Melody Thornton (born September 28, 1984) is an American singer, dancer, songwriter, and occasional model who rose to stardom as a member of the successful pop group the Pussycat Dolls. Thornton assumes the second most prominent vocal role in the group, after lead vocalist Nicole Scherzinger, and is distinguised for her melismatic vocal runs.
Thornton was born in Phoenix, Arizona to a Mexican mother and African American father. Her talent was first discovered at an elementary school talent show when she sang Mariah Carey's "Without You".
She saw the Pussycat Dolls on MTV and heard they were auditioning for a new group member. Melody went to the audition and was recruited in December 2003. For her audition Melody only sang and was still accepted into the group. As with the other Dolls, she is a salaried employee of Interscope Records.
Thornton started her solo career collaborating with rapper Jibbs in the song "Go Too Far" in his debut album Jibbs feat. Jibbs. Nothing is confirmed of her solo album and Melody said no such thing to Blender magazine. Thornton was confirmed by Tyrese to be on his lastest album in a song called "No Such Thing As Happiness (No Perfection)." Thornton currently wrote a duet called "You're My Reason" which she has asked Omarion to collaborate with.
Thornton assumes the soprano vocal roles during the group's live performances, and is also known for her melismatic vocal runs. Her toughest challenge being in the Pussycat Dolls is learning the dance routines as she has never had any dancing background. As for her vocals, she claims that she would like to master the whistle register one day.
Thornton is dating rapper Bow Wow. When asked in an interview, "What do you look for in a guy?", she replies, "I’m young, so I’m still pretty shallow, and I go for muscles... I like guys that are buff! There’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, he’s gotta be intelligent... sometimes."
