Career
After graduating high school, Melody auditioned for 'The Pussycat Dolls,' a popular American all-girl group and dance ensemble. She had earlier seen ‘The Pussycat Dolls' perform with Christina Aguilera. Thus, she eventually developed an interest to join the group.
Melody was not part of the original 'The Pussycat Dolls' that had begun as a caricature dance show in Los Angeles. She was declared an official member of 'The Pussycat Dolls' in December 2003 and was given the nickname "Baby Doll" because she was the youngest group member.
Melody entered the group as a vocalist, alongside lead singers Nicole Scherzinger and Ashley Roberts. Like the other members of the group, she became a salaried employee of 'Interscope Records,' the group’s record label. Despite being the youngest in the group, Melody eventually became the second-most prominent vocalist after Nicole. She provided vocals for the songs 'Buttons' (melismatic ad-libs on the chorus), 'Don't Cha,' 'Beep,' and 'Stickwitu,' all from the group’s debut studio album 'PCD.'
In 2005, Melody was featured in an uncredited role of a “Pussy Cat Doll” in the crime-comedy film 'Be Cool,' based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name. The same year, she participated in the British TV dance contest 'Strictly Come Dancing.'
Melody next appeared in the 2006 song 'Go Too Far' by American rapper Jibbs. In 2007, she appeared as a “Pussycat Doll” in an episode of the 'E!' reality show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' titled 'Birthday Suit.'
In 2008, Melody was featured in eight episodes of the second and the final season of 'Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.' The same year, she guest-starred in the sixth episode of the dance reality show 'Dancing with the Stars.'
That year, 'The Pussycat Dolls' released their second studio album, 'Doll Domination.' Melody was the only member who was featured in 'Doll Domination' (standard edition) as a vocalist, alongside the lead vocalist Nicole. She provided vocals for the songs 'Takin' Over the World,' 'Elevator,' 'Love the Way You Love Me,’ and, Painted Windows.’ Melody also provided additional backing vocals and ad-libs to a few of the songs from the album. For the songs ‘When I Grow Up' (music video version), ‘Whatcha Think About That,' and 'Top of the World,' she was the secondary vocalist. Melody also recorded her first solo song for 'The Pussycat Dolls,' ‘Space.’ The song was included in the deluxe edition of 'Doll Domination.'
In 2009, Melody protested publicly when she and the other 'The Pussycat' members were dissatisfied for Nicole Scherzinger being promoted as the featured artist of the track 'Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny).' To show her disappointment, Melody addressed the crowd at the concert tour 'The Circus Starring Britney Spears' in Glendale, Arizona, and said, “Let me give a shout-out to my family. Thank you for supporting me, even if I'm not featured."
From 2009 to 2010, Melody judged eight episodes of the 'E!' reality series 'Bank of Hollywood.' She also had a cameo in the music video of the song 'Slow Dance' by American recording artist Keri Hilson. Melody was one of the additional vocalists for the song 'Ease Off the Liquor' from the third studio album of American record producer and rapper Timbaland, 'Shock Value II.'
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In June 2010, Melody left 'The Pussycat Dolls' to pursue her career as an independent artist. She then began working on her upcoming solo album. Melody stated that false promises made by the group earlier were responsible for her departure. She said that she had little freedom in the group, which had limited her scope to grow as a singer. She also claimed that she was not given enough opportunities to contribute to the group’s albums. In an interview on February 20, 2010, Melody revealed how her independent compositions would be different from that of 'The Pussycat Dolls.' However, she acknowledged the group for the knowledge that she had acquired from them as a pop singer.
In June 2010, Melody announced her debut independent solo album, in collaboration with stars such as Cee Lo Green, Polow da Don, and Lil Wayne. She later revealed about her future projects with songwriter and producer duo ‘Dre and Vidal.’ Melody’s song 'Love Gun,' which was produced by singer and music producer Cee Lo, leaked on the internet around the same time. Cee Lo and English singer Lauren Bennett later recorded the song for the album 'The Lady Killer.'
Melody released her first official single, 'Sweet Vendetta,' on June 16, 2011. With the release of her debut single, she also announced her debut solo album. The album was released the following year. On March 5, 2012, she released a promotional single titled ‘Lipstick & Guilt.' A few days later, on March 15, Melody unveiled her first mixtape, 'P.O.Y.B.L,' an acronym for 'Piss on Your Black List.' The mixtape had 10 tracks, of which five were remakes and four were originals. Melody wrote all the songs. She collaborated with artists such as Andre Harris ('Smoking Gun'), Church and State ('Sweet Vendetta'), Mark Vinten ('Intro') for 'P.O.Y.B.L.'
Melody and singer Bobby Newberry sang the cover version of English synthpop duo ‘La Roux's original song 'Bulletproof.' The music video of this track premiered on May 24, 2012. Melody also competed in the second series of the British TV program 'Popstar to Operastar.' She was eliminated in the third week of the show. On June 14, 2012, Melody, alongside former 'The Pussycat Doll' member Ashley Roberts, appeared in a cameo in the music video of singer Bobby Newberry's debut single, 'Dirrty Up.'
On April 30, 2013, Melody, along with Charlie Wilson and the American band 'Earth, Wind & Fire,' were featured as the vocalists in the song 'Something About You (Love The World)' from the album 'Authentic' by hip-hop recording artist LL Cool J. On May 17, she guest-starred in rapper and actor Fat Joe's music video 'Ballin.' In 2014, Melody modeled in an advertisement campaign for 'Dior.'
In 2016, Melody appeared on 'Wine Time LIVE, AUS Version,' a game show that streams weekly on 'Facebook.' The following year, the second series of the 'E4' show 'Celebs Go Dating' featured Melody as a guest star. She has also been featured on the TV reality show 'Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls.'
Melody is currently part of the eleventh season of the British TV show 'Dancing on Ice.' Her participation in the show was earlier announced on the TV show ‘Good Morning Britain.'
