Pussycat Dolls

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SEXY
POP
DIVAS
by bryan Borzykowski
Pussycat Dolls
Everyday on the Pussycat Dolls message board
is the same – young girls discussing who their
favourite Doll is, or whether Asia, the newest
member of the PCD group will get her own page
on the site. But for fans, one distressing thread
has been popping up lately: “Nicole leaving”? Her
die-hard fans deny the rumours, that lead Doll,
Nicole Scherzinger, is leaving the band.
“No, she’s not leaving. It was probably their make-up
artist or something, but Nicole isn’t leavingggg,”
writes one obviously nervous fan, while another
simply says, “no she’s not leaving.” We hate to be
the bearer of bad news, but Scherzinger is definitely
departing her clothing-adverse pop group.
And really, is that at all surprising? For two years,
since PCD released their self-titled debut and
the smash hit track, ‘Don’t Cha’ Scherzinger was
basically fronting the group, singing all the songs,
doing all the press, and easily winning the internal
talent competition in both the singing and looks
Photo: James White
department. It was only a matter of time until
she dumped the dead weight to go it alone.
Getting to this point however, wasn’t easy. The
Hawaiian-born, Louisiana-raised artist grew up in a
Catholic home with conservative parents. She was
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Photo: James White
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Photo: James White
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attracted to the arts at a young age, attending
the Youth Performing Arts School in her home
state, and later majored in theatre in university.
Her first taste of stardom came in 1999 when
she sang back up for alternative rockers Days
of The New. While still in university, the band’s
singer, Travis Meek, called the budding actress
and asked her to record some demos. She said
yes, but only after dropping out of school. After
laying down a few tracks, Meeks wanted her
to stay, so she left her acting ambitions behind
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and recorded a full Days of The New record.
Scherzinger’s desire to record her own music
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was strong even then, as she left the band to
try her hand at a solo career. But in 2000, the
budding artist was picked to appear on the preAmerican Idol reality show Popstars, where she
won a spot in the all-girl group Eden’s Crush.
While the group had one big hit, no one was
shocked when this manufactured pop band went
by the wayside after one album. Scherzinger,
now without a job, went back to her bedroom
to write more tunes, and even act in a couple of
movies (Don’t Cost a Thing and Chasing Papi).
Restlessness would kick in again, however,
when she heard a new band, The Pussycat
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Dolls, was looking for a singer. Despite missing the auditions, after being allowed to sing for
record execs, she was quickly made the lead
singer and face of the group. Scherzinger didn’t
know it at the time, but soon the Pussycat Dolls
would be one of the biggest bands in the world,
selling more than five million albums worldwide.
With Scherzinger being the only Doll with a writing
credit on their album – and the only one who gets
any credit whatsoever - it’s no wonder that she
wanted to finally pursue her elusive solo career.
Hitting stores in the fall, My Name Is Nicole will
likely be another chart topping dance-ready record
from the sultry songstress. “I know what I want to
say in my music for the first time,” she told MuchMusic in late April. And if she wasn’t sure what to
say, she enlisted some big names to help her find
out. The record boasts contributions from Timbaland, Ne-Yo (who apparently wrote a song for
Britney Spears, but gave it to Scherzinger instead),
Pharrell and Macy Gray among others. Even
P.Diddy, who recruited Scherzinger to sing on one
of his songs, is a fan of the now ex-Doll, saying
she’s going to be the next Madonna or Beyonce.
As for the Dolls sans-Scherzinger, there are rumours about a new record, but beyond that things
Photos: James White
aren’t looking too good. How can we tell? Just
take a look at their website, where they’re recruiting contestants for their new reality show. “Want
to apply for the next season of The Pussycat
®
Dolls Presents?” says the posting on their site.
“This time, we’re forming a whole new group!”
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