Why isn’t Nicole Scherzinger a bigger star?

The surname is a big reason

Too thin and old by the time Simon ppushed her nto the public.

Surname didn't help.

Well, it's for several reasons.

Firstly, her voice is very powerful, has a wide range and she can do some impressively difficult things with it (she has rather good technique), but the tone isn't beautiful and does become grating after a few seconds of sustained belting. She is one of those singers who needs GREAT songwriting and production in order to mask the raspy, gritty and aggressive tone in her voice.

She is also not very charismatic and is the least natural, spontaneous and easy-going person imaginable in front of the cameras. Her entire behaviour is extremely calculated and she seems to be saying all the time: "look! I'm likable! I have a warm and caring personality! Please, like me and turn me into a huge star!", which tends to be off-putting to many people (thirsty, desperate and contrived don't make a good combination, and most won't like it).

So yes, great talent and image, but something's missing. Also, people can be quite stupid; a good singer like her is overlooked while talentless hacks like Rihanna, Katy Perry and Britney are stars... Sadly, fame isn't given to those who deserve it the most, but those whom are favoured by the public by God knows what arbitrary reasons.

I agree, OP. Her voice is phenomenal.

Surname. Someone should have told her to change it. And she should have listened.

It's one of those rare cases that it's difficult to explain, compare her with Selena Gomez, Nicole is more beautiful, has more stage presence, better voice, and she can dance. Maybe it's a question of the songs released

R3 I’m in the music biz. Nicole wasn’t slutty enough nor willing to stage constant reptilian whorish behavior for the tabloid set, a la Madonna, Brittney, and a dozen others. It takes more than talent. She’s had a fair and respectable career.

Her last name. If you want to be famous, you have to have a name that can be pronounced and understood INSTANTLY. If there's any pause or confusion, you're sunk. Yep, it really is that dumb.

Christina Aguilera ain’t easy either. But her career stalled long ago.

Well she has already changed her surname once before. It was originally “Valiente”. I don’t mind Scherzinger except a lot people taking the piss call her Shitsinger.

Her xfactor uk duet with Jahmene where her studio mic didn’t work was amazing. The way she handled it like a professional and still gave an amazing impressive live local is something a lot of her contemporaries like Rihanna or Katy Perry would have bombed out on.

[quote] Nicole wasn’t slutty enough nor willing to stage constant reptilian whorish behavior for the tabloid set

Not slutty enough? R7, you must be joking.

Surname is one reason. She tried the moniker thing but it was too late. She was also pushing 30 by the time the Pussycat Dolls started to make an impact and didn’t seize her chance to make a name for herself immediately (album delays, numerous single attempts, etc.) Plus she just didn’t have the charisma of someone like Rihanna or Jennifer Lopez.

And she kept at it during her solo career too.

Exhibit A:

Why isn't Lisa Fischer as big as Huston or Carey? She had the best voice, best presence, sexy bitch factor and not afraid to show it on stage....it just happens.

If you cannot instantly pronounce Scherzinger, you must be a flyover. It’s not that hard.

Exhibit B:

R11 I was referring to her solo career.

She has always said she hated those revealing outfits. I remember her saying she wanted to cry when she saw one of the PCD outfits she was asked to wear. But hey that’s what sells. I think they were a means to an end. And I wonder if that impacted her future success. The public couldn’t get past the slutty image and didn’t realize she has a legitimate amazing voice behind all that. Just assumed she was fake and auto tuned like everyone else in the music industry that resorts to the slutty image.

R13 Off stage behavior.

Huge hands in R13.

Nicole Who?

I don’t know her.

Mariah, darling: as of late, not even you know yourself. Then again, that's what being in a permanent drunken stupor will do to you.

She’s never released a “hit” IMO. Plus she brings nothing original to music/culture. Yes she can do runs and belt and she has a pretty falsetto, but she’s never had the writing team that she needed.

Plus, there was very little gossip. And that can definitely hurt one’s game.

This XFactor UK clip shows what an amazing professional singer she really is. Not many would have handled it as well as she did. Her studio mic didn’t work. Luckily her broadcast feed mic was still working. So people at home would have been baffled at what she was up to. And the studio audience would have been equally wondering why they weren’t hearing anything.

Drugs. Heavy drugs.

I remember she was debuting her new single “Pretty” on the XFactor USA and then never officially released it.

R26 proof? I don’t get that vibe from her.

No one really understood what the PussyCat Dolls were all about. Were they a pop group, were they mainly dancers, were they a Vegas act??

She should have started out as a solo artist.

She was disliked by her Pussycat cohorts, wasn't she? Maybe the bad juju tarnished her reputation and limited her solo efforts.

Didn't she beard for that creep Lewis Hamilton?

