Nicole Scherzinger

Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger (born June 29, 1978)[2] is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and occasional actress who is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.

Previously, Scherzinger was part of reality TV girlgroup Eden's Crush and despite minor chart successes she left due to being unhappy. She then joined the Pussycat Dolls when they were a burlesque troupe before taking the role of lead singer when the group became a recording group. So far, the Pussycat Dolls have released two successful albums, PCD and Doll Domination, with two supporting tours.

Early life

Scherzinger was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her biological father, Alfonso Valiente is Filipino, and her mother, Rosemary, is of Hawaiian and Russian descent. In an interview Scherzinger said "I’m Filipino-Russian-Hawaiian, but people think I’m from Pakistan.
Her mother Rosemary was eighteen at the time of Scherzinger's birth and lived in an inner city neighborhood. Nicole's parents separated when she was still a baby. Her maternal family moved to Louisville, Kentucky when she was six years old, with her sister Ke'ala and her German-American stepfather Gary Scherzinger.
In an interview with The Daily Mail Scherzinger explained that she had been brought up with a strict religious (Catholic) upbringing in Hawaii. She first attended Meyzeek Middle School as an adolescent. Growing up, Scherzinger states that she didn't have a lot of money and the singer thanks her mom for all the support she gave her to become what she is today. Scherzinger began performing in Louisville, attending the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School and performing with Actors Theatre of Louisville.
As a teenager, Scherzinger was the first runner-up at the 1996 Kentucky State Fair's Coca-Cola Talent Classic contest. She also was the Queen for the Louisville Barrio Fiesta, a celebration of all Filpinos in the area. Scherzinger majored in acting and musical theatre at Wright State University, where she played Velma Kelly in Chicago and Julie La Verne in Show Boat,[10] but put her studies on hold in 1999 to sing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New.

Personal life

Scherzinger met Nick Hexum of rock band 311 backstage at a Days of the New concert in 2000. They dated and later became engaged, but broke it off sometime in 2004. She was the inspiration for their song "Amber" and appeared in the music video. She also dated actor Talan Torriero from 2005 to 2007.
As of May 2008, Scherzinger had been in a relationship with Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton. At the start of September 2009 it was reported that the couple had split because Lewis was not ready to start a family. However at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix on September 13, he revealed that the couple were very much in love and definitely still together and denied the accuracy of previous reports. She was ranked at number 22 on Maxim's Hot 100 in 2006, and 21 in 2007. She ranked number 19 in 2008 but this time along with The Pussycat Dolls. In 2009, she ranked solo again and came to be number 46. Scherzinger appeared on the March 2008 cover of Men's Fitness magazine.