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Nicole Scherzinger (born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente; June 29, 1978) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. Known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, she has since since expanded to scripted and unscripted television and theater work. She has sold more than 60 million records, both solo and as member of the group, and has won an Evening Standard Theatre Award in addition to receiving Grammy and Laurence Olivier Award nominations.

Scherzinger began acting at the age of 14 performing in local theater work and studied musical theatre at Wright State University. Aspiring to have a career in music, Scherzinger dropped out of college and toured with American rock band Days of the New before finding modest success with Eden's Crush, a girl group created through The WB's Popstars. After minor acting roles, Scherzinger rose to fame as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Her prominent role was a point of contention within the group and factor in its eventual dissolution in 2009. Despite the only member to achieve mainstream recognition, she has struggled to carve out a successful music career outside the group, shelving her first attempt, Her Name is Nicole and releasing two studio albums–Killer Love (2011) and Big Fat Lie (2014)—to moderate success; the former includes the number-one single "Don't Hold Your Breath".

In 2010 she won Dancing with the Stars and has since appeared in multiple talent shows most notably, The X Factor UK (2012–2019) across four series and two of its spin-off shows and the first ten seasons of The Masked Singer (2019–2023) to ratings success. Scherzinger has also received praise for her starring roles in the television film Dirty Dancing (2017) and on the musical television special Annie Live! (2021). During this period she also stared in the animated film Moana (2016) and briefly reunited with the Pussycat Dolls in 2019. Scherzinger has received critical acclaim in her stage roles that include the Hollywood Bowl revival of musical Rent (2010) and the West End theatre revivals of the musicals Cats (2014) and Sunset Boulevard (2023). She is set to make her Broadway debut in the 2024 revival of Sunset Boulevard.

Early life
Scherzinger was born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente on June 29, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawai'i, to Alfonso Scherzinger of Filipino descent and Rosemary Elikolani of Native Hawaiian and Ukrainian descent. Her mother considered abortion as Scherzinger was conceived when she was 17 years old. After her father left the family at the age of two, Rosemary went on to marry German-American Gary Scherzinger, who adopted her, eventually taking her step-father's surname. She has as younger sister, Keala. At age six, they moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where her mother was a clerk, and her step-father was a welder. Scherzinger describes her upbringing as difficult as she grew up "without much money" and supported her parents by being a waitress, taking local modelling jobs, and being part of an entertainment troupe of the local amusemant park, Kentucky Kingdom. With her grandfather a priest, Scherzinger was raised as Roman Catholic and considered herself conservative with "really strong religious beliefs" and would go to church twice a week in order to make her other proud.

At the age of 14, she enrolled in the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she was cast in her first professional play, La Bête. She graduated in 1996 from the Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS) at duPont Manual High School, where she participated in many plays, including Alice in Wonderland, in which she portrayed Alice. Scherzinger was surprised she got the part as she was up "against a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair." In 2007, she was inducted to DuPont Manual Alumni's Hall of Fame as one of the youngest inductees. Since 2013, Scherzinger has endowed YPAS with a yearly $2,000, namesake scholarship. After earning a scholarship, she attended Wright State University and majored in theatre arts with a dance minor. During this period, Scherzinger garnered the lead roles in regional productions of the musicals Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and Show Boat. In her final year of college, Scherzinger was hired by Days of the New band leader Travis Meeks to contribute vocals on their self-titled second studio album. Meeks seeked out a singer who could "deliver some more world/operatic textures and sounds." The album's supporting tour followed which led Scherzinger to drop out of college. Towards the tour's conclusion, Meeks stated that the two grew apart creatively, claming she "didn’t seem to understand music very well" but noted she is an "amazing entertainer."

