Nicole Scherzinger

Having risen from being a backup singer to headlining The Pussycat Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger was the face of one of the biggest pop sensations in the early part of the 21s century. Scherzinger was born on June 29, 1978 in Honolulu, HI to her father, Alfonso Valiente, and her mother, Rosemary. When she was just a baby, her parents separated, leaving her with her mother. Scherzinger moved to Louisville, KY when she was six years old with her mother and new step-father, Gary Scherzinger. After attending Meyezeek Middle School, she went to the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School. Meanwhile, Scherzinger began performing with the Actors Theatre of Louisville and became first runner-up in the Kentucky State Fair's Coca-Cola Talent Classic in 1996. Following her high school graduation, she went to Wright State University in Dayton, OH, where she studied acting and musical theatre until 1999, when she left to become a backup singer for the experimental rock band, Days of the New.