Best remembered for being the lead singer of the burlesque girl band The Pussycat Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality. However, after the band officially split in 2009, Scherzinger went on to pursue her solo music career. Apart from being a singer and performer, she has also been quite a prominent television personality by appearing either as a special judge, a mentor, and making cameo appearances in single episodes of various shows. She has also appeared in movies such as Chasing Papi, Love Don’t Cost A Thing, Men In Black 3, and has lent her voice to the character of Sina in the animated musical-fantasy Moana.
Early Life
Nicole Scherzinger was born on the 29th of June, 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Alfonso Valiente, a Filipino, and Rosemary Elikolani, a Native Hawaiian and Ukrainian. Her parents divorced when she was still a little baby. When she was six years old, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky with her mother and sister Keala. Her mother remarried Gary Scherzinger, a German, who adopted Keala and her, both. Scherzinger completed her schooling from Bowen Elementary and Meyzeek Middle School. She began performing while she was still studying and attended the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School, and performed with Actors Theatre of Louisville. She then attended the Wright State University where she majored in musical theatre and minored in dance.
Personal Life
Back in 2000, Scherzinger dated the 311 rocker Nick Hexum, whom she met backstage at a concert. There were rumors of the two being engaged, however, nothing was confirmed. The two dated for over four years before they split in 2004. Following her split from the rocker, she dated actor Talan Torriero in 2006, but split with him the following year in order to focus on her career. Having said that, she began dating Formula 1 racer Lewis Hamilton in 2007. The two dated for over eight years before finally splitting in 2015. During their eight-year-long relationship, the two split about thrice. Although the primary reason for the couple’s split is said to be their busy schedules, there were rumors that Hamilton had cheated on the Buttons singer. Scherzinger ended her long-term relationship in the February of 2015 after Hamilton, despite their eight-year-long relationship, seemed reluctant on getting married. As of 2016, Scherzinger has been dating the Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, who is 13 years her junior, for over a year.
Television Career
In 2001, Scherzinger participated in the television talent show Popstars, which she went on to win. Following this, the singer-performer either participated, judged, or made special appearances in a number of television series. She is best remembered on television for judging the 9th, 10th, and 13th seasons of the singing reality series The X Factor: UK. Previously, she was invited as a guest judge for a couple of episodes on the show’s 4th and 7th seasons. She also judged the first two seasons of the television competition, meant for a cappella groups, The Sing-Off. Apart from judging a number of shows, she was seen participating in the tenth season of the celebrity dance competition Dancing With The Stars, which she went on to win. Appearing in single episodes of couple of shows, Scherzinger was seen in My Wife and Kids, Half & Half, and How I Met Your Mother. In 2016, Scherzinger was cast in the musical television movie Dirty Dancing, which is an adaptation of the 1987 movie of the same name.
Singing Career
In 1999, Scherzinger joined the American rock band Days of the New as a backing vocalist. She, however, left the band in order to pursue her solo career. Following that, Scherzinger participated in the television reality show, Popstars, which was primarily a talent hunt show, creating a five-member all-girls group, in 2001. Having participated the show, Scherzinger went on to win the show along with Ana Maria Lombo, Ivette Sosa, Maile Misajon, and Rosanna Tavarez, forming the band Eden’s Crush. The all-girl band released their first single ‘Get Over Yourself’, which went on to top the Canadian charts. However, the ill-fated girl band split in less than a year of their formation.
In 2003, the aspiring popstar audition for a spot in the burlesque dance troupe, along with Melody Thornton, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, and Kimberly Wyatt, and was selected to be the lead singer of The Pussycat Doll. The all-girl band released their first album in 2005 titled PCD, with its lead single ‘Don’t Cha’ becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. The band successfully released other songs like Stickwitu, Buttons, and Beep. However, with the years to come and after releasing two studio albums, the band officially announced its split. The main reason for the split is reportedly the attention and importance Scherzinger was given.
After the split, Scherzinger went on to pursue her solo career and released two studio albums, Killer Love in 2011 and Big Fat Lie in 2014. Few of the songs that she released as a solo artist are ‘Poison’, ‘Don't Hold Your Breath’, ‘Right There’, ‘Your Love’, ‘Run’, and ‘On the Rocks’. While she released two albums, she has collaborated with various artists such as T. I., will.i.am, 50 Cent, Timbaland, Enrique Iglesias, Mohombi, and A. R. Rahman.
Movie Career
After The Pussycat Dolls came together, Scherzinger made a special appearance in the 2003 Latino comedy Chasing Papi, starring Roselyn Sánchez, Sofía Vergara, Jaci Velasquez, and Eduardo Verástegui. Making yet another cameo appearance, the vocalist was seen in Love Don’t Cost A Thing in the same year. Playing the role of Lilly Poison, Scherzinger was cast in the comic science-fiction action film Men in Black 3 in 2012. She was then signed to lend her voice the character of Sina in the animated musical-fantasy Moana alongside Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, and Alan Tudyk in 2016.