Say You'll Be There - Background

Background

In October 1994, armed with a catalogue of demos and dance routines, the Spice Girls began touring management agencies. They felt insecure about the lack of a contract and were frustrated by the direction in which Heart Management was steering them. In November, the group persuaded their managers—father-and-son team Bob and Chris Herbert—to set up a showcase performance in front of industry writers, producers and A&R men at the Nomis Studios in Shepherd's Bush where they received an "overwhelmingly positive" reaction.

Due to the large interest in the group, the Herberts quickly set about creating a binding contract for them. Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the showcase, all five members delayed signing contracts on the legal advice from, amongst others, Victoria Beckham's father, Anthony Adams. In March 1995, because of the group's frustration at their management's unwillingness to listen to their visions and ideas, they parted from Heart Management. In order to ensure they kept control of their own work, the group retrieved the master recordings of their discography from the management offices. The next week they were supposed to meet with Sheffield-based producer Eliot Kennedy. The Herberts arranged the session weeks before the group's departure.