2001–2002: Eden's Crush In 2001, Scherzinger's mother saw a commercial for
the WB's show
Popstars USA,
Warner Bros. imprint
London-Sire Records signed the group to a
recording contract before the band was named and had finalized its membership, due to the hours of network television exposure the group would receive. Initially reluctant to audition, Scherzinger later changed her mind as she saw it as an opportunity to travel to Los Angeles. Their debut single, "
Get Over Yourself", was released in March 2001 and debuted at number eight on the
Billboard Hot 100; it became the first female act to debut at number one on the
Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. Their debut studio album,
Popstars (2001), debuted at number six on the
Billboard 200 chart. They went on to tour with
'N Sync and
Jessica Simpson, but, by the end of the year, their label went bankrupt and the group disbanded. During this time,
will.i.am, front man of
The Black Eyed Peas, approached Scherzinger to become a member of the group, but her then-boyfriend,
Nick Hexum, declined. Following the band's dissolution, Scherzinger took a detour into acting and guest-starred in television shows such as
My Wife and Kids (2002) and had a cameo in the independent comedy,
Chasing Papi (2003).
2003–2009: The Pussycat Dolls In August 2003, opting for a solo recording contract, Scherzinger traveled to
Arista Records office in New York with a demo CD of her own written material under her
Hawaiian family name Nicole Kea. Her performance was interrupted by a
citywide blackout, and she was forced to leave. Meanwhile,
Robin Antin, the creator of the
burlesque troupe the Pussycat Dolls, struck a joint venture with
Interscope Records and, along with record producers
Jimmy Iovine and
Ron Fair, launched an open audition for a separate recording group. After Will.i.am recommended Scherzinger to Iovine, As the lead singer, Scherzinger assumed the majority of the vocals and is the only member of the group to have songwriting credits on their debut album
PCD, which was released in September 2005. The album spawned other hits, "
Stickwitu" and "
Buttons", the former of which was nominated for
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the
49th Annual Grammy Awards. In February 2006, Scherzinger signed a
global publishing agreement with
Universal Music Publishing Group, which would cover her future songwriting. Her work as lead singer furthered Scherzinger's popularity as she continued to work on her own music. Scherzinger's first solo recording was a feature on
Avant's "
Lie About Us" that was released in July 2006 and later collaborated with
Sean Combs on "
Come to Me", which became Scherzinger's first solo top-ten hit on the US
Billboard Hot 100. In March 2007, Scherzinger announced that her debut studio album would be titled
Her Name is Nicole and was initially scheduled for a release in late summer. Four singles were released from the project—"
Whatever U Like" featuring
T.I., "
Baby Love" featuring
will.i.am, "Supervillain", and "Puakenikeni"—however, all failed to make any significant impact on the
Billboard charts, The Pussycat Dolls' second and final album,
Doll Domination, was released in the United States on September 23, 2008, and peaked at number four on the
Billboard 200. The album included the singles "
When I Grow Up" and "
I Hate This Part", which peaked at number nine and eleven on the
Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Both songs were originally recorded for Scherzinger's solo effort. The following year, the group embarked on the worldwide
Doll Domination Tour, which began on January 18, 2009. While on tour, Scherzinger was asked to re-write the pop version of "
Jai Ho" from the film
Slumdog Millionaire (2008). The song was titled "
Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" crediting
A. R. Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls, while Scherzinger was credited as a featured artist causing dissatisfaction within the group. The song reached number one in 17 countries; in the US, it peaked at number fifteen on the
Billboard Hot 100, after rising eighty-five places
consequently making the largest weekly leap from number 100. On April 5, 2009, Scherzinger performed "
America the Beautiful" at
Wrestlemania XXV, at the
Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. After the tour concluded in August 2009, the group announced a hiatus to further pursue solo careers. In December 2009, Scherzinger was announced as the third judge joining
Ben Folds and
Boyz II Men band member
Shawn Stockman on the
first season of
The Sing-Off. She returned for the
second season before being replaced by
Sara Bareilles.
