Nicole Scherzinger, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente; June 29, 1978) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. Born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, she began acting at the age of 14 and studied musical theatre at Wright State University. Aspiring to pursue a career in music, Scherzinger dropped out of college and toured with the 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 taking on some 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. The prominence of her role in the group was a point of contention within it, and eventually contributed to its dissolution in 2009. Despite mainstream recognition, Scherzinger has struggled to carve out a successful singing career outside the group. She shelved her first attempt with her debut EP, Her Name is Nicole, and went on to release two studio albums (Killer Love in 2011 and Big Fat Lie in 2014) that were moderately successful. (Killer Love includes the hit singles "Poison", "Right There", and "Don't Hold Your Breath".)
Scherzinger also ventured into television, winning Dancing with the Stars in 2010, and serving as a judge on several other television talent shows, including The Sing-Off (2009–2010), The X Factor US (2011), four seasons of The X Factor UK (2012–2013, 2016–2017), and Australia's Got Talent (2019). Other work during this period includes her West End debut in the 2014 revival of the musical Cats, as well as roles in the Disney animated film Moana (2016), the television film Dirty Dancing (2017), and the television special Annie Live! (2021). In 2019, Scherzinger began appearing as a panelist on The Masked Singer, which was a ratings success, and she reunited with the Pussycat Dolls for an upcoming tour.
During her career to date, Scherzinger has sold over 16 million records as a solo artist and has received Grammy and Laurence Olivier Award nominations. 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.