She was the lead singer of the Eurodance group La Bouche from 1994 to 1999, alongside American rapper and backing vocalist Lane McCray.

After leaving the group, Thornton began a solo career and found success, primarily in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland before her death in November 2001.

On the night of November 24, 2001, shortly after her final performance in Leipzig, Thornton was among the 24 people that died in the crash of Swiss airline's Crossair Flight 3597 in Bassersdorf, Switzerland.

Melanie Janene Thornton was born in Charleston, South Carolina and began studying voice from the age of six, as well as learning to play the piano and the clarinet.

Inspired by singers whom she idolized and grew up listening to such as Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack, Thornton would mimic the female vocalists she watched on television and/or heard on radio.

Thornton provided guest vocals for a lot of dance projects on their single releases, such as Orange Blue's "If You Wanna Be (My Only)", Comic's "I Surrender to Your Love", 100%'s "Power of the Light", Trance-Vision's "Take Me 2 Heaven 2 Nite" or Men Behind's "Feel the life" and "How Can I."

It was her recording of the song "Sweet Dreams" that caught the attention of producer Frank Farian, the mastermind of the infamous 1980s duo Milli Vanilli.

Next to La Bouche, Thornton continued providing guest vocals on singles such as Orange Blue's "Sunshine of My Life" and "Runaway", 100%'s "The Way It Is" and on Le Click's U.S. chart debut "Tonight is the Night" in 1995.

On November 25, 2002, the single "In Your Life" by La Bouche with Thornton, returning posthumously on lead vocals, was released to commemorate the first anniversary of her death.