'I was mercilessly bullied at school just for being daughter of a Spice Girl'

Phoenix Brown has made a documentary exploring what it means to be a nepo baby and the advantages and disadvantages it brings - she admits she was 'hated' at school

Phoenix Brown has told how a downside of her “nepo baby” privilege was being bullied mercilessly at school for having a Spice Girl mum.

The 25-year-old has made a documentary exploring what it means to be Mel B’s daughter, and the advantages and disadvantages it brings. In the film she launches a fake career as an artist to see how far her name will take her when it comes to selling paintings, raking in thousands in the process.

And while she admits her family connection definitely helped her to launch a genuine career as a DJ last year, it brought her misery while she was at school in America. “Everyone has their own struggles when they go through school. People think that I would be popular, or everyone would love me because I had a famous parent. But it doesn't really help you in any way,” she told the Mirror.

“You can't really bring your Mum to school every day and be like, ‘oh, look at me.’ It's more of a thing where you're the odd one out because everyone's like, ‘Oh, you're the one with the famous parent.’ It was a bit weird. I guess people just didn't really like me.”

She said that some of the kids even set up a ‘we hate Phoenix’ club. “I was a coloured girl, I had big hair, I was very loud. Some kids just don't like that, and I just got bullied all throughout my schooling. It sucked. People are just mean at that age, I guess, and I was easy to pick on.” She said it got better when she reached high school. “I grew up and got a thick skin. But up until then, it was a struggle. It was nice to realise now that that's what shaped me.”

Phoenix, who now lives in London, holds up her hands to being a “nepo baby” in the Channel 4 film, readily admitting that it opened doors for her as she set about establishing herself as a DJ. “I mean, of course it did. I can't say that it hasn't, because that would be a lie.”

But even she is shocked to discover the unfairness of the system after she pretends to be an artist and sells several paintings at her exhibition despite having no training or art skills - just because of her famous name. In the programme, Born in the Limelight: Nepo Babies, she compares the attention she is able to generate to that of struggling artist Betty Ogun, who is desperate for a break from the art world.

She said artist Betty knew exactly what would happen when they both sent out invitations for their work to be viewed - and Betty didn’t get a single reply. “She was like, ‘I've done it before. Why would it change now?’ And obviously, she knew that I would get replies. But she’s the one with actual skills with something to give in the long run.”

Phoenix invited 90 other “nepo babies” to speak on the programme but only Jack Keating, son of Boyzone singer Ronan, agreed to take part. She says that children of the rich and famous need to own up to the privilege they get rather than trying to deny it - because they have no choice who their parents are. “The fact that people are kind of shying away from the fact, I feel like it's a bit ridiculous.”

Phoenix said that making the documentary helped her mum Mel B see that she did get doors opened for her, despite her efforts to keep her feet on the ground and give her daughter a strong work ethic. “She wants to know that I work for it myself, not that she gives me legs up or opens doors. She doesn't really like to think of it like that, because she didn't get through life like that. So it was hard to make her understand in a way.”

She hopes the film will helps people to be less judgemental. “I hope they just take that everyone deserves a chance. And don’t always be mad at nepotism babies, because if you were in their shoes, you might do the same thing. I have the name Brown showcased everywhere.

“So you do go a long road of trying to prove yourself that you do want to have a career just like the next person, so you're not just trying to be named as a celebrity kid. I feel like me just owning the privilege that I have had, I feel like it's going to let me do what I want to do and have people kind of accept it.” Phoenix also hopes the exposure from the programme could help Betty get the recognition she deserves. “I still keep in touch with her. She’s going to have an art exhibition, I know that for sure.”

Born in the Limelight: Nepo Babies UNTOLD, streaming now on Channel 4

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