Without the Spice Girls, we may never have had "Single Ladies," or any of Beyoncé's other hit singles.
In a new interview with Dear Media's Breaking Beauty podcast, Posh Spice herself, aka Victoria Beckham, said that Beyoncé once told her that the British pop stars "inspired" her to go after her dreams.
"I met Beyoncé a few years ago and she actually said to me, 'It was the Spice Girls that inspired me and made me want to do what I do and made me proud to be a girl. I'm proud to be who I am,'" she recalled. "And when someone like Beyoncé, who is so iconic and such a strong woman, says that she was inspired by the Spice Girls, I think that that's quite something."
Victoria noted that she and the rest of the Spice Girls were unapologetic about who they are, and it was part of what made them so successful.
As she put it, "I look at us all, and it makes me smile because we didn't care. Whether it was fashion or beauty, we didn't care. We wore what made us feel good. We weren't worried, 'Is this the newest, coolest?' We set trends because there was no fear."
She added that the Spice Girls didn't just inspire Beyoncé, "we inspired lots of young women."
And, in her opinion, it wasn't all about appearances. Rather, she said the group was all about "accepting who you are," saying, "It's okay to be different. Let's not try and change who we are. Let's celebrate who we are. Let's celebrate the fact that we're all different."
This approach to life was shown in their music, including songs like "Spice Up Your Life," and in their nicknames. Victoria was Posh, Mel B was Scary Spice, Mel C represented the Sporty boys and girls, while Emma Bunton was miss Baby Spice and Gerri Halliwell was aptly-named Ginger Spice.
The Spice Girls got together in 2004 but ultimately disbanded in 2000. Over the years, they've reunited a handful of times, giving us just enough spice to get through life.
Of course, Beyoncé similarly started her music career as a part of a popular girl group. She formed Destiny's Child in 1990, along with Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland. They too disbanded when they each decided to pursue solo careers, but remain life-long friends.
As the iconic song "Wannabe" goes, "Make it last forever, friendship never ends."