Nicole Scherzinger "The Pussy Cat Dolls"

In both her interviews and live performances, Nicole Scherzinger exudes self-confidence and a true sense of strength, all while emanating an irresistible aura of femininity. She has gone on record saying that her favorite dance move is the "booty shake," which she effortlessly pulls off at any given opportunity. Like Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears before her, Nicole Scherzinger is clearly not afraid to use her sexuality to accentuate her performances, which is why she landed at No. 70 on our 2007 Top 99 Most Desirable Women list and at No. 48 on the 2008 edition.

Biography

Nicole Elikolani Prescovia Scherzinger was born on June 29, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is of Hawaiian, Filipina and Russian descent, and comes from a large family of entertainers -- her mother, Rosemary, was a professional hula dancer and her grandmother was a respected Mariachi singer.

When Nicole Scherzinger was just 6 years old, her military father was transferred to Louisville, Kentucky, where she began attending performing arts schools, pursuing an education that would persist throughout her adolescence. As a teenager, she was the first runner-up at the 1996 Kentucky State Fair's Coca-Cola Talent Classic contest, and she appeared in several plays at Louisville's Actors Theater.

nicole scherzinger in the pussycat dolls

Eden's Crush stayed together for about a year, and Nicole Scherzinger began to focus on her solo career and tried her hand at acting (appearing in the 2003 movies Love Don't Cost a Thing and Chasing Papi). In 2003, a friend told Nicole about a casting call for a new group called the Pussycat Dolls, and even though she missed the auditions, she was allowed to drop by and perform for the executives in charge. They were so impressed with Nicole Scherzinger's stage presence and vocals that they opened discussions with her immediately about joining the group as lead singer, and soon reached an agreement.

After a series of performances on shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live, Nicole and the Pussycat Dolls began work on their debut album. PCD was released in September 2005 to critical and financial acclaim. A number of singles hit Billboard's top 5, and the album has since sold more than six million copies worldwide. It was around this time that Nicole began working on her first solo album.

nicole scherzinger releases "baby love"

A number of big-name producers collaborated with Nicole Scherzinger on her solo album, most notably Timbaland and will.i.am. The official album name was announced as Her Name is Nicole, and the first single was "Whatever U Like." Shortly after this single's release, however, "Baby Love" replaced "Whatever U Like" as the official lead single.

nicole scherzinger is named no. 48 in 2008 top 99 and no. 65 in 2009 top 99

Her Name Is Nicole's 2007 release was, at the time, pushed back to 2008. In January of 2008, she was named to the No. 48 spot on AskMen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women list. In 2008, she was a part of two hit singles -- a cover of the track "Rio" by Duran Duran, and Timbaland's "Scream," which she worked on along with Keri Hilson. Then, at the beginning of 2009, Nicole Scherzinger landed on AM's Top 99 once again, ranking at No. 65 on the 2009 Top 99 Most Desirable Women.