Nicole Scherzinger (; born
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente; June 29, 1978) is an American recording artist, actress and television personality. Born in
Honolulu,
Hawaii and raised in
Louisville,
Kentucky, she performed in various singing competitions and musicals before joining American rock band
Days of the New as a backing vocalist and later becoming one of the members of the ill-fated
girl group Eden's Crush in 2001. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the
burlesque troupe turned-recording act,
the Pussycat Dolls becoming one of the world's
best-selling girl groups of all time. During their hiatus Scherzinger planned to embark on her solo career with
Her Name is Nicole but was later shelved after four singles failed to impact the charts. Following the disbandment of the Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger became a judge for two seasons of
The Sing-Off and in 2010 won the
tenth season of
Dancing with the Stars.