Hello, Pussycat
The Pussycat Dolls ‘lead’ Doll is Island girl Nicole Elikolani Scherzinger, who will be front and center when the Dolls take the stage here June 13. She offers MidWeek readers this autographed photo. As little girls around the world sing along to the Pussycat Dolls’ hit song, When I grow up I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies, lead Doll Nicole Elikolani Scherzinger is living that dream
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Russian beauty was born here, and although she moved to Kentucky when she was just a tot, Hawaii is the place she still calls home.
“I have traveled around the world a couple of times, but for me Hawaii is my home and the most special place in the world because the aloha is unlike anything else,” says Scherzinger. “Only Hawaii has the best food that I love and grew up with.” Scherzinger recalls the many summers and trips back to Hawaii to visit family when she was a kid. And her heart has remained here ever since.
“Being with my family there is probably my fondest memory growing up, because I’m so close to them,” she says. “Having our cookouts on the beach, and the food. I love the beaches on Oahu. Just hanging out with my family and just going beach, that’s my best memories always. That’s what life is all about.”
And some of her favorite spots, besides her Tutu’s house and the beach, are Matsumoto’s, Tanioka’s (for its poke and tako), Roy’s and Kuni’s. And now that her mom Rosemary has moved back to Oahu, Scherzinger says that’s a new favorite spot on her list as well.
Paddleboarding also is a fun favorite for Scherzinger, a pastime she says she’s been enjoying for a couple of years.
“I just love paddle-boarding, but I’m not like a pro or anything - I don’t do the surfing thing,” she says. “This past Christmas my parents bought me a paddle, and a board was given to me by Uncle Mel from Makaha. He gave me a board because he knows how much I love it. It’s just nice to be able to come home and just get away from everything and just be on the water. For me, it’s very spiritual to be out there.”
But before she can hit the water and her other favorite spots, Scherzinger and the Dolls will be putting on quite a show for their fans this month, performing material off their PCD and Doll Domination albums. Expect hits such as When I Grow Up, I Hate This Part, Stickwitu, Buttons, Don’t Cha, Hush Hush and the brand new Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny).
Also expect lots of choreography, energy and hip shaking. It seems fair to assume that Scherzinger’s early introduction to hula has gifted her with a natural knack for dance.
“Hula was the first dance I learned as a child,” says the 30-year-old. “My Tutu and Papa had a touring group called Sons and Daughters of Hawaii, and my mother was a beautiful hula and Tahitian dancer. She taught me some hula when I was growing up, small kine, because she said it was always important for me to learn my grace. Unfortunately I grew up on the Mainland, and wasn’t able to follow through and become the hula dancer that I wanted to be. But I leave that up to my cousins.”
Which, she confirms, she has more of than most.
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“I feel like I’m related to half the island,” she jokes. “I have a very big family that branches out and keeps on going. There’s my Tutu and Papa, and they have 10 beautiful kids, and my Tutu comes from a big family as well, so I have plenty of aunties and uncles and so many cousins. Every time I come home I feel like I’m meeting a new cousin. And now all my little cousins are having babies, so it keeps growing and growing.”
You can bet all those cousins, along with the many other PCD fans, will be cheering her on as she takes center stage next week.
For Scherzinger her road to success began with a dream that amounted to years of hard work, persistence and her fair share of ups and downs.
What began with a few modeling gigs, some theatre and dance school, plays and talent contests led Scherzinger to her first mainstream music gig as the lead singer of the pop group Eden’s Crush. That stint lasted about a year earning Scherzinger success with the group’s debut song, Get Over Yourself.
From there she pursued her acting career and landed roles in the films Chasing Papi and Love Don’t Cost A Thing before she stumbled upon a casting call for the group Pussycat Dolls.
Since joining the Dolls in 2003, Scherzinger has remained the group’s lead singer aka Lead Pussycat. Two albums later, the Dolls have achieved worldwide success - Billboard Music Awards, Grammy nominations and a certified gold and platinum single.
But Scherzinger had no intentions of stopping there. Last year she expanded her reach, releasing her debut solo album, My Name Is Nicole. And to no surprise, her hotness factor has earned her the No. 46 spot in this year’s Maxim‘s Hot 100 list.
She’s spent the past months on the road performing everywhere from Australia to Ireland to Hawaii. But her dreams don’t end there.
“After I finish up our tour in Hawaii, then I might take a little time off to do a little acting or work on some solo music,” she says.
And lucky for us, more frequent trips to Hawaii also top her to-do list.
“Hawaii is my home and my family is there, my mom is there,” she says. “I definitely plan to have my dream home there one day and retire. Just kicking it and have the family over and just lay on the beach - that’s my dream.”
The Pussycat Dolls’ Domination Tour will take Blaisdell Arena stage Saturday, June 13, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $60, $70 and $80, and available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 745-3000.
And don’t miss the official afterparty with Scherzinger and the Dolls. It’s all happening at Level4 from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
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