Viva Forever May, the Spice Girls appeared on the National Lottery, performing "Viva Forever" and "Spice Up Your Life" without Geri Halliwell, the excuse being that she was ill. In early June, the single was confirmed to simply be "Viva Forever". The single was to be released on 13 July, over two months after the original release date of 11 May. Even though posters were printed showcasing the 13 July release date, it was not long before the release dates started changing again. On the day of release, stores around the United Kingdom received a notice saying that the single was not
Emma Bunton in the United Kingdom. In the weeks leading up to the release, the video for "Wannabe", got a trial airing on The Box music channel. The song proved to be a global hit, reaching number 1 in 35 countries. and becoming the biggest-selling single by an all-female group of all time. It was followed by nine further number-one singles from their albums "Spice", "Spiceworld" and "Forever". Each member of the group received a nickname from the media. Bunton was named "Baby Spice". Other successful releases followed, including "Say You'll Be There" and "2 Become 1" from "Spice", and "Spice Up