![]() It was a beautiful platter of all of these different vocalists who have a musical identity.įast-forward to the '00s when I got into the game alongside Napster and labels being like, "I want my money back." I realized that a lot of songs sounded the same. ![]() Paula Abdul didn't sound like Janet Jackson. Growing up in the '90s, Anita Baker didn't sound like Betty Wright. I love "Don't Cha." I didn't at first, but I understand why record labels liked it. How did you figure out your musical identity? We've known you for having such a particular sound for years with PCD, and then you moved away from that radio-friendly pop. Don't get lost in that thing." Now I've come back with a clear mind. So I actually did take a step back to say, "This is Hollywood. I still want to be able to go to the hardware store with my dad and be present. When you're just chugging along to something that is not the common man's day-to-day, it's a little bit scary because it's almost like you're becoming more and more accustomed to dysfunction. Then after that, I needed to find normalcy. Yes! I made it a free project to get people thinking of me in a different way. The mixtape had retro elements, but with a modern twist. I just tried to stick to my guns, and I released a mixtape in 2012 that took really popular instruments from the '60s. I didn't want to create another rabbit hole that I could not get out of. So there were a lot of unraveling layers. The type of music that we made is not the kind of singer that I am. There were so many elements, like, "How am I going to pay my bills?" The more people involved, the more money is being divided. Was it difficult to re-establish yourself after leaving? You were thrown into stardom because the group was immediately successful. You get to a certain point where you go where you are loved and where you can be successful. Look at this pandemic, you know? You just gotta live your life. I do wish them all the best and hopefully they wish me the best because we come from the same place. So returning wasn't the right thing for me. I think life is meant to be abundant, and you've got to keep moving forward. ![]() I don't know whether or not there were plans to extend the group and record more music. But it did leave me in limbo with respect to who I am as a vocalist and developing myself artistically. It didn't seem like a situation that was going to last forever. So all throughout, I just needed people to know that I sang. I don't think the label ever considered that we were only going to release two albums. I had no idea about the world and never left home before. I was 19 when I joined the group, but honestly, my maturity level was probably like 15 years old. My introduction to the industry just happened to be this mega-huge pop group, you know? It was really just a starting point. I'm going to get this out of the way now: Why did you decide to opt out of last year's Pussycat Dolls reunion ? ![]() spoke with Melody Thornton about the journey that led to the Lioness Eyes EP, how she drew inspiration from her Mexican and Southern Black heritage and how she regained her musical identity. That really resonated with me and how I wanted to have my own soundtrack." "But I started realizing how every great female artist in the '90s was associated with a film: Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler. She gets emotional for a moment, and it's clear the EP's process was a weight lifted. It's nobody's fault when you are introduced a certain way," Thornton tells over Zoom. "It's just really nice that somebody understands what I've been trying to say, because it's been a long road. ![]() (She's remained an independent artist since her departure from The Pussycat Dolls). "This crossroad that I met won't conquer me," Thornton croons on the haunting opener "Pray For Me." The song and lyrics embody the EP's concept, where she takes risks without the constraints of a major label. Taking notes from brooding singers like Nancy Sinatra and Eartha Kitt, cinematic scores such as Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill and Thornton's own Arizona upbringing, Lioness Eyes is a self-reflective journey set to an Italian-Western-inspired soundtrack. 7), the seven-track EP is more of an emotional release: With each song, Thornton slowly rediscovers herself. The singer independently released her debut mixtape, P.O.Y.B.L, in 2012, and after a winding road of one-off singles, she's now returned with Lioness Eyes, her first project in eight years. But in the case of Melody Thornton, she left it all behind.Īfter joining The Pussycat Dolls in 2003, Thornton left the group in 2010, the year the ensemble disbanded, to figure out who she was as a solo artist. What does one do after surviving the whirlwind of being in one of the world's biggest pop groups? Some artists may try to hold onto that success. ![]()
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