Biography

The Pussycat Dolls (sometimes abbreviated to PCD) is an American pop girl group and dance ensemble founded by choreographer Robin Antin. The group was originated during 1995 as a burlesque troupe based in Los Angeles, California. After attracting national attention, Antin eventually negotiated a record deal with A&M Records and Interscope Records in 2003, and the troupe was transformed into a music group. Following further personnel changes, by 2005 the group was composed of lead singer Nicole Scherzinger alongside Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt and Carmit Bachar. Subsequently the group also diversified into reality television programs, a Las Vegas act, merchandising and other ventures overseen by Antin, Interscope, and their partners.

The Pussycat Dolls achieved worldwide success in 2005 with their album PCD, which debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard 200 Chart and produced the successful singles "Don't Cha", "Buttons", and "Stickwitu"; a song that earned the group a Grammy Award nomination. Following the departure of Carmit Bachar in March 2008, the group continued as a quintet and during 2008 released their second studio album, Doll Domination, which included the successes "When I Grow Up", "I Hate This Part" and "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)". Throughout their rise to fame, the group has been criticized for its overtly sexual image and explicit dance routines and for the over-emphasis on lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, who sings nearly all of the group's lead and background vocals.

Robin Antin began exploring the idea of a modern burlesque troupe during 1990 with her friend Christina Applegate. The dance troupe's first performance was in 1995. During this period, they performed with numerous guest vocalists, with a repertoire of 1950s and 1960s popular music standards while dressed in lingerie or old-fashioned pin-up costumes. They secured a Thursday night residency at a Los Angeles nightclub, The Viper Room, where they stayed from 1995 to 2001. The troupe received wider press coverage during June 1999, when Playboy featured a Pussycat Dolls pictorial, featuring at least seven contemporary members. Three years later, the Dolls moved to The Roxy. The group became internationally popular and was featured in magazines, television specials for MTV and VH1, ad campaigns, and movies. Some of the Pussycat Dolls appeared in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, dancing to "The Pink Panther Theme". They were also featured in Pink's "Trouble" music video. Along with Christina Applegate, Christina Aguilera and Carmen Electra (who was the group's lead performer for many of their shows) the troupe was featured in a Maxim shoot in 2002, which increased public interest in them. Following this wider popularity, and with the involvement of music producers Jimmy Iovine and Ron Fair, the Pussycat Dolls were transformed into a popular music recording group, and became employees of Iovine's label Interscope Records. The only troupe members who remained after the re-casting process were Carmit Bachar, Cyia Batten, Kasey Campbell, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt. The main vocalists of the current recording group, lead singer Nicole Scherzinger and soprano Melody Thornton, were cast later in 2003 to complete the transition into a popular music group. Electra, when asked about her lack of involvement with the group's evolution into a popular music group, said: "I was part of the Dolls for over two years and did every show with them... but financially, I couldn't become part of their new music project... It was a sacrifice I couldn't make." She later made a cameo appearance in the music video for "Don't Cha". During late 2003, Electra formed another burlesque troupe called The Bombshell Babies, which included ex-Dolls Staci Flood and Nadine Ellis, and later adding ex-Doll Kasey Campbell.

In parallel with Pussycat Dolls as a recording act, during April 2005 a resident live show commenced at the "Pussycat Dolls Lounge" adjacent to Pure Nightclub in Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. This show contains "cast members" who continue the burlesque-style show which began in Los Angeles during 1995. At least one early member of the L.A. dance troupe, Rachel Sterling, made the move to the Las Vegas show. The cast includes vocalist Jamie Preston, Hayley, Amanda Nowak, Colby, and Alicia Former dolls include Mallory, Jen, Loreli, Victoria, Rosa, Marcea, Rita, Jessica Lea,Rachel Sterling, Laura Diane, Laurel, Cindy, Ashley Gates, Bridgy, and Jamie Ruiz from Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious among others. The venue is operated by Pure Management Group. Robin Antin has some involvement, but it is unclear whether Interscope also has a financial interest. The Pussycat Dolls recording group have made occasional appearances. During February 2007, Caesars Palace opened the Pussycat Dolls Casino across from the Pussycat Dolls Lounge. It features "Dolls-style" decor and attire for the gaming staff, waitresses and dancers.

