Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Scherzinger (full name Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente) is best known for being the lead singer in the globally renowned girl band Pussycat Dolls. She is playing Norma Desmond from 18 September in a new production of Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre.

Scherzinger was born on 29 June 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. At 14, she began acting at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she landed a role in her first professional play, La Bête. She graduated from Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS), part of DuPont Manual High School, in 1996.

Following this, she attended Wright State University, majoring in theatre arts with dance, where she performed in a vast range of regional productions, landing the lead role in shows including Guys and Dolls, and Show Boat. She decided to put her college studies on hold after a few years to pursue her music career in 1999 after landing a spot singing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New. The aspiring star entered the first season of the TV talent show Popstars, where she won the lead singer role in a girl band ‘Eden’s Crush.

A couple of years later, the band split, and simultaneously, the LA burlesque act The Pussycat Dolls were undergoing a recasting into a pop/R&B group. In 2003, Scherzinger landed the role of the lead singer, singing almost all of the vocals on their debut album. The group sold 55 million records, making them one of the best-selling girl bands ever.

The Pussycat Dolls decided to split in 2009, and since then, Scherzinger has pursued a notable career in television. She has appeared as a judge in several of the biggest TV talent competitions, including The Masked Singer, X Factor and Australia’s Got Talent. The worldwide star also features in several blockbuster films, including Moana, and Men in Black 3.

She made her West End debut in 2014 as Grizabella in Cats, where she received an Olivier Award nomination and will return to the London stage in Sunset Boulevard in September.