2001–2006: Eden's Crush and the Pussycat Dolls
In 2001, Scherzinger's mother, saw a commercial for the WB's television show Pospstars USA, a reality series with the aim to chronicle the group's formation until the recording of their debut album, Warner Bros. imprint London-Sire Records signed the group to a recording contract before the band was named and had finalized its membership, due to the hours of network television exposure the group would receive. Initally relcuctant to audition, Scherzinger later opted otherwise as she saw it as an opportunity to travel to Los Angeles. For her audition she sang Whitney Houston's version of Dolly Parton's song "I Will Always Love You" and alongside Ana Maria Lombo, Maile Misajon, Ivette Sosa, and Rosanna Tavarez, established the girl group Eden's Crush. Their debut single, "Get Over Yourself", was released in March 2001 and debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first female act to debut at number one on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. Their debut studio album, Popstars (2001), debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart. They went on to tour with 'N Sync and Jessica Simpson, but, by the end of the year, their label went bankrupt and the group disbanded. During this time, will.i.am, front man of The Black Eyed Peas, approached Scherzinger to become a member of the group, but her then-boyfriend, Nick Hexum declined. Following the band's dissolution, Scherzinger took a detour in acting and guest-starred in television shows such as My Wife and Kids (2002) and had a cameo in the independent comedy, Chasing Papi (2003).

In 2003, under her Hawaiian family name, Kea, Scherzinger peddled a demo CD of her own written material to various labels in hopes for a recording contract; in August her audition at Arista Records was interrupted by a citywide blackout, and was forced to leave. Meanwhile, Robin Antin, the creator of the burlesque troupe, the Pussycat Dolls, struck a joint venture with Interscope Records and along with record producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair, launched an open audition for a separate recording group. Per will.i.am's recommendation to Iovine, Scherzinger and Melody Thornton successfully auditioned in December 2003 joining Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt. Scherzinger accepted to be part of the group, only if Iovine guaranteed her an additional solo deal. As the lead singer, Scherzinger assumed the majority of the vocals and is the only member to have songwriting credits on their debut album, PCD, which was released in September 2005. The album was preceded by "Don't Cha" which became their international breakthrough, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in other 15 other countries. The album spawned other number-one hits, "Stickwitu, "Beep", and "Buttons"; the foremost of which earned Scherzinger a nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (2007). PCD was a commercial success, selling nearly three million copies in the United States and exceeding seven million copies worldwide as of September 2008. In February 2006, Scherzinger signed a global publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group, which would cover her future songwriting, and began collaborating with other artists including Diddy and Timbaland; with the latter, they released "Come to Me" on July 2006, peaking at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100.

2007–2009: Her Name is Nicole and Doll Domination
In March 2007, Scherzinger announced that her debut studio album would be titled Her Name is Nicole and was initially scheduled for a release in the late summer. The album included productions by Ne-Yo, Gary Lightbody, and will.i.am amongst a selection of nearly 100 songs recorded for the album. Interscope Records released an introductory single, "Whatever U Like" (featuring T.I.) in August 2007 to "little fanfare" which was followed with "Baby Love" which features will.i.am, charted moderately in European territories. After two more singles—"Supervillain", and "Puakenikeni"—also failed to enter the US Billboard Hot 100, and a number of pushbacks, Scherzinger decided to halt the album's release. Scherzinger additionally factors timing and felt the songs she recorded where more suitable for the Pussycat Dolls' album as reasons behind her decision.

2008 saw Scherzinger shifting back to her focus to the Dolls and began working on their second studio album, Doll Domination which was released in September of the same year. The album comprised of newly-recorded songs and discarded tracks of Her Name Is Nicole; a J. R. Rotem remix of "Baby Love" and eventual singles, "When I Grow Up" and "I Hate This Part". Both entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at number nine and eleven respectively. Despite peaking at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, Doll Domination is considered a commercial disappointment, selling less than 400,000 copies in the US by April 2009. The album was further promoted with their second headlining concert tour, Doll Domination Tour, which highlighted stops in Europe, Oceania and Asia beginning January 2009. While on tour, Scherzinger was asked to re-write a pop version of A. R. Rahman's "Jai Ho" from the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Its English adaptation, "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)," credits Scherzinger as a featured artist in conjunction with The Pussycat Dolls lead billing creating tension between Scherzinger and the rest of the members whilst media reports speculated that Scherzinger's exit from the group was imminent. On April 5, 2009, Scherzinger performed "America the Beautiful" at Wrestlemania XXV, at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. A hiatus followed the tour's conclusion, and Scherzinger went on to serve as a judge on first and second seasons of the The Sing-Off; a reality television singing competition featuring a cappella groups.

