On 5 February 1974, Nolan made her first television appearance with her sisters when she was almost nine years old, as the Nolans appeared on the "It's Cliff Richard!" television series. With the line-up featuring all six sisters and billed as "The Nolan Sisters", they performed "Stuck on You". That same year they released their debut single, "But I Do", with Nolan singing lead vocals. Owing to her age, Nolan would not become a full-time member of the group until 1980, when she was fifteen, although she does appear in the music video to their 1979 hit "I'm In the Mood for Dancing", which reached number three in the UK singles chart.