So on April 8th, the pussycat dolls came up to Vancouver along with Britney Spears for the Circus tour and I was fortunate enough to be able to have an in-person interview with Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the PCD. It was an AMAZING experience. She is seriously as gorgeous in person as she is on tv. She's really nice and she's very genuine, yenno, down to earth.
Q: So how has your tour been going so far?
A: The Britney tour has been amazing...amazing. We’ve been with her for about a month now and it’s been a lot of fun being back in the US and in Canada.
Q: What is it like being on Tour with Britney? Are you a fan?
A: Yeah, I’m a fan. I know the girls are really big fans of Britney Spears and I think it’s kind of unreal to be on tour with her because you know you grow up and you watch Britney and she’s such a huge pop icon and all the songs and albums and the music that she’s had. Just to know that you are on the biggest, probably the biggest tour this year, a part of that. It’s just an honour, it’s really cool to be a part of that.
Q: How would you describe your live performance?
A: How would I describe the pussycat dolls live performance...I would describe it as a lot of fun and a lot of energy, a lot of stamina, just full out singing and dancing, rock and roll. It’s just uhh we love...one of the most important things for us as performers is to connect with the audience. We’re pretty fearless pussycat dolls on stage. I think that what makes us so different from other acts is not only do we dance but we sing...hardcore. So we’re pretty fearless on stage and we get everybody into it.
Q: What does it feel like to perform in front of thousands of people?
A: I love performing in front of thousands of people...it’s kind of crazy when you ask me I’m like wow do we perform in front of thousands of people? I love the energy. I feel like the more people out there, then the more people you feed off of and it’s just an unbelievable feeling when you get onstage and the music turns on and the lights turn on and you just become a whole other person and even though there’s like thousands of people out there, I look out and feel like I can connect with every single person.
Q: So how much input did you get in the studio while recording Doll Domination?
[How much, as a group, input did you and the girls have in terms of what was going on]
A: I helped to co executive produce the album myself. That was my role when i signed on to be a part of the group, not only to be the lead singer, but to have a huge part in the music as well. So I’ve been blessed to have a hand in writing, co-writing some of the songs, vocally producing some of the songs...So that’s probably my greatest role, is the music, and my contribution to doll domination. A lot of the songs on doll domination are from the workings of my solo project that i was working on before.
Q: Are there any songs in particular that you have a stronger connection to on this album?
A: Yeah, I really do. Happily Never After...I’m very close to that song, that originally came from my solo project. I feel like i lived that song. Ne-yo wrote that song and gave it to me and it’s about being in a relationship and thinking that it’s it and you’re going to live happily ever after but there is no happily ever after until you really realize yourself within your true happiness. Sometimes you find yourself in a relationship and that person doesn’t treat you right and you gotta be strong enough to move on and move forward without them, so I really love Happily Never After. I love I hate this part. I’m really emotionally connected to that song and I’m Done is very personal to me and one more song is...In Person...A lot of people don’t talk about that song, but I did that with timberland and its such a fun song and i remember i was listening to a lot of old tina turner, james brown at the time so i have a lot of influences of tina, james brown on that song.
Q: What’s the significance of the title Doll Domination? Does it ties into an overall theme at all?
A: I guess so, right? It does tie everything together because we’re these radical, fearless pussycat dolls and we’re just touring, we’re always touring non-stop and our music is all over the world and we’re just taking over with PCD love and our music. To be honest with you when we first started as a group , we went over to the UK and our fans kinda gave us the..we used to say “we are just trying to you know, inject pcd into every place that we go to” and out fans would be like “yeah it’s like doll domination!” and it was just fun and it stuck with us.
Q: In your opinion, how has your style or sound evolved over the years?
