Phoenix Brown said her mother, Spice Girls star Mel B, once told her bluntly, "I'm the famous one and you're not," a moment the 26-year-old said helped spur her to build an independent career rather than live in a shadow of celebrity.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Brown described the remark as a turning point in her search for identity and professional purpose. She said she has been "discovering who I am, what I like, who I like, where I want to be" and acknowledged the advantages and assumptions that come with being the child of a well-known performer.
Brown has not shied away from the so-called "nepo baby" label. Last year she fronted a Channel 4 documentary, "Born in the Limelight – Nepo Babies: Untold," which explored how celebrity parentage can shape opportunities and expectations. "I was so nervous to do it just because it was such a taboo subject," she said, adding that the film sought to prompt wider discussion about privilege beyond the world of celebrities. "It is what it is. I'm not going to shy away from the fact, I am a nepo baby, so go ahead, call me that. But my name is Phoenix."
Since stepping out from her mother's shadow, Brown has developed a portfolio career in London, working as a DJ and showing her art. This week she is set to make her London Fashion Week runway debut with Sprayground, a New York–founded streetwear and travel-accessory label. Brown said she has "never walked anything in my life, except from the bedroom to the kitchen," and called the show "another learning experience."
Sprayground founder David Ben David told The Daily Mail the brand chose London as part of an expansion to British retailers including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. The show, produced by Sprayground creative director Sandflower Dyson, will present a gender-fluid collection of 47 looks featuring luggage and ready-to-wear pieces. Ben David said the brand's entry into the London market was timely and described a creative affinity between New York and London streetwear scenes.
Brown also spoke about her family's recent celebrations. She said she encouraged her mother to hold a second wedding ceremony in Morocco following a smaller service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Mel B, 50, married hairdresser Rory McPhee, 37, in an outdoor ceremony in Marrakesh last month. Brown said she was "happy to see her happy" and described playing a role in the festivities: she walked her mother down the aisle at one ceremony, and the couple's children participated as bridesmaid and groomsman at others.
At the Moroccan reception, Brown said she declined an offer to DJ and instead danced, requesting a few tracks from the DJ. She confirmed some Spice Girls classics were included on the playlist and called herself "the number one Spice Girls fan," while expressing hope for a future group reunion.
Brown and her siblings — Angel Iris, 18, and Madison, 14 — have been publicly involved in their family's healing after Mel B's highly publicized divorce from film producer Stephen Belafonte, whom Mel B has accused of domestic abuse. The family returned to the United Kingdom after that marriage ended, and Brown and her mother have served as ambassadors for Women's Aid, a charity supporting women and children affected by domestic violence.
Brown credited her mother with instilling confidence and a willingness to try new things, saying that growing up in a "strong, women-led family" meant she was "thrown in the deep end from birth." She said the challenge of carving out a recognizable identity has been ongoing: "That quickly made me realise that I got to find who I am and not be a shadow. So I've just had a journey with that."
As she prepares for the runway and continues to show art and DJ, Brown framed her path as a process of exploration. "I'm discovering who I am," she said. "It's a lot of questions, and I just got to figure out the answers, but I'm here for the journey."
The discussion of celebrity offspring and opportunity has intensified across media and culture, and Brown's public engagement with the topic through documentary work and interviews places her among a growing number of artists and influencers who are re-examining how family background intersects with career paths. Her forthcoming London Fashion Week appearance and ongoing creative projects will further test whether and how she can establish a separate public profile from her mother's enduring pop legacy.