2010–2014: The X Factor, album releases and West End debut
In May 2010, Scherzinger and her dance partner Derek Hough won the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars. Two months later, she portrayed Maureen in Neil Patrick Harris' Hollywood Bowl production of the rock musical Rent. Her performance in the musical received praise from critics. Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Scherzinger's powerhouse voice was meant for venues like the Bowl." During this time, the seventh series of X Factor UK started airing were Scherzinger was a guest judge in the auditions and the bootcamp stage of the competition. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Shirley Halperin, her role was "well-received by viewers and producers." She is credited in forming the boy band One Direction. In October 2010, "Poison" was released as the lead single from her debut album, Killer Love, and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. In the meantime announced her departure from the Pussycat Dolls to focus on her solo career. Killer Love was released on March 21, 2011 in the United Kingdom. On the UK Albums Chart the album debuted and peaked at number eight and by November of that year it sold over 140,000 copies. The album's second single, "Don't Hold Your Breath" became Scherzinger's first number-one single as a solo artist in the UK Singles Chart and its third single "Right There" reached number three. "Right There" was remixed to feature 50 Cent and peaked at number thirty-nine, remaining her highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist. It was released as the lead single for the US version of Killer Love, however after a number of delays, the release was never materialized.



Initially hired to co-host with Steve Jones the first season of the American X Factor, Scherzinger's eventual replacement of Cheryl Cole amidst the audition stages as a judge caused controversy. She later received backlash and death threats after sending the result to deadlock in the quarter-final which resulted in Rachel Crow's elimination. She mentored the Over 30s; her final act, Josh Krajcik, was named the runner-up of the season. In December 2011, as part of the 25th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera, Scherzinger performed the song of the same name at the Royal Variety Performance. Meanwhile, Killer Love was re-released with four additional songs, including the fifth and final single, "Try with Me". In February 2012, she embarked on her first headlining tour in the United Kingdom, and later briefly appeared in Barry Sonnenfeld's Men in Black 3, In June 2012, she was confirmed as a judge for the ninth series of the British X Factor for a reported salary of $1.17 million. Scherzinger mentored the Boys category; both of her acts, James Arthur and Jahméne Douglas, reached the final, with Arthur winning the series. Scherzinger sang "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" at the Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years tribute show. In March 2013, Scherzinger released "Boomerang" which debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart; after its lackluster success, the associated album was scrapped. Scherzinger returned as judge on The X Factor for its tenth series for a reported salary of $2.3 million.

In February 2014, Scherzinger announced that she signed a record deal with Sony Music Entertainment and RCA Records for a reported $4.5 million. Scherzinger's second studio album, Big Fat Lie was released in October 2014. It experienced lackluster sales on the UK Albums Chart which led to her eventual departure from the label the following year. The album was preceded by the singles "Your Love", "Run" and "On the Rocks." "Your Love" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and was a moderate success on other international markets. In December, Scherzinger made her West End debut starring as Grizabella in the 2014 revival of the musical Cats at the London Palladium where she played the role for a 12-week run until February 8, 2015; her performance received rave reviews from critics particularly praising her rendition of the song standard "Memory" and garnered a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical. She was set to reprise Grizabella in the Broadway revival of Cats but a week before rehearsals she quit after producers refused to give her top billing.

2015–2022: Television ventures and the Pussycat Dolls reunion


In June 2015, Scherzinger won the celebrity variety TV show I Can Do That where six celebrities compete with each other by performing skills that they never knew they had. The following month she performed the American national anthem at the A Capitol Fourth concert in Washington, D.C. and during the opening of the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. On September, Scherzinger co-hosted Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, a live variety show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris; the show was cancelled after one season due to low ratings. The following month she was a team captain in the music panel show, Bring the Noise hosted by Ricky Wilson. In 2016, Scherzinger returned as a judge for the thirteenth series The X Factor UK and voiced Sina in the animated feature Moana, which was released in November through Walt Disney Pictures. In 2017, Scherzinger played Penny Riviera in ABC's television film Dirty Dancing, remake of the 1987 film of the same name. Despite the critics panning the film, Scherzinger's portrayal received praise. In 2018, Scherzinger had a voice cameo in Ralph Breaks the Internet.