She didn't suck enough d. Or she sucked too much d. There's a fine line for every girl with stars in her eyes to walk

They dislike her because she was the only one among them who had talent, and wasn't just a glorified stripper. Even Melody Thornton, who has a nice voice, could never even dream about matching Nicole at her worst.

I don't know if it was bad juju, but lots of jealousy did play a part in the way in which her colleagues regarded her.

R17, I already addressed her solo career above. Oh, come on. She's "slutty enough" in her solo career - that particular criteria was definitely not 'lacking' in her solo PR. It was probably her 'advanced' age and/or social persona that proved a stumbling block.

R34 Let me know when you have gold and platinum records on your wall from artists that appreciate your work for them. I have 5.

Uh, the Pussycat Dolls were literally marketed as whores. She had no problem looking slutty for most of her career. The reason she wasn’t taken seriously as a singer was BECAUSE she started out looking like a slut. There’s no way the public would have taken her seriously as a singer after she spent most of her career wearing g strings and bathing in giant martini glasses with other untalented whores.

R36, you don’t have to be such a judgmental prisspot.

And R35? Am I supposed to be impressed? I have Grammys. So what? The pop music business is full of talentless losers who are constantly rewarded.

People were asking why she didn’t have a successful solo career, and I answered R37. It’s not my fault she chose to go the route of whore.

She is notoriously difficult to work with. Andrew Lloyd Webber declared her the best singer ever and put her in Cats only to have her walk out to do X-Factor. Ask any of the Pussycat Dolls what they think about her. She came out publicly and said she sang ALL the songs on ALL the albums and the rest of the girls were backup dancers. It goes all the way back to Eden's Crush (her first group - formed from a David Foster Reality show back in the 90's). She felt she was the star of the group and could survive solo. She was so hard to work with the group was broken up.

A skanky stripper-centric band. Catered to chubby Mexican tweens. The band later revealed to be prostitutes. The pinnacle of trash. A former member exposed the scheme. Nicole was only known as a member of Pussycat Dolls. (What a strip club name)

Nicole mostly known for being on the kardashian show teaching 2 ton Kim to pose in a tub. All these protests that she wasn't desperate or whorish? Lol. She was but nobody cared. Move on Nicole. You're moment never was and will not be.

Several things contributed to Nicole's non-success in the US, the sum's being greater than the parts:

"Pussycat Dolls." Yeah, no. Not going to fly in Mainstream America. Plus, according to Wikipedia, the group started out as burlesque. Miscue #1.

"Scherzinger." I mean, Cary Grant changed his name from the simple "Leach." Her Miscue #2.

Desperate chasing of the younger and gayer Lewis Hamilton, who, after many years, wouldn't put a ring on it. Plus, though he was and is a phenomenal F1 driver, Lewis is neither American nor in a traditional American sport. Should have gone after an Andretti or an Indy driver. This "relationship" was Miscue #3.

And a factor NS could not change: her ethnicity. Being Hawaiian, she seems neither here nor there, a week bit too exotic. Sure, Tiger Woods might say he's "Cablinasian," but he's Tiger Woods. And he looks Black.

She was superb on "Dancing With the Stars," but even though she won, the pretense that she was an amateur turned off some of the audience.

Now she's 40. So it's being a judge on talent shows time.

Ultimately, Nicole Scherzinger has been successful in her chosen carer, with a top-selling group and with many award nominations. But her success is of the Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, and Westlife type, aka,

"Not here."

What's wrong with her surname? That really surprised me. You hate German surnames in the US?

She always seemed nice but just not ferocious enough for my liking. A bit basic, really.

Wait, she's [italic]Hawaiian?![/italic] I always assumed she was Thai or something.

Successful female singers usually have cute "little girl" features, at least at the beginning of their careers. Nicole pretty much always looked like 33 year old stripper even in her 20s.

[quote]What's wrong with her surname? That really surprised me. You hate German surnames in the US?

No we don’t hate German surnames.

People are just saying that it sounds too ethnic and difficult to pronounce, and she should have changed it to Smith or something lame.

I disagree.

She has the talent and looks but she doesn't have "IT". Plain and simple.

R38 sure you do - not!

R35, my comment was about her fashion, styling and PR image. Not about your precious "gold and platinum records" mounted on your anonymous basement wall.

The original suggestion above was that she "wasn't slutty enough" to make it. I simply said she was sufficiently slutty, she was probably just too old. One doesn't need awards to understand that - all one needs is eyes.

This is Scherzinger performing in a club in 2014, long after her Pussycat Dolls days (disbanded in 2010). But old habits die hard...

Actually, the Pussycat Dolls was a Vegas burlesque act created by Robin Antin. It got so popular that famous Celebs wanted to be Dolls for a week including Christina Aguilera . Antin negotiated a record deal after the success of such prefab girl groups as the Spice Girls. Scherzinger, Melody Thornton, and Kaya Jones were recruited as the singers to join three more who were the Dancers.

....

....

....

