Pussycat Dolls

The "life story" of the Pussycat Dolls is really the story of a number of talented women. The group was founded by Robin Antin, a respected Hollywood choreographer who turned a lifelong passion for dance into a lucrative career. In 1993, the 32-year-old dancer got some girlfriends together, and within two years the collective began putting on burlesque shows in Los Angeles venues. Christina Applegate, an early "guest" Doll and former star of TV's Married... with Children, encouraged Antin to have the troupe perform at Johnny Depp's Viper Room in 1995. Depp was so impressed when he saw them rehearse that he asked the Dolls to perform there on a weekly basis. During the early years, Carmen Electra was the group's lead performer, and her presence gave the troupe a double dose of sex appeal and celebrity notoriety. But the host of other singers and dancers that formed part of the Pussycat Dolls over the years -- more than 25 of them -- were no less impressive. Throughout the mid- to late '90s, the Pussycat Dolls sold out a series of shows at the Roxy, served as the opening act at a Jane's Addiction concert and played the annual Elton John/InStyle Oscar party. It wasn't long before a whole bevy of celebrities wanted to suit up with the Pussycat Dolls and strut their stuff. "I get the most famous people coming up to me begging to know how they can appear with us," Carmen Electra revealed at the time. Among the troupe's guest performers during this period were Christina Aguilera, Charlize Theron, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, and Brittany Murphy. Big names like Dave Navarro, Marilyn Manson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Heather Graham, David Spade, Gene Simmons, and Hugh Hefner were all seen attending Pussycat Dolls shows. In 2003, Robin Antin decided to totally reinvent the Pussycat Dolls. She held open auditions to form a new troupe that would take the group into a different musical direction. The new Dolls were Nicole Scherzinger, a native of Honolulu who had become the lead singer of the band Eden's Crush after winning TV's Popstars: USA competition; Carmit Bachar, who had performed on tour with Beyonce, with Ricky Martin as his "La Vida Loca" girl and with Janet Jackson during her infamous Super Bowl halftime show; Melody Thornton; Kimberly Wyatt, Jessica Sutta; and finally, Ashley Roberts, who got her start dancing for Aaron Carter.

The group received a Grammy nomination on December 7, 2006, in the Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group category for their hit ballad "Stickwitu". Later that month, the group was selected to perform for the introduction for ABC's coverage of the NBA. In 2007, a version of "Right Now" was used as a theme song for the NBA, though the lyrics had been altered.

During 2005 and 2006, Scherzinger prepared her debut solo album Her Name Is Nicole. The album is due for release in November 2007. Her first solo single, "Whatever U Like", was released in July 2007. The song did not live up to any of the Pussycat Dolls' singles. A second single, "Baby Love", was rush releashed in September 2007.

Jessica Sutta and Ashley Roberts have also appeared on featured tracks from other artists, while Melody Thornton is also preparing her own solo album and releasing her first single around February 2008.

The Pussycat Dolls also toured North America as a support act for Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics Tour, along with Danity Kane. They also performed at the UK leg of Live Earth in Wembley Stadium, London.

In September 2007 reports emerged that the group is The Paradiso Girls featuring Chelsea Korka, three UK women, and one French woman.