A: How has our style and sound evolved? I think our style is always evolving. I’m not the greatest person with the styling. We’ve got Robin Antin to help us with that and a wardrobe stylist to help to help us with that. We’re always trying to do the next newest thing whether its latex or you know, plaid, like you’re wearing right now, whatever we’re doing, it always looks like a rhinestone monster threw up on us...that’s cool but as far as the sound, I think our sound has definitely evolved since out last album. Myself, I know, always trying to work harder for the group, as a vocalist. And just the depth of our music i feel like doll domination has more emotion and more substance and goes deeper than pcd the first album. But overall, i think it’s pretty much, I think it’s good quality pop music.
Q: What legacy do you want to leave behind in the music industry?
A: Wow I haven’t even begun I feel like in the music industry. It’s been a blessing to be in the pussycat dolls and a dream but my ultimate dream is to do my own music and put that out one day and I think the legacy in the end I will want my music to have really taken people to a higher place and really helped people out in some way. Whether it’s through laughing or giving them self confidence or maybe helping them get through a relationship or something that’s going on personally within themselves. But my music is more spiritual and soulful.
Q: So what do you think it takes to achieve longevity in this business?
A: Wow, what do I ...wow you’re asking really great questions... What do I think it takes to achieve longevity in this business...a really smart person, meaning you just got to be smart with timing, timing of things. Know when to put music out, when to not put music out, what kind of music to do... to always be evolving as an artist, that’s why people like Madonna. Even beyonce is becoming her own legend like people are always changing up their styles and their music and never stop growing and that’s what I intend to do. I intend to put out music that will just always continue to keep people guessing.
Q: How does it feel to know that you are role models to so many girls out there?
A: Wow, it’s pretty unbelievable to think that the Pussycat Dolls are role models to so many girls out there. But I’m proud of myself and the girls because we try to lead by example by the way that we live. And we’ve got really good morals, really good family backgrounds and they stay close to us. We stay pretty grounded and try to stay out of all the hype and the stuff that’s not real, you know. And we’re really, we are just really good girls that don’t get into the mess of like drugs or drinking or any of that too much partying and all that stuff. You know, so, just try to lead by example because that’s really who we are and it’s cool to be that way and it’s the most important. The message in our music is to just really love yourself and get to know who you are individually and be proud of that and be fearless.
Q: So what advice do you have for teens who dream of making it in the music industry?
A: Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it...Teens who wanna make it in the music industry, just make sure that’s what you want to do, you’re in it for the right reasons. You know, I don’t think people who set out to be in it for the fame and stuff, you might not get what you want in the end, you might not be happy. But if it’s because you have a certain talent and the passion and the drive and a goal, then never give up. That’s what Nelson Mandala always says: Never give up. And follow your heart and stay true to yourself, just be you, don’t try to jeopardize or compromise yourself or anyone else in this business.
Q: So this June will be the 10th anniversary for YOUTHINK Magazine, so on that note, we’d love to know what your favourite album was over the past decade.
A: Oh my gosh, my favourite album...what’s your favourite album? Maybe you can help me out...I gotta ask what everybody’s favourite album was because I hate when I have to...it’s so hard. That was created in the last decade? Hmm what’s yours? There have been some pretty great albums made. You can’t say like Thriller or something because that wasn’t made in the past decade...and you can’t say like the Beatles or...What’s a good album that was made?
(this part was more of a conversation so its kinda weird to write it lol)
Q: What kind of music were you into?
I used to...I don’t even know if it was 10 years, i think it’s past 10 years...I loved OK Computer.
I think Robin Thicke’s Evolution is a pretty good album too...I don’t know. There’s so many good ones. Oh wow this is such a good question. I would have said like the Legend but Bob Marley was definitely not in the past decade.
Feist! That’s a dope album...I was just listening to Feist yesterday and she’s Canadian and I’ve seen her in concert a few times. It’s not 1234, it’s the other album. Let It die, yeah that’s what it is Let It Die, that’s the dope one.
My article is in the latest issue of YOUTHINK right now! go get it! :)
Here's the article!
