Emma Bunton reveals Spice Girls were tipsy on Martini Asti when they recorded Viva Forever

27 July 2020, 15:31

The song was their first single after Geri Halliwell's departure, and the last one they performed together before she quit.

The Spice Girls shared a bottle of Martini Asti when they recorded farewell single Viva Forever.

The track, released on July 20 1998, was the first single released by the band after Geri Halliwell left the band, and this week as its twentieth anniversary passed, Emma Bunton was feeling nostalgic.

Speaking on her Heart show last night, she revealed she and bandmates Geri, Victoria Beckham, Mel C and Mel B had shared a bottle of the corner shop tipple as they recorded the vocals for song - which they had no idea would be their penultimate release.

She said: "I had to get Viva Forever on this evening as that song turned 22 year in the week! Wow, where does the time go?

"I remember recording Viva Forever in a studio while drinking a bottle of £8.99 Martini Asti. If you’ve never heard of it, you’ll find it at the back of your drinks cabinet, left over from a party 10 years ago!

"The key to our seventh number 1 single was sparkling white wine."

Read more: Victoria Beckham sends fans wild as she danes to Spice Up Your Life with son Romeo

While the band would go on to perform the song as a foursome after Geri's shocking departure, she does feature in the video, which shows the Spices in fairy form coaxing a young girl to grow up.

The video took five months to make, which was longer than their big screen outing, Spice World: The Movie.

Viva Forever was also the last song that Geri performed with the band, appearing alongside Baby, Posh, Scary and Sporty on Top Of The Pops. They also performed it with opera icon Pavarotti.

Read more: Mel B reveals secret romp with bandmate Geri Halliwell

With so much history surrounding the iconic song, it was no surprise that mum-of-two Emma took the chance to sit back and reminisce this week.

She added: "That’s why this week to celebrate the song's 22nd birthday, I sat in the garden with a bottle of Asti - who needs champagne and Prosecco?"

Emma Bunton confirms Spice Girls reunion

Last week Emma revealed that all five Spice Girls had met up for a socially distanced walk in woodland.

Catch Emma Bunton on Heart, every Sunday from 7-10pm.