Pussycat Dolls are primed to go global

When Nicole Scherzinger released her first solo single late last year, it seemed that the song might signal an end to her role as lead singer with the Pussycat Dolls.

The single, Baby Love, was a Top 20 hit in Britain.

An exuberant Nicole then performed it with rapper Will.i.am at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany - an event at which she also met her now boyfriend, British racing driver Lewis Hamilton, for the first time.

Growing up: The Pussycat Dolls (from left) Melody, Kimberly, Nicole, Jessica and Ashley are primed to go global

But while a promising solo career seemed to be on the cards for the Hawaiian-born Scherzinger, the prospect of leaving her day-job ultimately didn't appeal to the 30-year-old frontwoman.

'I had a big decision to make,' she says. 'I'd finished my solo album and I had to choose between putting that out or concentrating on a new Pussycat Dolls record.

'In the end, I decided it was too early for a solo project.

The music industry can be very fickle, and it seemed more important to solidify what I was doing within the group.'

Nicole and the Dolls perform at the Conde Nast 'Fashion Rocks' pre-party at Mansion yesterday

As she sits beside her four feisty bandmates in a London hotel, it is easy to see why Nicole decided to stay put.

The Los Angeles group were originally set up as a burlesque song-and-dance ensemble by actress and choreographer Robin Antin, but they display all the good-natured camaraderie of a hard-gigging rock band.

They stress that they are a 'sisterhood', and listening to them chatter enthusiastically, often finishing sentences for one another, it's hard to argue.

But while they are famous for their revealing stage costumes and over-the-top dance routines, they are keen to emphasise the importance of their music and a forthcoming album, Doll Domination, that is an infectious hybrid of pop melody and booty-shaking R&B.

Vamped up: Nicole puts in a sexy performance

We sing songs with an urban twist,' says 23-year-old Melody Thornton, the youngest Doll, between sips of a soft drink.

'It's got an edge, it's got the funk. Urban music is the modern-day pop, especially in the States, and we embrace it on that level. It's left-of-centre pop.'

'Having already made one album, we knew what to expect this time,' adds red-haired Jessica Sutta, 26.

'We knew what we were doing, and we're very loyal to each other.'

As with the group's debut, 2005's PCD, Doll Domination is a precursor to a tour that will see the girls take their high-octane live show around the world.

The ambitious Nicole talks openly of establishing the Pussycat Dolls as a global 'brand', though she adds that the quintet, who have been criticised for their sexy routines, are mindful of their responsibilities as role models to an audience of mainly young, impressionable teenage girls.

The girls strike a pose for the camera

I'm from a conservative background, and I think it's important to be aware of the messages that we're putting out,' she says.

'Some people say the music industry encourages young people to drink or have sex, but that's not what we're promoting. We try to do things with integrity.

'I don't like to use the word raunchy. What we do is more stylised. It's all about putting on a performance.

'I don't think the way we dress is any different to how Beyonce dresses. I always say: "Keep it sassy, but keep it classy."'

Blonde, bubbly Kimberly Wyatt, 26, who trained with the Joffrey Ballet in New York, is even more animated on the topic of the group's live show.

Ashley, Jessica, Nicole and Kimberly perform on the NBC 'Today' television show in New York's Rockefeller Plaza

'I get upset at the way some people talk about us,' she says indignantly. 'They dismiss us as if we're strippers, but we're not like that at all.

'I've trained for this all my life. I did tap-dancing, jazz and ballet.

'But at the end of the day, people just want to put you in some sort of box.

'With us, that box is always marked "raunchy". But the most important thing to me is that I am honest and feel good about myself.

'If people insist on calling me raunchy, well, then maybe I am raunchy. But I'm comfortable with who I am and how I present myself.'

Puppy love: Jessica walks her dog Starr in Manhattan

One fan with no concerns as to how the Dolls present themselves is Lewis Hamilton.

Nicole's boyfriend since February, he often travels with her on promo trips, while Scherzinger has also been spotted watching her beau burn rubber on the world's Formula 1 tracks.

'The attention we get isn't important to me,' she says. 'As long as my boyfriend and I are happy, that's all I care about, and we're truly happy.

'It's hard to have a relationship in this industry, so we're taking things one step at a time and living moment to moment.

As long as the other girls are OK about it, I hope he'll come on the road with us when we tour.'

'There's always room for him on the tour bus,' adds Melody supportively (one presumes that she doesn't mean as the driver).

'He's very sweet and a good person.'

The Pussycat Dolls have changed dramatically since emerging as a Hollywood cabaret act.

Originally a troupe of up to 30 girls, they performed burlesque dance routines to Fifties and Sixties pop hits, before eventually hitting the big time at Johnny Depp's infamous club the Viper Room.

'The atmosphere at those early shows was amazing,' recalls Ashley Roberts, 26.

'There were queues stretching onto Sunset Boulevard. Everyone wanted to see the show.'

'It was really hectic,' adds Jessica.

'We'd rush offstage and change out of our corsets in this tiny little corner and then go back out again. We were bumping into each other all the time.'

In 2001, the group reinvented themselves as a vocal act. With most of the original dancers departing, Nicole and Melody, the two strongest singers, were recruited from outside to bolster the group's musical credentials.

'I was intimidated at first, because the girls were all so beautiful,' remembers Nicole.

'I had to get into character. I'm quite a reserved person, but I had done a lot of musical theatre.

'One of the roles I'd played was Velma Kelly in the musical Chicago, so I homed in on that.'

'The transition was difficult,' adds Jessica.
'When I started, there were 30 girls in the group; now there are five.

The girls arrive at the 2007 Meteor Music Awards at Dublin's Point Theatre

'Dancers aren't always the nicest people to be around, and I almost quit a couple of times. But I loved the group so much I saw it through. I know I made the right choice.'

'The group is all about having confidence in yourself and connecting with an audience,' adds Ashley.

'But that confidence doesn't come from trying to be hot onstage. That's not a factor in what we do.

'If we're sexy, then we're lucky, but that's not what we get up there for.'