 | Well, in this edition of Young again, I'm talking to someone whose life story reads like |
| 1:07.2 | a particularly eventful epic novel, fame, glamour, fortune, drugs, violence, redemption and healing. |
| 1:14.5 | From the streets of Leeds to the world's biggest music arenas and mansions in the Hollywood Hills. |
| 1:19.7 | On paper, there is an air of sort of make-believe to it all, except, of course, that she has actually lived it. |
| 1:26.8 | And the toll it's taken has at times driven her to the very edge of everything. |
| 1:31.6 | When we spoke, I was struck by her unflinching honesty in describing the 10-year-long |
| 1:37.4 | abusive marriage she endured and the hope and optimism that she's chosen to embrace as she heals |
... |
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