In March 1998, Melanie B began a relationship with Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar and married him six months later at a highly publicised wedding ceremony in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

[4] Meanwhile, Melanie B worked on her debut solo effort, titled Hot, which she described as "like a documentary of all the things that I've been going through in the last two years".

In other words, I'm saying he didn't love me";[14] however, the singer stated that she did not see "Tell Me" as controversial, as she was a "very honest person and I want to sing things with conviction so I write from the heart".

[15] Nigel Packer from the BBC News stated that Melanie B sings in "typically no-nonsense style" on the track.

[11] According to Dotmusic's Jackie Flying, the singer referencing herself in the third person on the lyrics was "a sure sign that you've qualified as a fully blown member of the so-famous-they're-bonkers glitterati".

According to a reviewer from the Lancashire Telegraph, the track was "loud, proud and upfront",[16] whereas BBC Music's Nigel Packer described it as "vitriolic".

"[18] Jackie Flynn of Dotmusic stated that "Mel B is shaping up as the best pop star" of all the Spice Girls as "Tell Me" was "another great single, a sassy piece of spiteful R&B"; she went on to say that "her solo career's proving increasingly classy then even if nothing else about the young lady is.

As the video progresses, it shows her in many different settings, and as the song starts to fade, she is seen sitting where the first dance took place staring off-camera.

To further promote "Tell Me", Melanie B performed the track on televised shows and events, such as Top of the Pops,[34] and the 2000 TMF Awards.