Being a celebrity contestant on "Dancing With the Stars" is not generally associated with becoming a superstar. It's the domain of has-beens and Disney "stars" most of the public has never heard of. Bad career move that tainted her "brand," even though she won.

Dear God, R53, you've solved it. Case closed!

R15 is literally the stupidest thing I have ever seen posted on this board.

R7 I think when "member of the Pussycat Dolls" is on your resume, you instantly lose the right to say you're "not slutty enough."

LOL, R57

I'm surprised so many people find her good-looking. I think she is almost painful to look at with a horrible nose job. She is also insufferably dull. I didn't make it to one minute of her performing a song from Phantom of the Opera (linked by a poster above).

She released a single some years ago, "Don't Hold Your Breath." It wasn't a bad song, but it wasn't memorable. I was on vacation in London when it was released, and she performed it on one of the morning shows there, then was interviewed by the hosts. She was indeed dull to watch. Not much "there" there.

Her stage presence is lacking that something special. She is very plastic looking,

Like others have said, she lacks stage presence. She always looks like she's trying to hard to entertain.

THIS is a great singer?

She's just not black enough.

Being 40 in the music biz is the equivalent to 90 in the real world. can book a role in a touring Broadway show like Wicked. Playing Elphaba in the touring production of Wicked is the best she can hope for at this stage of her career. Actually, finding a rich husband and retiring from show biz is her best option.

Having a big voice is not necessarily an advantage in today's music. Producers routinely tell female artists to tone it down if they want to get played on radio.

Did not know she had a voice like at r4. I have just ignored her. She should have pursued different path as recording artist. Those silly pop songs do nothing to showcase her talent

At least R4 gave me the opportunity to discover Ramin Karimloo, one of the phantoms. Such a fucking hot number!

She should’ve changed her name to Nicole Zinger.

Having a hit song would have helped her.

Until then, she’s just a pretty lady with a nice voice

Her last name doesn’t help. I have no idea how to say it or spell it

It had nothing to do with her last name.

She was notoriously known for being difficult and because of her attitude, nobody wanted to work with her. She couldn't get anyone to give her a song that was good enough to be a bit or chart.

Additionally, she doesn't have the "It Factor." She has no personality and comes off as unlikable.

The public will learn to pronounce your last name if they like you enough.

*hit

[quote]Wait, she's Hawaiian?! I always assumed she was Thai or something.

Is she actually Filipino? I know a lot of Filipinos that will say they're Hawaiian instead of reveal their Filipino heritage for some reason.

It's called talent, or lack thereof.

Andrew Lloyd Webber sure seems to love her.

Loved, R75, Loved. Past tense.

Was she doing anything for him? Apart from singing? A young one and a geriatric?

I like her. Here’s a cute clip of her impersonating other pop stars. Copycat Realness.

too much resting bitch face, she's not likable - the Pussycats were considered a novelty act- which they were - they had one hit, that was it

I thought that NS was great as the sidekick/co-host of that awful Neil Patrick Harris live variety show. Unlike Neil, Nicole was natural and confortable on camera. She was sexy and talented but also likable. She should have been the sole host of the show instead of that creepy, fake, try-hard.

Pussycat Dolls was an escorting front.

Scherzinger has a trained voice and a very good one. She tried on too many images and wasn't the most reliable team player. No one forced her into the PussyCat Dolls. She got raves for The West End revival of Cats and then backed out of the Broadway production. A bit like Chenoweth, she'd rather be a popstar or TV/film presence than do what she does best. Both of them were 30 before they had any big success and that's a long time to be doing your vocal exercises. ALW loves Nicole and has forgiven her yet again, though Leona Lewis was a poor replacement.

Regardless this song should have been a big hit for Nicole. As good as anything being put out by Miley, Demi, Pink, or Selena. She can sing it just as well LIVE too.

R3 was right on every point about her voice and her image. But I like her piercing belts, even it the tone is a bit raspy. It works well with this song.

I listened to all of my sister's pussycat doll CDs back in the day. I love her.

R82 I thought that song was dreadful. You compare it to stuff put out by Miley, Selena, Demi, etc. But Nicole is also 15 years older than they are so therein lies part of her problem... she's old.

Her bigger problem is that everything about her reeks of effort. It all seems labored as though she's trying too hard. She's not genuine. People pick up on that, even in Pop music and it turns them off.

My dude, the song is not dreadful. Nicole is a very good performer, if a little bland. I like Miley Cyrus, but she can't sing like Nicole Scherzinger.

I am a musician and a vocal coach, not some middle aged stan of Sherzinger. You are just talking about images. Her image problems have already been addressed. Run is a good pop song and no more artificial than any other chick video. It got a lot of positive attention for it's stripped down quality.

