Scherzinger, Nicole, 1978-

Nicole Scherzinger ( SHUR-zing-ər; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente on June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the R&B-pop group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With only two albums and over 55 million records sold worldwide, the Pussycat Dolls became one of the world's best-selling female groups of all time. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Scherzinger began acting at the age of 14 and studied musical theatre at Wright State University. In pursuit of a musical career, Scherzinger dropped out of college and toured with the American rock band Days of the New before finding mild success with Eden's Crush, a girl group created through The WB's talent competition show Popstars. After taking on minor acting roles, Scherzinger became the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. Scherzinger carved out a solo career outside the group; her debut album, Her Name is Nicole, was shelved due to insufficient commercial response from its promotional singles. However, her debut album was released as Killer Love (2011)—which was supported by the singles "Right There" (featuring 50 Cent), "Poison" and "Don't Hold Your Breath"—followed by its sequel, Big Fat Lie (2014). Both albums failed to chart domestically, although they found moderate success on international charts. Scherzinger has served as a judge on television talent shows, including The Sing-Off (2009–2010), The X Factor US (2011), The X Factor UK (2012–2013, 2016–2017), Australia's Got Talent (2019), and The Masked Singer (2019–2023). In 2010, she competed on the television dancing competition show Dancing with the Stars, in which she won. Other work during this period includes her theatrical roles in Cats (2014) and Sunset Boulevard (2023–2024), as well as roles in the Disney animated film Moana (2016), the television film Dirty Dancing (2017), and the television special Annie Live! (2021). During her career, Scherzinger has received nominations for a Grammy and two Laurence Olivier Awards. She won the 2024 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Norma Desmond in 2023 West End revival of Sunset Boulevard. Her other ventures include clothing lines and a fragrance, as well as serving as an ambassador for the Special Olympics and as a supporter of UNICEF UK.