2010–2012: The X Factor and Killer Love In May 2010, Scherzinger and her dance partner
Derek Hough won the
tenth season of
Dancing with the Stars. In July 2010, Scherzinger served as a guest judge only for
Dannii Minogue on
The X Factor UK during the auditions and the bootcamp, where she formed
One Direction, by picking up the boys and insisting with other judges that the boys together would have been a smash. Her stint was "well-received by viewers and producers". The following month, she portrayed Maureen in
Neil Patrick Harris'
Hollywood Bowl production of the
rock musical Rent. Her performance in the musical received praise from critics,
Charles McNulty of the
Los Angeles Times wrote, "Scherzinger's powerhouse voice was meant for venues like the Bowl." In October 2010, Scherzinger released "
Poison" as the
lead single from the album, which peaked at number three on the
UK Singles Chart, Her debut album,
Killer Love, was released on March 21, 2011, in the United Kingdom. On the
UK Albums Chart the album debuted and peaked at number eight and by November it sold over 140,000 copies. The album's second single, "
Don't Hold Your Breath" became Scherzinger's first number-one single as a solo artist in the UK Singles Chart and its third single "
Right There" reached number three. "Right There" was remixed to feature
50 Cent and peaked at number thirty-nine, remaining her highest-charting single on the
Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist. It was released as the lead single for the US version of
Killer Love, however after a number of delays, the release was never materialized. Scherzinger's eventual replacement of former judge of
The X Factor UK,
Cheryl Cole amidst the audition stages as a judge caused controversy. She later received backlash and death threats after sending the result to deadlock in the quarter-final, which resulted in
Rachel Crow's elimination. She mentored the Over 30s; her final contestant,
Josh Krajcik, was named the runner-up of the season. In December 2011, as part of the 25th anniversary of
The Phantom of the Opera, Scherzinger performed the song of
the same name at
the Royal Variety Performance. Meanwhile,
Killer Love was re-released with four additional songs, including the fifth and final single, "
Try with Me". Scherzinger left
The X Factor USA after the conclusion of the first season. She was replaced by
Britney Spears for the
second season of
The X Factor USA. In February 2012, she embarked on her first headlining tour in the United Kingdom, and later briefly appeared in
Barry Sonnenfeld's
Men in Black 3. On June 15, 2012, she was confirmed as the fourth judge for the
ninth series of
The X Factor UK to replace
Kelly Rowland for a reported salary of $1.17 million. Scherzinger mentored the Boys category and selected
James Arthur,
Rylan Clark-Neal, and
Jahmene Douglas to compete in the live shows. Scherzinger made history and a hugely successful judge on the UK show by becoming the only judge to have all three of her contestants in the quarter-final and the second judge to have her remaining two remaining contestants as the final two, with Arthur eventually winning the series. Scherzinger sang "
Don't Cry for Me Argentina" at the
Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years tribute show.
2013–2018: Big Fat Lie and television ventures In March 2013, Scherzinger released "
Boomerang", which debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart; after its lackluster success, the associated album was scrapped. Scherzinger returned as judge on
The X Factor for its
tenth series for a reported salary of $2.3 million. In February 2014, Scherzinger announced that she signed a record deal with
Sony Music Entertainment and
RCA Records for a reported $4.5 million. Scherzinger's second studio album,
Big Fat Lie was released in October 2014. It experienced lackluster sales on the UK Albums Chart, which led to her eventual departure from the label the following year. The album was preceded by the singles "
Your Love", "
Run" and "
On the Rocks". "Your Love" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and was a moderate success on other international markets. In December, Scherzinger made her
West End debut starring as
Grizabella in the 2014 revival of the musical
Cats at the
London Palladium where she played the role for a 12-week run until February 8, 2015; her performance received rave reviews from critics particularly praising her rendition of the
song standard "
Memory" and garnered a
Laurence Olivier Award nomination for
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical. She was set to reprise Grizabella in the
Broadway revival of
Cats but a week before rehearsals she quit after producers refused to give her top billing. On June 30, 2015, Scherzinger was crowned as the winner of the variety show
I Can Do That where six celebrities compete with each other by performing skills that they never knew they had. In July she performed the
American national anthem at the
A Capitol Fourth concert in
Washington, D.C. and during the opening of the
2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, a live
variety show premiered on September 15, 2015, on
NBC with Scherzinger as co-host; the show was cancelled after one season due to low ratings. The following month, the music panel show hosted by
Ricky Wilson,
Bring the Noise premiered on
Sky 1 with Scherzinger and
Tinie Tempah joining him as team captains. She voiced Sina in the animated feature
Moana, which was released in November 2016 through
Walt Disney Pictures. Scherzinger starred as Penny in
ABC's television film
Dirty Dancing, a remake of the 1987 film
of the same name. It premiered on May 24, 2017. Although the movie received negative reviews from critics, Scherzinger's performance received praise. In September 2017, she launched her debut fragrance, Chosen by Nicole Scherzinger. In 2018, Scherzinger had a voice
cameo in
Ralph Breaks the Internet.