Here is Nicole singing memory in Cats. Girl is not the world's best singer but world's better than most pop singers. Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce and sometimes Gaga can sing. Kelly has the best voice of the last 15 years and she's not exactly a video slut. Scherzinger is not up to Kelly's standard or ability but she has the range and vocal training to sing just about anything. As her confusing career proves.

Hate the song if you like R84, but I suggest you actually hate the singer. You find her slutty or too ethnic looking no doubt.

She can’t really sing, can she?

I hated that one song, “This Is The Hard Part” she recorded a few years ago...her attempts at vocal runs were laughable.

Thanks R85 for revealing your issues. Did I say anywhere she couldn't sing? Nope.

I said I didn't like the song, so what? I don't. And nowhere did I mention her image, sexual or otherwise, nor her ethnicity. Try harder next time. You obviously have issues.

[quote]I am a musician and a vocal coach, not some middle aged stan of Sherzinger.

HAHAHA, sure, Pops.

R86 sure she can sing. The problem is that she has that quality about her where she sings everything as though she thinks her voice is better than it is.

I read your other racist posts before I considered your opinion r88. I don't argue with old white men. We won't be exchanging any more greetings. Enjoy your day.

R90 and what other "racist posts," would that be?

Oh yeah, you're full of shit.

Enjoy your day, Pops.

And R90 can't argue because he got called out on every lame thing he tried to throw.

Vocal perfection. Credit where credit is due. The vast majority of today’s pop singers would be unable to pull this off. She’s in a league of her own.

Well, at least, she has a younger, hunky boyfriend, who is tennis player, Grigor Dimitrov, to console her.

R73 Her father is of Filipino descent, while her mother, has Native Hawaiian and Ukrainian ancestry. Scherzinger took her surname from her German American stepfather.

r93, that really was fantastic, not just the singing but 'acting' the song, really impressive.

R95 I think that she should start a duet with Gary Barlow. Their voices sound good together. Also, she's more popular in the U.K.

She pissed off Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber by not appearing in the hit revival of CATS on Broadway. Nicole Kidman was supposed to play Grizabella, but opted to do BIG LITTLE LIES instead. Therefore we got Leona Lewis to belt out the perennial favorite “Memory”.

She has other talents too. I think that she needs better management.

I like her voice better than Adele's annoying voice.

I have to laugh at some of you thinking that Broadway showtunes have any relevance at all to today's music scene. It's all about rap/hip-hop today and y'all touting this crone's ability to sing Broadway.

Nicole Scherzinger on Dancing with the Stars, promoting her new TV movie, Dirty Dancing

Nicole would have been exciting casting and won great praise in the Broadway revival of Evita. Rickie Martin was amateurish, but Elena Roger as Eva was abysmal. Don't Cry for Me Argentina is not a difficult song to sing but it's a hard song to make interesting. Nicole has the sex/star power and the required vocal dynamics to act that song into the centrepiece it is very well. It's all about the deliberate conversation and controlled crescendos. More importantly she has the range to sing the rest of that very difficult score and the talent to bring the part to life.

Some us are not confused between a Broadway singer and a pop star. To call someone a Broadway singer is hardly an insult. Ricky Martin is not good at either as far as vocals goes. Scherzinger can do both - capably to beautifully. She probably should avoid Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Run. Live. Should have been a hit. She delivers a beautiful communication of the lyric with a great vocal & raw feeling.

She was over 30 when she went solo. You need to hit it big in your teens or early 20’s if you are female and by the time you hit 30 you career is considered over the hill for a female pop star

This broad is too old!

She's not that good of a singer. At best she's average.

R106 For a former pop girl group member she is considered good. I was rooting for her to succeed being from Hawaii ( for such a tiny set of islands Hawaii sure has produced some of the biggest names in music) but it wasn’t meant to be for her.

[quote]for such a tiny set of islands Hawaii sure has produced some of the biggest names in music

Thank you!

R108 Yes Hoku you are a STAR literally! radio Disney played the shit out of you.

R109 = Rude.

Hoku is my childhood!!! A true star, Nicole scherzawhatever could never!!

Anyone who calls Scherzinger's ability average knows nothing about the physiology or technique of proper singing and voice production. R106 is plain wrong. She's not one of the greats. But she is THAT good.

I always wondered too. I don’t like the style of music she makes but she’s got model good looks and can sing. It always seemed strange she wasn’t more famous.

All that twerking and sluttiness really tarnished her image.

Yes, R114. And the minds of some posters here regarding her talent.

I like her cover of the song, Sway.

R42 has explained it very well. One more thing: her first album was also massively delayed. Singles would be announced (and sometimes played on the radio or even performed on TV) and then mysteriously dropped two weeks later. If her debut album had been released when the label intended, she would have had the momentum of PCD to rely on. But, by the time the album came out, PCD was long gone from the collective consciousness. She also has a certain coldness to her that makes her dull. There is nothing that is "so Nicole Schlezinger". But there are many things that can be described as "So Britney/Beyonce/Katy Perry/Rihanna/Jessica Simpson", etc.

