In August 2003, opting for a solo recording contract, Scherzinger travelled to Arista Records office in New York with a demo CD, under her Hawaiian family name, Nicole Kea, of her own written material.
Her performance was interrupted by a citywide blackout, and she was forced to leave.
She also did a brief detour into acting which includes a cameo in the independent comedy Love Don't Cost a Thing.
Meanwhile, Robin Antin, the creator of the burlesque troupe, the Pussycat Dolls, struck a joint venture with Interscope Records and along with record producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair, launched an open audition for a separate recording group.
After will.i.am recommended Scherzinger to Iovine, and in hopes to obtain a solo deal, she successfully auditioned in December 2003 along with Melody Thornton joining Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt.
As the lead singer, Scherzinger assumed the majority of the vocals and is the only member of the group to have songwriting credits on their debut album, PCD which was released in September 2005.
The album was preceded by "Don't Cha" which became their international breakthrough, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album spawned other number-one hits, "Stickwitu" and "Buttons", the latter of which was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

In February 2006, Scherzinger signed a global publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group, which would cover her future songwriting.
Her work as lead singer furthered Scherzinger's popularity as she continued to work on her own music.
Scherzinger's first solo recording was a feature on Avant's "Lie About Us" that was released in July 2006 and later collaborated with Diddy on "Come to Me" which became Scherzinger's first solo top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
In March 2007, Scherzinger announced that her debut studio album would be titled Her Name is Nicole and was initially scheduled for a release in late summer.
Four singles were released from the project—"Whatever U Like" featuring T.I., "Baby Love" featuring will.i.am, "Supervillain", and "Puakenikeni"—however, all failed to make any significant impact on the Billboard charts, although "Baby Love" was a moderate success in international territories.
After a number of push backs, Scherzinger decided not to release any further singles from the album and at her request, Her Name Is Nicole was eventually shelved and shifted back her focus on the Doll's second album.

The Pussycat Dolls' second and final album, Doll Domination was released in the United States on September 23, 2008 and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200.
The album included singles "When I Grow Up" and "I Hate This Part" which peaked at number nine and eleven on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
Both songs were originally recorded for Scherzinger's solo effort.
The following year, the group embarked on a worldwide concert tour, Doll Domination Tour which began on January 18, 2009.
While on tour, Scherzinger was asked to re-write pop version of "Jai Ho" from the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
The song was entitled "Jai Ho! (
You Are My Destiny)" crediting A. R. Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls while Scherzinger was credited as a featured artist causing dissatisfaction within the group.
The song reached number one in 17 countries; in the US, it peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100, after charging eighty-five places consequently making the largest weekly leap from number 100.
On April 5, 2009, Scherzinger performed "America the Beautiful" at Wrestlemania XXV, at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.
After the tour concluded in August 2009, the group announced a hiatus to further pursue solo careers.
In December 2009, Scherzinger was announced as the third judge joining Ben Folds and Boyz II Men band member Shawn Stockman on the first season of The Sing-Off.
She returned for the second season before being replaced by Sara Bareilles.
In August 2003, opting for a solo recording contract, Scherzinger travelled to Arista Records office in New York with a demo CD, under her Hawaiian family name, Nicole Kea, of her own written material. Her performance was interrupted by a citywide blackout, and she was forced to leave. She also did a brief detour into acting which includes a cameo in the independent comedy Love Don't Cost a Thing. Meanwhile, Robin Antin, the creator of the burlesque troupe, the Pussycat Dolls, struck a joint venture with Interscope Records and along with record producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair, launched an open audition for a separate recording group. After will.i.am recommended Scherzinger to Iovine, and in hopes to obtain a solo deal, she successfully auditioned in December 2003 along with Melody Thornton joining Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt. As the lead singer, Scherzinger assumed the majority of the vocals and is the only member of the group to have songwriting credits on their debut album, PCD which was released in September 2005. The album was preceded by "Don't Cha" which became their international breakthrough, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The album spawned other number-one hits, "Stickwitu" and "Buttons", the latter of which was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
In February 2006, Scherzinger signed a global publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group, which would cover her future songwriting. Her work as lead singer furthered Scherzinger's popularity as she continued to work on her own music. Scherzinger's first solo recording was a feature on Avant's "Lie About Us" that was released in July 2006 and later collaborated with Diddy on "Come to Me" which became Scherzinger's first solo top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. In March 2007, Scherzinger announced that her debut studio album would be titled Her Name is Nicole and was initially scheduled for a release in late summer. Four singles were released from the project—"Whatever U Like" featuring T.I., "Baby Love" featuring will.i.am, "Supervillain", and "Puakenikeni"—however, all failed to make any significant impact on the Billboard charts, although "Baby Love" was a moderate success in international territories. After a number of push backs, Scherzinger decided not to release any further singles from the album and at her request, Her Name Is Nicole was eventually shelved and shifted back her focus on the Doll's second album.
The Pussycat Dolls' second and final album, Doll Domination was released in the United States on September 23, 2008 and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. The album included singles "When I Grow Up" and "I Hate This Part" which peaked at number nine and eleven on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Both songs were originally recorded for Scherzinger's solo effort. The following year, the group embarked on a worldwide concert tour, Doll Domination Tour which began on January 18, 2009. While on tour, Scherzinger was asked to re-write pop version of "Jai Ho" from the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). The song was entitled "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" crediting A. R. Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls while Scherzinger was credited as a featured artist causing dissatisfaction within the group. The song reached number one in 17 countries; in the US, it peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100, after charging eighty-five places consequently making the largest weekly leap from number 100. On April 5, 2009, Scherzinger performed "America the Beautiful" at Wrestlemania XXV, at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. After the tour concluded in August 2009, the group announced a hiatus to further pursue solo careers. In December 2009, Scherzinger was announced as the third judge joining Ben Folds and Boyz II Men band member Shawn Stockman on the first season of The Sing-Off. She returned for the second season before being replaced by Sara Bareilles.
Nicole Scherzinger