January 2019 saw the premiere of The Masked Singer, a reality singing competition television series where celebrities sing covers of famous songs while wearing costumes that conceal their identities. As a panelist, Scherzinger has appeared in the first ten seasons of the series. Excluding post-NFL game debuts, the program's premiere was the highest-rated for an unscripted television series in the country since The X Factor in 2011. Between July and December, Scherzinger continued her work in television, appearing as a judge in the ninth season of Australia's Got Talent and The X Factor spin-off's Celebrity and The Band. On the finale of The X Factor: Celebrity, the Pussycat Dolls, comsisting of Sutta, Bachar, Roberts, Scherzinger, and Wyatt, reunited with a live medley performance of their previous singles and their new song, "React". British media regulator Ofcom received over 400 complaints from viewers who criticized the band’s perceived provocative nature of their performance. On February 2020, the Pussycat Dolls' "React" was released to moderate success. Their reunion tour, originally scheduled in April 2020, was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour was eventually cancelled in January 2022 due to the ongoing legal dispute between Scherzinger and Antin regarding the terms of the group's business ventures.

2023–present: Sunset Boulevard and Broadway debut
Scherzinger returned to the West End for the 2023 revival of Sunset Boulevard as Norma Desmond, a silent-film star who dreams of restoring her film career. Her performance garnered critical acclaim; Matt Wolf of The New York Times hailed her performance as "career-defining" writing, "Scherzinger finds a predatory allure in the character that is both captivating and chilling." She is set to make her Broadway debut as Desmond in the 2024 revival of the production.

Influences
Scherzinger has named Whitney Houston as her idol and biggest influence. She said that she wanted to be "Whitney Houston growing up" and praised the singer's vocal abilities and stage presence. She noted, "no one can sing [her songs] like her. She had such a powerful energy about her that when she sang it was like she had wings — she filled the universe with her voice. Hers was a divine gift and it happened to come in the most beautiful package." She revealed, Houston's "The Greatest Love of All" was the song that made her want to do music. As she grew older she also listened to artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Roberta Flack, Sade, Alanis Morissette, and Tina Turner. Following the death of Prince in late of April 2016, Scherzinger posted a lengthy tribute citing him as a "mentor" and "inspiration" to her career. She has also stated that Andrew Lloyd Webber's music has been influential to her as an artist as she grew up listening to musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita. While on stage Scherzinger borrows personas of Tina Turner and Mick Jagger; "the way he prances around stage and the poise he has on stage. But I love [Turner's] attitude and sass. I steal from her all the time, especially being the lead singer of this group, the Pussycat Dolls, to be fearless and just have that attitude and that soul behind you."

She cited Janet Jackson's sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope (1997), as her main inspiration for her second album, Big Fat Lie (2014), while the music video for "Your Love" was inspired by Jackson's Love Will Never Do (Without You) (1989) clip. During the recording process, she stated that Sam Smith's 2014 album In the Lonely Hour inspired her to get "emotionally raw." Scherzinger has also incorporated her Hawaiian heritage into her music; her single "Puakenikeni" (2007) was named after the flower that is indigenous to that state. The music video of the song "Right There" featured Hawaiian and Tahitian fashion and dance moves.

Music and voice
Nick Duerden of The Independent stated that "she doesn't sing as well as Beyoncé, or boast the musicality of Alicia Keys." Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian described her vocal performance as "powerful and true," though noting it's "more evident live than on record." Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Adam White described Scherzinger as "an incredible vocalist" he opines that her voice is never truly distinct.

Public image
In 2013, Nick Duerden of The Independent described Scherzinger as the "ultimate modern celebrity" thanks to her work with the Pussycat Dolls, her television ventures and her publicized personal life. He opined that despite she possess natural talents, she doesn't has "Lady Gaga's edge, Katy Perry's chutzpah nor Rihanna's élan" adding her "drive, passion, [and] unstinting commitment to succeed" is what sets her apart from other singers. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Adam White has described Scherzinger's career as "a perfect case study in all the right ingredients not automatically producing a great result;" [...] she’s never taken off as a pop star in her own right, instead achieving greater visibility and success as a reality TV judge and spokesperson for products." Scherzinger is best known as the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls and is credited to lead the group in becoming one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time, selling over 55 million records worldwide. Despite achieving mainstream success, Scherzinger has struggled to carve out a successful solo career, specifically in her native country. Both of her albums—Killer Love (2011) and Big Fat Lie (2014)—were released in territories except the United States, whilst the cancellation of Her Name Is Nicole in 2007 had an impact in stalling her solo career. Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Scherzinger as the "the least distinctive diva of the new millennium."