More importantly, WEHT Leona Lewis? She started out so strong and actually had a successful pop career with a Top 10 hit, and then she disappeared.

She's been trying to make a comeback, but at 33 it's too late for her.

R85, What then is YOUR conclusion about how this multi-talented (IYO) woman has been a cipher in the US?

R102, Don't digress re: the career and/or talent of Ricky Martin without a modicum of research.

R118, LL was the UK Idol, or whatever show she had just won, when she came out with the Pop hit "Bleeding Love."

Then she was expected to lose weight.

[quote]Don't digress re: the career and/or talent of Ricky Martin without a modicum of research.

I have good ears.

The musical taste of the young audience has changed.

[quote]Surname. Someone should have told her to change it. And she should have listened.

How is Scherzinger any less pronounceable or memorable than Schwarzenegger? Ahnuld became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood despite that last name. And then there's that Zellweger girl.

Leona Lewis rushed her second album (which had a much lower promotional budget) and as a result ended up with mediocre songs.

Mediocre songs

She seems to normal and level headed to be interesting.

Exactly. Schwarzenegger is a good name...fun to say, easy to remember. Scherzinger just isn't, it's clumsy and annoying even if it's another Germanic name. It does make a difference- look at Doris Day. Or Rhianna. Anyway, I never took interest in the Pussycat Dolls. They seemed wannabes on the psychobilly/ pinup scene that was around for a minute, but watered down and low level. She just attached herself to too many things that seemed shoddy and uninteresting. It's a shame, I never knew she could sing like that, and was in shows. Good for her, she can still be a diva if she keeps the quality up!

R63 has it. She is just simply not talented enough to be pushing herself off as an accomplished and trained vocalist. Sugary pop-star, maybe? But as others have said, there's just something she doesn't have that other pop stars do. Plus she has always looked 40 even in her 20s. And I am sure she could sing the hell out of any number by any of today's popstars. But she keeps singing these challenging opera-esque showtunes as if she's some famous opera singer. not in the same line as great singers like Whitney Houston or highly-trained theatre vocalists (like Julie Andrews or someone like that). Listen to her in R63. That's garbage. Pure and simple. That is not a good version of If I Loved You. Admittedly, Carousel is a tough score vocally, almost operatic. Listen to R4, that's garbage too. She can carry a tune, but she doesn't sound like fucking Sarah Brightman or Shirley Jones. She sounds like a good amateur at best (I was griping about the same thing on a thread about that Book of Mormon dude). Where this woman thinks she's good enough to be singing these songs and getting positive attention for them is mind-boggling. I imagine she'd do well at bah/bar mitvahs though.

She seems old. She always seemed 40 to me. I have no idea how old she is but she's past pop age. I do like her voice, marketing is off as a solo performer

I just had this part

FFS, this bitch is ancient in pop terms and to the stan who keeps posting her ALW/Phantom shit, she is weak and her voice sucks.

R4 if you were trying to show that she can sing, that was NOT the video to post. The male singers show how weak her voice really is.

Nicole is said to be demanding and unpleasant, and her sexy Pussycat Doll image didn't do her any good.

R52 What's presenting one's pussy as though one was a bitch in heat got to do with singing? She should go find a street corner to ply her trade.

R129 " I imagine she'd do well at bah/bar mitvahs though." Yes. Wank fodder for little boys.

She just doesn't have "it."

Bitch about Madonna all you want, but back in the day when Madge was on stage you couldn't take your eyes off her. No, she didn't have the best voice but it was pleasant and she had style and she could dance her ass off. Nicole has, arguably, a better voice and is even more traditionally beautiful, but doesn't have even a tenth of that kind of presence.

The answer to your question, OP, is that she just didn't have star power.

Scherzinger has no reason to be compared to Madonna. Why even put them in the same sentence? They are twenty years apart in age, Madge was once a cultural phenomena and beautiful Nicole can actually sing. The US sleeps on a lot its own talents that the rest of the world celebrates. Nicole, Beth Hart, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Bonamassa etc.

What r104 said. Britney, Christina, Selena---Disney kids.

R138 yep ageism for females in the pop music industry is a real thing.

R136 I agree with you generally, but I'd add that Pop-Star fame and excelling/succeeding in that field is largely dependent on a fabrication of artificial, commercial measures. And it's pretty low-hanging fruit in the gargantuan tree of musical achievement. I guess I don't know for sure, as I am not a pop star and do not know any personally to hear stories of how it goes about, but I'd argue that anyone, with fortune-heavy companies, stylists and a hoard of well-knowing people telling one what to do, could do what Madonna did in her youth. Basically, I think Madonna's (or insert another pop icon of your choice) IT factor is largely a product made up by a bevy of companies telling her what to do. And I am pretty sure anyone with half a brain could do just that. And I have no doubt that Nicole could have achieved that at some point if she had the direction and financial support from some company. That didn't happen for whatever reason; perhaps because, as suggested many times above, she's a professional shrew.

