Nicole Scherzinger (/ˈʃɜːrzɪŋər/; born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente; June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Scherzinger initially performed in plays throughout her adolescence and went to study at Wright State University, before dropping out to pursue a musical career with American rock band Days of the New and later found modest success in 2001 upon winning a place in Eden's Crush, a girl group created through The WB's Popstars.
She came to wider public attention when cast as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls and released the albums PCD (2005) and Doll Domination (2008), becoming one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. Scherzinger's prominent role was a point of contention within the group and factor in its eventual dissolution in 2009. Despite achieving mainstream recognition, Scherzinger's has struggled to carve out a successful solo career 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".
Scherzinger subsequently ventured into television winning Dancing with the Stars (2010) and serving as a judge on multiple television talent shows like The Sing-Off (2009-2010), Australia's Got Talent (2019) and most notably The X Factor UK (2012-2017) for four series. She currently serves as a panelist on The Masked Singer to ratings success and has reunited with the Pussycat Dolls for an upcoming tour. As an actress, Scherzinger made her West End debut in a 2014 revival of the musical Cats, for which she received a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical and starred in the television film, Dirty Dancing (2017).
Throughout her career, Scherzinger has sold over 16 million records as an artist, and more than 54 million records with The Pussycat Dolls. Her other ventures include clothing lines, a fragrance and service as an ambassador for the Special Olympics and supporter of UNICEF UK.
Last Updated: June 9, 2021
