Nicole Kea

Nicole Kea

Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. 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. 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 became the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. The prominence of her role in the group was a point of contention within it and eventually contributed to its dissolution in 2009. Scherzinger has carved out a successful career outside the group. She shelved her first attempt with her debut album, Her Name is Nicole, but 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), The X Factor UK (2012–2013, 2016–2017, 2019), 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). Since its inception in 2019, Scherzinger has been a panelist on The Masked Singer, which was a ratings success, and she briefly reunited with the Pussycat Dolls for a planned 2020 tour. During her career, she has received nominations for a Grammy and a Laurence Olivier Award. 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.

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