2019–2022: The Masked Singer, Pussycat Dolls reunion and solo comeback Scherzinger began 2019 with appearing as a panelist on
The Masked Singer; a
reality singing competition where celebrities sing covers of famous songs while wearing costumes that conceal their identities. The program's premiere was the highest-
rated unscripted television series debut in the United States since
The X Factor USA in 2011, and has since been a ratings success for the network. In May 2019, Scherzinger was announced as a judge to replace
Sophie Monk on the
ninth season of ''
Australia's Got Talent. Between October and December 2019, she appeared as judge on The X Factor'' spin-off's
Celebrity and
The Band. On the finale of
The X Factor: Celebrity, the Pussycat Dolls, consisting of Sutta, Bachar, Roberts, Scherzinger, and Wyatt, reunited with a live medley performance of their previous singles and their new song, "
React". British media regulator
Ofcom received over 400 complaints from viewers who criticized the band's perceived provocative nature of their performance. The
third season of
The Masked Singer premiered in February 2020 as the
Super Bowl LIV lead-out program and was viewed by over 27.3million people—the series' most watched episode. The Pussycat Dolls' "React" was released in the same month, to moderate success. Scherzinger voiced Miranda Trese on
Netflix original anime series,
Trese, which premiered on June 10, 2021. Scherzinger played the role of Grace Farrell on NBC's
musical television special Annie Live! that aired on December 2, 2021.
The Pussycat Dolls reunion tour was put on hold after Scherzinger was sued by the group's founder Robin Antin. It was officially canceled in January 2022, with reasons cited as logistical difficulties due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and business issues between Scherzinger and Antin. Shortly after in April that same year, Scherzinger held a three-night musical showcase at The Sun Rose, Hollywood. During the event, Scherzinger sang a number of musical theatre productions, as well as announcing a return to solo music. Speaking about the event, Scherzinger said "It was important people get to see me in this intimate setting, to truly hear me, and experience my love and connection of music through singing. … to create a space for me where I can live out my full potential as an artist, without having to be defined by any style or genre of music." She also confirmed the release of a new EP of music,
Warrior and debuted one of its songs "Never Going Back". She also confirmed that she remains unsigned at the time of writing. On June 17, 2022, and according to Belfast news outlet
The Newsletter, it was revealed Scherzinger is set to debut an interior design range including bedding under the name 'Nalu'. The venture is licensed through Bedeck, a manufacturer who have produced similar ranges with
Ted Baker and
DKNY. Northern Irish design agency Anthology were also involved in the project. The same day, it was also reported that Scherzinger would be releasing a new single "The Drop", a collaboration with French DJ
David Guetta in the week commencing June 20, 2022. Said single is a collaboration between Scherzinger, Guetta and
Dimitri Vegas, while also featuring Azteck. It was released on June 24, 2022. On 7 May 2023, Scherzinger performed at the
Coronation Concert, held in celebration of the
coronation of King
Charles III and
Queen Camilla the day before. Scherzinger performed the song "
Reflection", from
Disney's 1998 animated film
Mulan, accompanied by Chinese pianist
Lang Lang.
2023–present: Sunset Boulevard, Broadway debut, and second Pussycat Dolls reunion In 2023, Scherzinger collaborated with Japanese rock star
Yoshiki to perform "I'll Be Your Love" in the documentary film
Yoshiki: Under the Sky. Scherzinger returned to the
West End starring as Norma Desmond in the 2023 revival of
Sunset Boulevard at the
Savoy Theatre. Her performance garnered critical acclaim; Matt Wolf of
The New York Times hailed her performance as "career-defining", writing, "Scherzinger finds a predatory allure in the character that is both captivating and chilling." For her performance in the West End, Scherzinger received the 2023
Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical Performance and the 2024
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. In 2024, she made her
Broadway debut in the same role in the transfer of the production to the
St. James Theatre, which later earned her multiple awards including the
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She has since been in talks to possibly reprise her role in the film adaptation of the musical, which has been in development since 2019. On June 16, 2024, Scherzinger performed "
What I Did for Love (A Chorus Line)" to accompany the
In memoriam segment of the
77th Tony Awards. Later that year, she would settle the dispute with Antin over the Pussycat Dolls' 2021 reunion tour, and stated she was open to another reunion in the future. ==Artistry==