On 8 June 2025, Nicole Scherzinger won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards. Her win represents a rare transition from mainstream pop to critical acclaim on the Broadway stage. When she joined the Pussycat Dolls as their lead singer 22 years ago, she had no idea how famous she would become. Here’s a brief look at her impressive career.
The Early Years
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente was born in 1978 in the tropical city of Honolulu, Hawaii. At around six years of age, her mother married German-American Gary Scherzinger, who adopted Nicole and relocated the family to Louisville, Kentucky.
She studied musical theatre at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and performed in productions of Alice in Wonderland and Chicago. In 2001, she appeared on the reality TV show Popstars and became a member of Eden’s Crush, which disbanded a year later because their record label collapsed.
The Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls were created in 1995 as a neo-burlesque dance troupe. In 2003, singer Nicole joined them, they signed a record deal, and they became an instant pop sensation, with famous songs like ‘Hush Hush’, ‘Don’t Cha’ and ‘Sway’. The other members of the group were dancers and not singers, so Nicole provided 95% of the vocals, lead and backup.
It’s public knowledge that it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns between Nicole and the other dolls. They were collectively frustrated that she was the lead in what was supposed to be an ensemble group. One of the most widely circulated but unverified stories involves an alleged backstage conflict with Melody Thornton.
The story goes that before their performance at the 2006 American Music Awards, perfectionist Nicole was concerned that Melody’s dancing would hinder their performance, so she locked her in a cupboard just before heading on stage. At one point during the show, Nicole had a look of shock on her face as she turned around and saw Melody. Apparently, she had broken out of the cupboard in time to perform. Regardless of whether the story is true or not, it does demonstrate the tension between Nicole and the other group members. The group disbanded in 2010 after the 2009 World Tour.
There were plans for a reunion in 2019, and they even recorded a new song called ‘React’, but COVID-19 put a dampener on the world tour, and the plans were cancelled permanently. Nicole is constantly being asked if there will ever be a true reunion, and she claims that the door is always open.
Life After the Pussycat Dolls
Going solo cemented Nicole’s name as a music superstar. She had solo hits with ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ and ‘Poison.’ She’s become increasingly serious about developing new talent and has featured as a coach and mentor on ‘The X-Factor’, ‘The Masked Singer’, ‘Australia’s Got Talent’, ‘America’s Got Talent’ and ‘The Sing-Off’.
While she’s yet to make her big acting break, she did provide the voice for Miranda Trese in Netflix’s anime ‘Trese’.
Not content to remain solely in the entertainment industry, Nicole launched her own interior design bedding line called ‘Nalu’ in 2022.
She’s done extremely well for herself; in 2025, her estimated net worth is around £11 million.
Her Broadway Success
From 28 September 2024 to 13 July 2025, she starred as Norma Desmond in Jamie Lloyd’s Broadway revival of the musical ‘Sunset Boulevard’. Her performance brought her rave reviews, and in the nine months that she starred, she earned three awards: The 2024 Evening Standard Theatre Award, the 2024 Olivier Award and the coveted 2025 Tony Award.
Nicole Scherzinger’s Personal Life
Like many celebrities, Nicole’s dating life has been made very public. She’s been linked to tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, soccer player Pajtim Kasami, pop star Harry Styles and race car driver Lewis Hamilton. She’s currently off the market as she said yes to rugby star Thom Evans when he proposed in 2023. They met in 2019 on the set of ‘The X Factor: Celebrity’, where he was a contestant and she was the judge. He proposed to her on a beach, and they announced their engagement via Instagram. While no wedding date has been set yet, Nicole hinted that the ceremony will be held in her birthplace of Hawaii, with a honeymoon likely to begin in Portugal.
Her Battle with Bulimia
At the age of 27, her manager found her passed out on the floor in her dressing room in Malta prior to performing. She admitted that she’d been struggling with bulimia but had kept it from her family and friends for years. Finally owning up to it helped her overcome the disorder, which she described as ‘an endless vicious cycle’. She’s publicly spoken about bulimia in interviews with Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. She continues to speak up about eating disorders and wants it made clear that talking about it can save lives.
Privacy Please
As she’s matured, Nicole has chosen to keep many things in her life private. We may never know if she prefers chocolate with nuts or caramel, plays free sweeps cash casinos or watches old Bette Davis movies, and that’s perfectly fine. As a performer and coach, she has won the hearts of millions, and that’s more than enough.
The Future for Nicole
At 47, Nicole is showing no signs of slowing down. She’s definitely caught the Broadway bug and has her eyes set on playing Aurora in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’. In October 2025, she had a sell-out solo concert at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, where she sang a mix of Broadway and pop hits.
Fresh from the success of ‘Sunset Boulevard’, she has said that she’d love to produce and star in a movie adaptation of the musical. As for her mentoring, she’s currently starring in Netflix’s ‘Building the Band’.
As for starting a family of her own, it’s not on the cards at the moment. Her music career is keeping her far too busy to consider motherhood—for now.
The future looks very bright for Nicole Scherzinger. From her humble beginnings as a contestant on Popstars to international fame with The Pussycat Dolls and now a Tony Award winner, fans are excited to see what comes next.
