Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger (born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger, 29.6.1978)

Nicole Scherzinger is a lead member of the Pussycat Dolls and is also dating the Formula One champion driver Lewis Hamilton.

Nicole Scherzinger: Childhood

Nicole Scherzinger was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Alfonso Valiente and Rosemary. Her father is of Filipino descent and her mother is of Russian descent. Her parents separated when she was a baby and her maternal family moved to Louisville, Kentucky.

It was in Louisville that Nicole Scherzinger began performing, attending the Youth Performing Arts School at DuPont Manual High School. She was the first runner-up at the 1996 Kentucky State Fair's talent contest. Studying at Wright State University, Scherzinger majored in acting and musical theatre, performing in productions of Show Boat and Chicago.

In 1999, Nicole Scherzinger put her studies on hold in order to sing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New.

Nicole Scherzinger: Entertainment Career

Nicole Scherzinger was picked as one of the girl group Eden's Crush when she was on the TV series Popstars, becoming one of the group's main vocalists. Their 2001 single 'Get Over Yourself (Goodbye)' hit number one in the US sales charts and as a result, Eden's Crush supported Jessica Simpson and *NSync on tour. Since the band split, Nicole Scherzinger has stated that she did not enjoy her time in the band, but that it toughened her up and enabled her to be successful in the Pussycat Dolls.

After Eden's Crush disbanded, Nicole Scherzinger released a few solo records, using the stage name Nicole Kea. One of her tracks, 'Breakfast in Bed' was used on the soundtrack to 50 First Dates, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

Nicole Scherzinger joined the burlesque troupe the Pussycat Dolls, as they were being re-moulded as recording artists. Scherzinger had previously seen the troupe perform on The Late Show with David Letterman, when Carmen Electra sang 'Big Spender'.

The debut album from Pussycat Dolls was entitled PCD and was released in 2005. The lead single from Pussycat Dolls was 'Don't Cha', which became a global success. Originally, the song had been performed by Tori Alamaze and featured Busta Rhymes. The second single from the album, 'Stickwitu' was the band's second number one in the UK. A follow-up single, 'Beep', featured will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas but did not perform as well as its predecessors.

'Buttons' featured Snoop Dogg and reached number three on the UK singles chart. The sixth single from the album was 'Wait a Minute', which featured Timbaland.

After being selected to open for Black Eyed Peas on tour, Pussycat Dolls were also chosen to support Christina Aguilera, with Rihanna as the opening act in the UK.

Nicole Scherzinger's vocal talent was singled out by many and she went on to record a number of duets with artists such as Will Smith, Shaggy and Diddy.

To expound on her own popularity, Nicole Scherzinger released a debut album, entitled Her Name Is Nicole. She worked with songwriters such as Sean Garrett and Polow da Don and 'Whatever U Like' also featured the rapper T.I. The album also saw Scherzinger work with Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, Pharrell Williams, The Neptunes, Sting and Ne-Yo.

The second album from Pussycat Dolls was Doll Domination, in 2008. Following their World Domination Tour, Scherzinger told the press that she planned to work with Lady Gaga and A.R. Rahman. One single from the album, 'Watcha Think About That', featured Missy Elliott.

Their single 'Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)' was featured on the soundtrack to Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

In January 2010, it was reported that Nicole Scherzinger was working on a second album of solo material, working with the likes of Ne-Yo and Jay Sean. Later that year, Nicole Scherzinger took part in and won the TV reality contest, Dancing with the Stars. Other celebrities in the series included Pamela Anderson, Shannen Doherty, Buzz Aldrin and Aiden Turner.

In July, 2010, Nicole Scherzinger attended the Manchester auditions of the UK talent contest, X Factor as a guest judge with Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave.

Nicole Scherzinger: Personal Life

Having previously dated the actor Talan Torriero, Nicole Scherzinger is now dating Lewis Hamilton, the former Formula One world champion driver.