Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. She is perhaps best known as the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls. Nicole Scherzinger was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, into a staunchly Catholic family. Her father, Alfonso Valiente, is Filipino, and her mother, Rosemary, is a mix of Hawaiian and Russian descent. Her mother 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. When she was six years old, her maternal family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, with her sister, Keala, and her German American stepfather, Gary Scherzinger. She first attended Bowen Elementary, and later attended Meyzeek Middle School as an adolescent. Nicole states that, growing up, her family did not have a lot of money, and she thanks her mother 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 majored in acting and musical theatre at Wright State University, where she played Velma Kelly in Chicago and Julie La Verne in Show Boat. But put her studies on hold in 1999 to sing backing vocals for the rock band, Days of the New. Then she was part of reality TV girl group Eden's Crush. After the disbandment of the group, she joined the Pussycat Dolls and became the group's lead vocalist during their transition into a career in music. The success of PCD brought Scherzinger into the media spotlight and she went on to record a series of duets/guest vocals with a wide array of male vocalists. In the biography section of her official website she says that everyone recognises her from the Pussycat Dolls's debut single "Dont Cha" which although amazing does not fulfill her musical desires. With the Pussycat Dolls, she released two albums PCD and Doll Domination and embarked on several concert tours. After leaving the group in December 2010, Scherzinger began a solo career with the release of her debut studio album Killer Love. The album's second single, "Don't Hold Your Breath" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, in turn marking her first number one hit as a solo artist. When asked what she intended to achieve with her solo career she commented "Some people only have their glasses half full, but there was never a limit to mine." The purpose of the album was to appeal to younger audiences, show them "the heart of Nicole" and show that she is "not always strong and fearless". Scherzinger became the winner of the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars in early 2010, and was hailed by judge Carrie Ann Inaba, "by far the best dancer we've ever had on the show." Nicole was now a judge on the American version of The X Factor, which premiered in September 2011. Scherzinger considers herself to be a devout Catholic. After a three-year relationship and engagement to 311 singer, Nick Hexum, as well as a brief relationship with reality TV star, Talan Torriero, Scherzinger began dating 2008 Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton in 2008. She had met Hamilton at the European Music Awards in Munich in November 2007. They went public at the Monaco Grand Prix six months later. The couple split in January 2010 when they had been together for 20 months. However, in July 2011 her father, Alfonso Valiente, confirmed the couple were engaged. And on Friday 21 October 2011, it was reported that the couple had split again. Scherzinger and Hamilton continued seeing each other though and on Friday 2 December 2011 their reunion was reported. The couple blamed their hectic lifestyles for the on-off relationship. Over the past five years Scherzinger has been ranked in Maxim's Hot 100 at 22 and 21 in 2006 and 2007 respectively. In 2008 she ranked at number 19 along with the Pussycat Dolls. In 2009 she ranked at number 49 and in 2010 at number 24.