The distinction that I'd make between Madonna and Nicole is that Madonna didn't go off on some delusional musical tangent, trying to be the next Julie Andrews or whatever (although she did do Evita, which most considered pretty bad, so maybe she did a little, but that was one disaster, I can forgive her that). Nicole S. is now trying to promote herself as some kind of goddess-status singer, croaking out challenging, opera-esque showtunes that some really great female singers made famous. And she just sings them bad . . . really bad. I think that knocks her back. She's not trying to get the praise of the hoi polloi listening to whatever on the radio during traffic, she seems to be trying to access a higher level of music-appreciation. I do think the Pussycat Dolls thing sets her back, and I am sure it's tough to climb up to a higher status of musicianship after something as ridiculous as that. But I also just think she isn't talented enough to do it. Again, she can sing, she can carry a tune, but it just isn't that impressive. If she were actually good, that would be one thing. BUt she just can't hack it.

Of course after I wrote that R140, I watched the video at R137. She actually sounded quite good there. But it's ALW, soooooooo . . . .

R141, See I think that’s part of the problem. People assume she can’t sing. They then change their tune (pun intended) when they hear her live ALW vocals. So she has to expose more people to her true abilities

People assume she can’t sing because most of her career was twerking and slutty dancing.

[quote]The surname is a big reason

Oh, is she Argentinian?

Nya Rivera is the new Nicole Sherzinger

She’s no Janet.

The clip at r78 really surprised me. She has almost no makeup and I still wearing normal clothing (sort of hip hop clothes). This is the first time I have ever seen her without a ton of smoky make up on and NOT dressed in a string bikini.

She truly is talented. Here is what she needs in her professional life:

Maybe a catch song? She needs Pharrell Williams.

A really great mak up artist. Start appearing in more natural look makeup, ala J-lo.

A really great wardrobe. Christian Siriano perhaps, or a top stylist. This step can make it or break it.

Some walk on parts on tv or movies to show off her new look.

A great press agent. This is a must.

It is not over, she can still be in the game.

[quote] but I'd argue that anyone, with fortune-heavy companies, stylists and a hoard of well-knowing people telling one what to do, could do what Madonna did in her youth

The record industry is littered with acts, especially young female singers, who had all that and never got off the ground. That aside, Madonna isn't one to sit back and let others dictate what she can and can't do with her career, like, say, Whitney or early Mariah.

Nicole has a lot more stage presence when doing these showtunes than she did as a pop act. She should have put on some clothes and put the focus on her vocals when she tried going solo. More importantly, she needed better songs.

Her springboard was LOOOOOOW. Can anyone remember a PCD's song? Think she realised BGT was a bigger money maker and easier than singing and promoting lacklustre albums.

Also, Nicole never had her own identity. I don't mean that she was part of a group. Even a solo artist, she resembled other pop stars. She was a little J-Lo, a little Janet, and a little Mariah. But there was nothing about her that broke the mold in any way. Katy Perry's vocals are terrible, but there was no one like Katy Perry before in the pop music scene, as pre-fab as her persona was.

[Quote] Can anyone remember a PCD's song?

Don't Cha, Beep, Buttons and When I Grow Up.

Don't Cha was pretty big with gaylings at the time.

Agree with much that has been said here. The Pussycat Dolls were like the nadir of mid-aughts raunch culture, you’re kind of hamstrung from the offset when you’re singing schlock that felt corny and porny in front of a handful of sluts who seemed like they had just be cut by the laker girls.

There is something very musical theatre and in particular ALW diva about her - she probably would have been a great Evita, Mary Magdalene in JCSS (certainly better suited to the part than dykey Mel C) and with vocal training might have even succeeded in making Christine in Phantom seem like an actual woman as opposed to a be-wigged chipmunk. She probably could have done anything Linda Eder did as well, but I wouldn’t wish a Frank Wildhorn lead on my worst enemy.

And her name makes her sound like the third biggest bitch at a Long Island high school circa 1997.

[quote]Can anyone remember a PCD's song?

Of course, as they had a string of hits. This one was always my fave...

^Aptly demonstrates her singing abilities.

I liked this track she did with Timbaland and another on-the-brink-but-never-took-off chick, Keri Hilson...

Believe it or not, she was once in the alt-rock band Days of the New and dated lead singer Travis Meeks.

R142 I don't believe I've ever argued that she can't sing. She's demonstrated that sufficiently. I'm suggesting is that she's not great, just decent, good like an amateur, but not good as a trained singer. Reasonable minds can differ though.

