Kirkland gained further attention in pop music after a collaboration with Avril Lavigne for the remix of her hit single "Girlfriend".

Kirkland took a hiatus from music after success of her hit single "Hustler Girl" to stay focused on serving as a judge for total of seven seasons on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew at the age of 18 from 2008 to 2012.

Working with producer and fellow judge Randy Jackson, she served alongside JC Chasez, Shane Sparks, Mario Lopez, and Layla Kayleigh.

She was cast as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in the VH1 biographical film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, which aired in October 2013 and garnered 4.5 million views in the first night.

Kirkland continued to remain in the public eye, returning to music, making new tracks with fellow rapper MC Lyte on her single "Ball".

"Scrawberry" introduced a new look for Kirkland, in which she would wear colorful wigs and futuristic attire; this would be her new style for next few years; however, the song was released on her MySpace page and YouTube, it was unclear if it was removed from streaming services along with her other two singles.

In 2009, she announced the title of her proposed sophomore album as Voice of the Young People: I Am That[5] after her single "What It Is (Strike a Pose)" failed to chart.

With the shutdown, Kirkland (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) would release future material on the RCA Records brand.

However, Kirkland had left Jive before the transition to RCA; she stated in an interview that she was not in the right space to make music and decided to take a hiatus.

[6][7] Voice of the Young People: I Am That would have had guest appearances including Soulja Boy, Khalil, Angel Haze, LoLa Monroe, Teyana Taylor, Trina, Keke Palmer, Nas, and Chris Brown, among others.

The video incorporates many themes including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, voguing, Mary J. Blige, Caribbean love, and community fun.

In 2016, Kirkland made an appearance on Hip Hop Squares as a contestant; the episode was highlighted because of the controversy Tamar Braxton started with the host.

In June 2015, Kirkland was listed as a featured speaker at an event sponsored by BET and the Hip Hop Sisters Network.

[18] The event, held on June 27, 2015, focuses on empowering black women both in their lives and financially, providing answers on such tough issues as men, money, and family relationships.

[20] Kirkland, along with director Tasha Smith and her co-stars Tami Roman and Lance Gross, went on a tour to promote the film and share Falicia Blakely's story.

On April 17, 2018, Kirkland became competitor on MTV's The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars, a competitive television miniseries in which celebrities would team up with pro-athlete champions against each other.

[22] Kirkland went on to promote the single on the morning edition of Total Request Live in late September informing that this will lead to a future album.

She was then followed up by Brynn Elliott after discussion of her old album and viewing of her greatest music videos which included "Lip Gloss", "Shawty Get Loose", and "G-Slide (Tour Bus)".

[25][26] On September 25, 2018, Entertainment Tonight announced that Kirkland would join the cast of The CW's All American as a supporting character; this would be her first acting role since When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story.

On October 4, 2018, Kirkland appeared on TV One's morning talk show Sister Circle to discuss her latest single "Shoe Game", and her being cast on Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta.

There, she stated that she will be joining the cast as a regular due to her move to Atlanta, Georgia, to work on her upcoming album that Bow Wow will be assisting to co-produce and allow the series to document her journey as well as her experiences.

She also got to discuss her acting career, as well as her taking vocal lessons from R&B singer Kelly Price; her singing will debut on the intended album.

Kirkland made her debut on the first episode alongside Kiyomi Leslie and Masika Kalysha as replacement for cast members who quit.

Tara also happened to be featured in the intro and closing of Kirkland's music video for her hit single "Lip Gloss".

[29] At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Kirkland went onstage while Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed "Empire State of Mind".

While Jay-Z was ending his final verse, Kirkland left her seat in the audience, got onto the stage, and started bobbing her head to the beat.