INTERVIEW: Melody Thornton speaks to us ahead of Rip It Up

We caught up with Melody Thornton ahead of her joining the UK touring cast of Rip It Up – The 70s!

Find out everything from how appearing on Dancing On Ice may help her, to her favourite song from the era.

Hi Melody! How are you?

Hi! I’m doing really well. Just in LA prepping for tour and loads of other fun stuff in the pipeline!

It’s been announced you’re joining Rip It Up in September! What are you most looking forward to about the tour?

I am looking forward to honestly bonding with my cast mates! Tour can be really fun and really stressful. I love this cast of performers so I think it’s going to be a blast. I live for music from the 60s and 70s. All my music is modeled after those two eras so I honestly think I will be in heaven. Roy Orbison, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Queen, Harry Nilsson these are all artist that I appreciate. If I can perform their material at a point in my own musical journey, it’s a blessing.

Is there anything you’re apprehensive about?

I don’t know what to expect. I try and be fearless and take each day at a time in general. The world of entertainment is so unpredictable so I’ve gotten a lot better at rolling with the punches since becoming an independent artist then I ever was before.

Do you think your time on Dancing On Ice will help you with Rip It Up?

Doing shows like Dancing On Ice prepare you for experiences like Rip It Up. Lol. Performing live is not a strong suit for all artists. Some are better recording artists then performers. I’ve always enjoyed performing live. They are very different.

Is there a particular artist or song you’d love to perform to in Rip It Up the 70s?

There is a song I sang when I was 9 years old “Without You” the version I was introduced to was performed by Mariah Carey but originally it was written and performed by Harry Nilsson. I’ve read about and watched documentaries about him. I relate to him so much. He really loved song writing, kind of suffered from social anxiety and focused a lot of his career on the art and end product not really being famous. It’s a song my entire family cannot listen to without crying. I was bullied pretty badly after singing that song at my schools talent show so the song represents more than just my 9 year old singing voice. It’s very special to me.

You’ll be dancing alongside Louis Smith and Rachel Stevens, both contestants on Strictly Come Dancing- how does that feel?

I haven’t thought about it. I think we can all related to that microscope environment. I don’t know how much Dancing On Ice is similar to Strictly but I can image there are many similarities.

Touring can be tough and tiring! Do you have any go-to relaxing activities lined up?

Lol… no. Haha I have a habit of letting anxiety catch up to me so I really need to come up with a plan. I will get a massage if I really need one. I just sleep as much as I need to. Make good choice with respect to diet and limit the bad stuff.