R148 point taken, and I suppose the fact that other female acts failing miserably does demonstrate some adequate IT factor in Madonna. And to her credit, she has played it well. She's got personality, I'll give her that. However, other performers' failures could be due to other circumstances aside from of failure to present a sufficient IT factor. Admittedly, I am contemptuous towards pop musicians. I think it's all kinda stupid. I've never been one to gush over a mezzo-alto busting out a 3-minute auto-tuned ditty in a range that spans 10 notes.

LOL at "be-wigged" chipmunk, though I always thought she was very pretty.

I thought the PCD were a joke, and didn't take anythign they did seriously. When I saw that Nicole was leaving for a solo career, my impression of her was tainted. I had no idea that she had that kind of talent until reading this thread. I only peripherally listen to pop music, so this is the first time I've heard her sing. She's got skills, but I still don't have a clear sense of who she is as an artist. Is she old smooth big ballad pop? a pop diva? a Broadway belter? a tv personality? a dancer who sings? Her name isn't the problem; rather, it is a lack of clear presentation that hurt more.

Because she is a prostitute?

[quote]And her name makes her sound like the third biggest bitch at a Long Island high school circa 1997.

BAHAHAHA. Or the rush chair at Deephers at the University of Florida.

Nicole's birth surname Valiente (from her Filipino father) would've been more showbiz-friendly and given her a Latina edge.

I also think she would have been a better Anita in the WSS revival than our beloved double-threat Karen Olivo.

Some argue that PCD hurt her career. I argue that without PCD nobody would know who she was.

She's a high end escort. A yacht girl.

I agree with you, r166.

I always thought she was really hot and sexy in a slutty way. I hope she can find a man to give her as many babies as she wants, because I feel like that's what she really wants - a family.

And yeah, going with her original name (Valiente) would have been a better choice for show business. Also, she got some really big breast implants, which is normally a turn off, but for some reason I think it's really hot and suits her.

Sooo fake but also sooo hot. Such an interesting dynamic...

She should have started fucking Prince. He would have given her a nice career.... just his type too.

R165 If she had gone on to audition for American Idol instead of Pop Stars USA things might have been different for her as a solo artist from the get go (she wouldn’t have won but she would have gotten far

R171 I don't think she was eligible for AI. She was too old.

R140, completely disagree. Madonna definitely had a team, but she was definitely calling the shots. According to Seymour Stein, the legendary record mogul who signed her, Warner Brothers actually DID NOT even want to sign Madonna since they considered her weird and odd. She didn't come across as someone who would end up being (to quote him) "the female Elvis." Her "it" factor was mainly all on her own--she was only taken seriously by Warner Brothers once Like a Virgin took off. It was at that point they knew they fucked up and that they would never doubt her again. He also said that he knew just by hearing her music and interacting with her that she WAS going to be a star. The "It" factor isn't something that every star has. If every star had it, Ciara would have sold as much as Beyonce or Rihanna by now.

Everyone is right about the surname. Should have shortened it. Nicole Zinger.

starting out as a leader of Pussycat Dolls was a huge mistake: it made her quite famous, but the concept of the band was horrible. It didn't read as "empowered girlband", it was "karaoke strippers night at Hooters". So when she went solo, with a less trashy image, it was too late to become a bona fide star.

[quote]If every star had it, Ciara would have sold as much as Beyonce or Rihanna by now.

And ME don't forget ME!!!

[quote]Ashanti - relegated to singing JLos hits for her.

That's brutal.

Wasn't one of the girls from the Pussycat Dolls actually a tranny or was it just low brow gossip?

R176, I believe that was this chick...sort of. Apparently, she sang J Lo's big hit first and it was basically stolen from right under her.

R178 Are you referring to Carmit?

No, R179, I was talking about Ashanti who obviously sang most of the hook, background, adlibs, etc. on the song.

Her PR person put out a rumor that she was cast as Elphaba in the movie version of Wicked and it got picked up by the media. Of course it was a big lie. As if she would even be considered for such an important role, much less at her age.

Keri Hilson had more potential than this chick. They both didn’t amount to very much.

She’s most known for singing “loosen up my buttons.”

And “dontcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?”

And “when I grow up, I wanna have boobies.”

(I know it’s “groupies”, but everyone heard boobies).

Is she still a judge on the X Factor UK? She probably still earns millions just from doing that.

More please on how JLo did not even use her real voice on her first few albums

r185 millions?? lol. No.

She got paid £1.8m for season 14. She was paid more than Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh as judges. Simon, as judge and owner of the show, it is unknown what his salary was.

R187 Paula Abdul got a couple of million for Idol, so assume Nicole earned a few million over a few years for XF UK. What is that in dollars R188?

R189, that's basically double.

2.4mil USD.

r62, you hit the nail on the head- I worked on LSB, and Nicole was up against Derek Hough, and it was painfully obvious how hard she tried to be likable and was overdoing everything- she even said, "I danced in the manure!" during her critique. All the house dancers HATED her, because she was changing the choreo twice and was a diva. She has no charisma because you can see through the artifice.

