Nicole Scherzinger

Although the American singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger is best known as the lead singer of the The Pussycat Dolls she has also had a very successful career as a solo artist and the combined record sales from her solo and group careers are said to exceed 60 million.

She began her career with the rock band Days of the New but her tenure was short lived and she decided to audition for the international reality franchise 'Popstars' where her talents were channelled into creating The Pussycat Dolls. The group initially started out as a burlesque troupe who then went on to become one of the top selling female bands in the world. Scherzinger cites Whitney Houston as her main influence, as well as Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger.

Her stage persona is often described as provocative and this created some controversy when her act has appeared in some Muslim countries. This led to some of her stage outfits having to be modified to satisfy the ultra-conservative requirements of the censors.

As well as her successful career as a singer Scherzinger has also proved herself to be a talented actress and garnered a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for her supporting role in the West End revival of 'Cats'.