Northern Star is the debut solo studio album by English singer and songwriter Melanie C. It was released on 18 October 1999 by Virgin Records.

Musically, the album combines pop with elements of rock, electronica, trance, trip hop, and R&B, which contrasted with the sound of Chisholm's group.

Upon its release, Northern Star received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised Chisholm for differentiating her sound while noting the influence of Britpop and Madonna's Ray of Light (1998).

An international commercial success, Northern Star reached number one on the Swedish Albums Chart and the top ten in countries including Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Northern Star has been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry and has, as of 2001, sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling solo album by a member of the Spice Girls.

Following "Goin' Down" and "Northern Star," its third and fourth singles "Never Be the Same Again," featuring TLC member Lisa Lopes, and "I Turn to You" became international hits.

In March 1999, after extensive touring and the departure of Geri Halliwell, the Spice Girls took a hiatus due to the simultaneous pregnancies of Mel B and Victoria Beckham.

[5] Chisholm decided to leave the UK and head to Los Angeles to work on her solo album, informing The Big Breakfast that it was scheduled for release in October.

[7] Chisholm worked with producer Rick Rubin, who she befriended a year earlier when the Spice Girls were due to record a track with Blackstreet for Chef Aid: The South Park Album (1998) before it was scrapped.

[5] Rubin was also Red Hot Chili Peppers' main producer, whose lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, was rumoured to be dating Chisholm at the time.

[8] With hopes of releasing an indie rock album, Chisholm named Blur, Oasis, Suede, the Cardigans, and Hole among her influences.

"[16][17] The album's second track, the titular "Northern Star," is a "silky and atmospheric" ballad with "glassy Ray of Light-esque synth fills [and] ABBA/Roxette-style string runs.

"[17] Its lyrics convey "feelings of fragility, contemplation, and determination" and offer "a withering assessment of the questionable standards and morals of the music industry.

Her set received mixed to negative reviews, with Darryl Chamberlain of the BBC News calling it an "entertaining performance" while noting his confusion about which direction Chisholm wanted to take as a solo artist: "She could make a refreshing UK alternative to Sheryl Crow or Alanis but judging by her solo career so far - duets with Bryan Adams and other 1980s pop stars in Los Angeles, plus Sex Pistols covers - it's hard to know what she wants to be.

[citation needed] 23 years after the album's release, Northern Star was issued on vinyl as part of Record Store Day on 23 April 2022.

"[24] The video, directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, is "set at a crowded warehouse party where the track is performed while the police surround the building, seemingly unable to get in.

"[20] "Goin' Down" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, making it Chisholm's second top-five hit as a solo artist (following her feature on Adams' "When You're Gone"); it spent six weeks in the top 75.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine asserted that "Mel C wants to break from her Sporty Spice persona while proving herself as a legitimate musician and she does, more or less, with a surprisingly diverse record."

He added that "Melanie C has a fairly strong voice, a good sense of melody, and carries a tune with some personality, which is one of the reasons why the genre-hopping of Northern Star works.

"[1] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the album is "positively kaleidoscopic" in its incorporation of "trance, Garbage-style techno-rock, R&B ballads and vaguely nu-metalish chest beating.

"[46] Barry Walters also complemented the album's variety in a Rolling Stone review, suggesting it contains "way more well-sung goodies than you prefab-pop haters might expect" and drawing comparisons to Madonna, Garbage, the Beatles, and Low era David Bowie.

[19] Writing for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani agreed that Melanie C "meets the challenge of distinguishing herself from the Spice Girls" but felt that the ballads "sound like outtakes from Madonna's Ray of Light.

"[10] In a retrospective review for Attitude, published in 2024, Joseph Ryan-Hicks wrote that Melanie C achieved her goal of creating "an indie record inspired by Blur and Suede with a dash of Madonna’s magnum opus Ray of Light.

"[24] A less positive review from student publication The Harvard Crimson described Northern Star as "still the same Spice Girls album dressed up in slightly more sophisticated hues.