page_title: The Pussycat Dolls
section_title: Nicole Scherzinger as lead singer
hierarchical_section_title: The Pussycat Dolls / Public image and media coverage / Nicole Scherzinger as lead singer
caption_attribution_description: The Pussycat Dolls appearing on Sunrise in 2020.
context_page_description: The Pussycat Dolls are an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the burlesque troupe mainstream as a pop group. Antin negotiated a record deal with Interscope Geffen A&M Records in 2003 turning the group into a music franchise comprising Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton, and Kimberly Wyatt. Their debut single, "Sway", was featured on the soundtrack of the 2004 film Shall We Dance?
  The Pussycat Dolls achieved worldwide success with number-one singles "Don't Cha", "Stickwitu", "Buttons", and their multi-platinum debut album PCD. However, despite their commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict due to the emphasis on Scherzinger, the group's lead vocalist, and the subordinate treatment of the other members. Bachar's departure from the group preceded the release of their second and final studio album Doll Domination, which contains hit singles "When I Grow Up", "I Hate This Part", and "Jai Ho!".
context_section_description: Critics have taken a major swipe at the group for their overemphasis of Scherzinger. Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly said, "there are two kinds of girl groups: those anchored by a superstar (The Supremes, Destiny's Child), and those made up of charismatic personalities endowed with limited individual gifts (Spice Girls, TLC). The Pussycat Dolls are neither—they're a brand, not a band. This follow-up to 2005's multi-platinum PCD finds lead Doll Nicole Scherzinger in the spotlight, and she's no Beyoncé. As for the others, well... can you name them? Do you even know how many there are?" The Telegraph's Adam White described the Pussycat Dolls as "pop's most embittered group" where the other members played the role of "glorified back-up dancers", and said that their 2006 performance at the American Music Awards "appeared to prove all was not well within the group’s dynamic."
  Kaya Jones, who initially auditioned as a vocalist for the group, said: "Nicole was always someone who wanted to be in the spotlight and would do pretty much anything to get it. [...] To call the other girls in the Pussycat Dolls 'window dressings' is a bit farfetched... every girl in the group was talented." In a 2014 interview with The Independent, Ashley Roberts claimed that she and her bandmates "were always told it was very much Nicole's project [...] we were the football team, and [Scherzinger] was the quarterback. You know, we weren't allowed to talk in interviews. We weren't even allowed in the studio sometimes." Kimberly Wyatt said in 2009: "Every video and stage performance that we've done, Nicole has been our leader. I wasn't in videos like I wanted and wasn't seen in the way I was hoping, which has been the same for all the other girls too." In an interview with Vibe, Thornton  said: "For me, it's important for people to know that I do write... I got into the group to sing. That was made very clear to me. But it became more and more apparent what was going on. Roles were being minimised and minimised, and then by the time it got on the [road], it was very much like 'Y'all play your part and this is what it is.' It was tough because you don't want to s--- on your own opportunity."
caption: The Pussycat Dolls being interviewed by David Koch on Sunrise after a performance on the show in 2020.
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