Spice Girls icon Melanie C announced as Album Champion
Ahead of its return on 17th October – this year celebrating the theme of “Icons” – National Album Day is honoured to announce the award-winning singer-songwriter and pop-phenomenon Melanie C as its latest Album Champion to come on board as an advocate for the cultural importance of the album format. She joins the previously announced Album Champions PinkPantheress and Max Richter CBE.
A British icon and a much-loved member of the era-defining 90s girl group, the Spice Girls, Melanie embodies this year’s theme, having inspired a generation of fans and sold more than 100 million records world-wide, including Spice, which remains the best-selling album by a female group in history.
Melanie’s spectacular solo career has seen her release nine studio albums since her debut with Northern Star in 1999, which has gone on to garner close to 2.5 million sales worldwide, and she has achieved global hits including I Turn to You and Never Be the Same Again. Her acclaimed 2020 self-titled album reaffirmed her place at the heart of pop after nearly three decades and in May Melanie released Sweat, her most euphoric record to date, earning her a top 3 Official Albums Chart placing and with it the all-time record for a Spice Girls solo album. Beyond music, she is a Sunday Times bestselling author, an Attitude Award winner for her LGBTQ+ allyship, a philanthropist, and a dynamic performer who has embraced dance, fashion, and DJ sets, including appearances in Ibiza and at Coachella. This month Melanie will embark on a 2026 world headline tour – her biggest to date.
Album Champion for National Album Day 2026, Melanie C said:
“I’ve always loved albums because they tell a story. They’re a chance for an artist to take you on a journey, to share different sides of themselves and create something that’s bigger than just a collection of songs. Some of my favourite musical memories come from listening to an album from start to finish, and I still love discovering new records in that way today. There’s something magical about the artwork and owning an album you can actually hold in your hands. Music has always been such a huge part of my life, so I’m really proud to become a National Album Day Album Champion and celebrate the magic of the album format.”
Today’s champion announcement follows the announcement of the first two champions, BRIT Award-winner and Grammy nominated PinkPantheress, and Oscar-nominated composer and one of the most influential and acclaimed musical voices of his generation, Max Richter CBE. More Album Champions will be announced ahead of National Album Day on 17th October.
From The Beatles to David Bowie, Oasis to Spice Girls, Jazzie B to Little Simz, and Lola Young to Raye, music icons transcend the charts, genres, and generations; shaping popular culture, inspiring future talent and global audiences, and defining the sound and identity of their era. This year’s theme follows last year’s Rock theme and earlier editions of National Album Day that have, among other themes, focused on the albums of the Nineties, Women in Music, Debut Albums, and Great British Groups.
National Album Day celebrates the “art of the album” and an artform beloved of fans and of artists who share their personal stories through it. The day, which is supported by Album Champions and with exclusive product released, encourages album discovery and listening, especially among an engaged, younger audience. It also reinforces the enduring importance of the format at the heart of today’s diverse music ecosystem. Watch this space for this year’s product announcement soon!
This year’s National Album Day, the ninth edition since the event launched in 2018, is once again presented in association with BBC Radio 2. The event is supported across the station and BBC Sounds.
National Album Day is organised jointly by the BPI – the UK association of record companies and independent labels (BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize), and ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association (Record Store Day). National Album Day sees the music community come together to celebrate and promote the art of the album and will pay tribute to artists who tell their stories behind these significant and influential bodies of work.
Since its launch, National Album Day has been supported by a breadth of artist Album Champions, including last year by rock legends Iron Maiden, Mercury/BRIT winners Wolf Alice, and contemporary stars Nova Twins, and Architects, as well as by previous champions across multiple genres, including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, La Roux, Elbow, Courteeners, Paloma Faith, Travis, Catherine Marks, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox, Tricky, Alex Kapranos, and Jazzie B.
Typically benefitting from around a week-long build up, National Album Day has hosted a variety of activities such as listening events with album platforms including Classic Album Sundays, and Pitchblack Playback. Past activations have also seen live performances with War Child; in-store artist appearances and record store promotions, V&A museum artist in-conversations, album sleeve artwork exhibitions, and street art murals.
This year, National Album Day also welcomes the backing of Official Supporters – Cherry Red Records, DP World, Official Charts, PPL, Proper Music, and Trapeze Music.
This valued commitment comes alongside that of the UK’s record labels, who will release new or reissue classic albums exclusively for the day, the music retail community – in the high street and online, album platforms including Classic Album Sundays, and the wider music industry.