I'm surprised by everyone's response about her surname- we have Schwarzenegger and Kardashian for crying out loud.

What is that after taxes and Agents and Managers fees?

To say that Madonna was controlled by others is the dumbest thing I've heard on DataLounge to date.

I have three R48. They’re not hard to get.

She has a really hot speaking voice... sort of like she just knocked back a few Vicodins and topped them off with some old Halcions she had laying around from the 80s.

Poor thing bearded for Lewis Hamilton for seven years! And the jerk still refused to marry her.

The Pussycat Dolls including Nicole sold six over the entire package deal. Nicole does not have the ‘it’ factor that Whitney Houston, George Michael, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Madonna and a few others had. Nicole doesn’t have that hungry passion. You either have it or not. Poor analogy but it’s the same with a physician. You either have a bedside manner or you don’t.

She needs to fade away. Nicole is no longer relevant.

R173, don't believe everything you read.

168 should read SEX instead of SIX!

I had a dream last night I was hanging with Nicole. She seemed pleased I was a fan and knew she was a good live singer.

R124, Neither Ahnuld nor Renee is in the teen-oriented Pop music world, now ARE they?

She is very talented. She sang Purple Rain as a duet with a finalist, she was very good.

She has a good voice. 100000 women have a good voice. She is pretty, 100000 women are pretty. She is not likable. Bottom line.

No one mentioned me.

I wondered the same thing about NS ten years ago. Now, the answer is obvious. Even though she's been around for years, she's never "broken out" and never will.

From this clip it's clear she would have been great if she had a chance to do musical theater but with her looks she never would have gotten anywhere. Her voice is good, she moves well and she can interpret the lyrics. This clip is the only time I've ever found her likable.

"...with her looks..."

What the hell does that mean? Most people would describe her as a very attractive woman, if not beautiful.

She's brown skinned moron.

She’s not likeable.

I can relate.

I didn't know Broadway actresses needed to be lily-white!

Agreed that she should have started in musical theater. The only issue is that her voice would be significantly blander, with that standard super-enunciated, super-rehearsed, broadway style of singing.

I don't what you cranky bitches are complaining about. She's gorgeous and has an amazing voice. Much better than the crap that Beyonce and others are caterwauling. As far as too slutty, please, bitches. Who is constantly discussing gay bars where you can touch the dancers' dicks for a price and orgies? So she wore skimpy clothes on stage. Big fucking deal.

Sounds like R214 is arguing with the millions of people who didn’t buy Nicole’s music.

[quote]—Audra McDonald, five-time Tony winner

SIX, you ignorant trollop!

No, R215. I just find it hilarious when gay men call women too slutty.

R202 I also dream about Nicole, however it's usually predicated on me fucking her on a yacht in Mykonos while she bleeds my wallet dry on champagne and jewelry, and because that tri-racial pussy is so good, I let her.

Dreams are fun.

I just watched an hour show VMA 18 Video Vanguard: Jennifer Lopez on MTV Classic. She holds her own singing dance songs but when she adds her dancing in she kills it. She sure can move for a 49 year old woman. Whatever she has Nicole doesn’t have it. Stage presence, confidence and over all likeability.

[quote]Why isn’t Nicole Scherzinger a bigger star?

Because she didn't have an older, more talented, pedo of a brother to ride the coattails of?

She didn't fuck strategically.

She also passed on recording “we found love” which was Rihanna’s biggest hit and won her a vma for video of the year.. because she didn’t wanna do more dance songs and was busy filming x factor uk lol Bad decision scherzinger...

Excellent analysis, R3. I’d wondered why she hadn’t caught the public’s fancy despite looks and talent, and then I saw her on “Dancing with the Stars”. Zero charisma. It wasn’t that she was UNlikable, she didn’t even register at all (despite her eventual win.)

What do we think of her new singing show, The Masked Singer?

This bitch again?

Why couldn’t you have just let this thread die in peace, R224?!

Nicole is the new judge on Australia's Got Talent 2019.

R10 Valiente is a cool name.

So she’s reunited with the Pussycat dolls. Something I would never imagine happening.

[QUOTE] Why isn't Lisa Fischer as big as Huston or Carey?

I think Fischer might have been a little too old out of the gates. But, she’s had a long and steady career as one of the Rolling Stone’s backing vocalists, and she’s got that Grammy too. So, she’s probably grateful that she made it as far as she has. I agree though, she’s an extraordinary vocalist and that debut album of hers was awesome from beginning to end.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

I love the Evans brothers. Although I always thought that one of them was gay. So this basically proves it.

Bump.

I read that she’s yachting from time to time. Beautiful woman though.

I did like her as a judge on X Factor...honest and diplomatic.

[Quote] I read that she’s yachting from time to time.

Lots of them do. More than I realized 😧