2003–2010: The Pussycat Dolls At the age of 19, Thornton traveled to
Burbank, California to audition for the Pussycat Dolls. and signed a contract with the Pussycat Dolls partnership, receiving a percentage of the group's revenues. Thornton along with Bachar supplied vocals as secondary vocalists, while Scherzinger assumed the majority of the vocals as the lead singer. Thornton was the youngest and the only member who did not have a background in dance. The group released their
first single, "
Don't Cha" (featuring
Busta Rhymes), which stands as the group's most successful single to date peaking at number two on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart and reaching the top in 15 other countries. Thornton didn't like the song in the beginning, as she found too controversial. They released their
self-titled debut album in September 2005. Subsequent singles, "
Stickwitu and "
Buttons" also reached the top five on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart. Thornton was featured on
Jibbs' single "
Go Too Far", which was released in March 2007; it entered the top-twenty on the
New Zealand Singles Chart.
Doll Domination included the singles "
When I Grow Up" and "
I Hate This Part", which reached the top twenty on the US
Billboard Hot 100 chart. In January 2009, the group embarked on the
Doll Domination Tour, their second headlining concert tour, which highlighted stops in Europe, Oceania and Asia, and grossed over $14 million. Following the release of the group's single 2009 "
Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)", tensions in the group rose due to Scherzinger being billed as a featured artist on the release. This would go on to lead to a public outburst by Thornton during the group's tour appearance while opening for
The Circus Starring Britney Spears. The group would then announce a hiatus towards the end of the year. Thornton then appeared as a panelist on
E!'s
Bank of Hollywood in which contestants must appeal to a celebrity panel to receive money. It lasted for one season.
2011–present: Solo music, television, and stage work Since her departure from the group, Thornton has remained an independent artist. In June 2011 she participated in the
second series of
Popstar to Operastar, a
British television programme in which
pop stars were trained to sing
opera; she was eliminated in the third week. The same month she released her debut
single "Sweet Vendeta" which preceded the release of her debut mixtape,
P.O.Y.B.L (Piss On Your Black List), the following year. It contains ten tracks which consist of five covers and four songs solely written by Thornton. In 2013 she collaborated with
Bizzy Crook,
LL Cool J, and
Prince Kay One for their respective albums released that year. In 2017, Thornton returned to British television by appearing on the
second series of
Celebs Go Dating and
Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls. In 2019, Thornton was eliminated on the eight-week and placed fifth on the
eleventh series of
Dancing on Ice. She collaborated with UK DJ producer Harrison on the dance track "Freak Like Me" and released her first solo track in seven years, "Love Will Return". A ballad that is a nod to her heritage and serves as the lead single for her debut
EP,
Lioness Eyes. The EP, which includes seven songs was released on August 7. == Artistry and musical style ==