Scherzinger's sex appeal has been noted by several media outlets including Vibe magazine which dubbed her as one "one of the hottest women on the planet." Since 2006 has been featured on FHM's "100 Sexiest Women" list peaking at number nine in 2011 and 2014. In 2012, VH1 ranked her the eight on their list of "100 Sexiest Artists", while Complex magazine ranked her the twenty-ninth on their list of "The 100 Hottest Female Singers of All Time". Scherzinger is a prominent celebrity endorser representing many brands, including Unilever, Herbal Essences, British Airways, Müller Corner, and Proactiv+.

Personal life
In late 2012, Scherzinger spoke of her experiences with bulimia at the height of the Pussycat Dolls popularity. Struggling with body dysmorphia, an early photoshoot with the group triggered her bulimic behavior, that lasted nearly a decade. She eventually overcame the disorder through therapists and life coaches. "'I had started losing my voice, I couldn't sing at shows, and then I remember my manager finding me passed out on the floor in Malta or in the south of France. I thought, 'I'm going to lose everything I love if I don't love myself.' One day when you feel like you've reached the end, you just say, 'I'm not doing this anymore.' It's sad to see how I wasted my life. I had such a great life on the outside, the Dolls were on top of the world but I was miserable on the inside. I'm never letting that happen again; you only get one life – I was 27 only once.'" Scherzinger considers herself shy and keeps her personal life to herself and declines to answer questions in interviews that pertain to her relationships. When asked, Scherzinger states "my music is the only place I'm open [to]. Scherzinger was engaged to Nick Hexum, lead singer of 311, whom she dated from 2000 to 2004. Scherzinger commenced a high-profile relationship with Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, after meeting at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards in Munich. Their on and off relationship of seven years was a tabloid fixture in the British press. They separated for the final time in February 2015. In 2016, she was involved in a romantic relationship with Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov that ended in early 2019. It was announced in January 2020 that Scherzinger had begun a relationship with former Scottish rugby player Thom Evans.

Scherzinger endorsed Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign; she appeared in the music video for will.i.am's song, "Yes We Can" (2008), which was inspired by Obama's speech after the 2008 New Hampshire primary. She considers herself as anti-abortion, and avoids identifying herself a feminist arguing, "I’m just for women. I’m also for the human race in general."

Philanthropy
Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, along with various other artists, she was featured on the charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", and participated in George Clooney's and Wyclef Jean's Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon which benefited people affected by the tragedy. In October 2010 she portrayed Trixie at the 35th anniversary concert of The Rocky Horror Picture Show which raised money for the Painted Turtle, a Hole in the Wall Foundation camp for kids with serious medical conditions. Inspired by her aunt who has Down syndrome, she became a global ambassador for the Special Olympics and recorded "O Holy Night" for A Very Special Christmas (2013) with all proceeds benefiting the organization. Since 2014 Scherzinger is an UNICEF UK supporter and has traveled to Guyana, Manila, Philippines, and Kenya, where she visited the organization's supported centers benefiting children in poverty. She later performed "Brave" with the SU2C choir for Stand Up 2 Cancer to raise money for cancer research on October 17, 2014.

Scherzinger along with numerous other artists were featured on the single "Love Song to the Earth", which was released in September 2015 ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, as part of the global campaign to raise awareness on climate change. In September 2016, Scherzinger along with numerous other artists were featured on the remake of the Black Eyed Peas song "Where Is the Love?" where all proceeds went towards will.i.am's non-profit foundation, i.am.angel Foundation. In August 2019, she took part in the protests against the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea; a place considered a holy spiritual site for native Hawaiians.

Fashion
In April 2010, Scherzinger teamed up with clothing store C&A to launch her own collection of lingerie, shoes, handbags and jewelry in Brazilian stores. A collaboration with online fashion retailer Missguided was released in March 2014, where she designed a 30-piece range. Their collaboration helped the retailer increase profit by 70%.