The Dolls returned to Los Angeles and the Viper Room from November 2008 for regular Friday and Saturday nights performances billed as the "Pussycat Dolls Lounge". The shows feature former reality series performers Chelsea Korka and Jamie Ruiz. On Tuesday, May 19 in Livermore, California, the Pussycat Dolls performed a 3 song acoustic set for RJ Delo Santos at Campo De Bocci. This was the first of many concerts for RJ who is dying from a brain tumor.

During 2003, Nicole Scherzinger, a former member of Popstars winners Eden's Crush, became the group's lead singer. In the same year, soprano vocalist Melody Thornton was also recruited in order to add vocal strength to the group. The Pussycat Dolls' musical line-up consisted of Scherzinger, Thornton, Carmit Bachar, Kimberly Wyatt, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kaya Jones (Kaya later left the group after recording and appearing in the "Sway" music video). By the time the recording group was launched, their stage costumes were developed to bear various branding and "PCD" logos, which preceded the sales of a branded clothing range and other merchandise (via websites and at performances). Their repertoire was expanded to include new Popular/Rhythm&Blues songs, with producers and guest rappers, while still retaining some of the popular standards from their earlier format. They appeared in two soundtracks during 2004, for the films Shark Tale and Shall We Dance?. The newly formed recording group's first single was "Sway" from Shall We Dance?, with a music video inspired by the movie.

On September 13, 2005, they released their debut album, PCD, debuting at number five on the Billboard 200. Their first single, "Don't Cha" was a success, reaching number one in multiple countries including UK, Australia and Canada and scored a maximum of number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was originally a cover of the Tori Alamaze single featuring rapper Busta Rhymes. The group won a Billboard Music Award for "Don't Cha" (Ralphi Rosario mix) as Hot Dance Music/Club Play Single of the Year.

The album produced six more singles. The ballad "Stickwitu" was another top five in the U.S., selling over three million digital downloads and CDs worldwide. The song was the group's second UK number 1 success. It was later nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group. Their third single, "Beep", which featured rapper will.i.am, did not perform as successfully as the previous two singles but still scored number one internationally. A subsequent single, "Buttons" (with rapper Snoop Dogg) scored number three on the UK Singles Chart; the next single, "I Don't Need a Man" was not as successful, although it scored the top 10 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and UK. The group's sixth single from the album was "Wait a Minute" featuring Timbaland released in the U.S. in August 2006, becoming a top 40 success worldwide.

During 2006, San Francisco-based company Doppelganger (along with Interscope Records) launched the PCD Music Lounge, an interactive website. In late 2006, the Pussycat Dolls were also featured in a commercial for Cingular Wireless along with Ludacris and Korn. The group was selected to perform for the introduction for ABC's coverage of the NBA. During 2007, a version of "Right Now" was used as a theme song for the NBA, though the lyrics had been altered.

An official megamix of all the singles from PCD has been released.

On March 8, 2008, Carmit Bachar left the group, confirming earlier rumors that had spread the news, by posting a weblog on the group's official website. The Pussycat Dolls are said to be continuing as a five-piece. They performed for US troops in Kuwait for Operation Myspace. They sang all of their singles. In the absence of Bachar, her vocal parts are now performed mostly by Jessica Sutta.

The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, with 79,000 copies sold in its first week, one notch higher than their first album PCD, which debuted and peaked at number five, and sold 99,000 copies in its first-week sales, despite the fact that Alex Vitoulis, ACPM of the magazine, stated he was greatly disappointed by the overall quality of the record. In its second week, the album dropped to number 17, and in its third week, it sat at number 30. It spent an astonishingly short seven weeks in the top 100, compared with their debut album which spent almost a year there, but in the week of January 10 2009, it re-entered the top 100 at number one hundred.

As the album began gaining recognition throughout the United States and Europe the Dolls began their World Domination Tour in Aberdeen, Scotland on January 18, 2009. After two months on the road they later returned to the United States to participate as the opening act for Britney Spears' The Circus: Starring Britney Spears Tour. On May 5, Girlicious opened the last "Circus" show in Canada instead of the Dolls. Then, after filming the video for their single Hush Hush; Hush Hush, the Pussycat Dolls proceeded with their European/Australian tour on May 16, 2009.

After a brief break (during which Scherzinger released solo singles, and The Dolls reality TV series) the group returned to the Music scene on May 27, 2008 with the new single "When I Grow Up". The song was performed live for the first time on May 20, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and again at the MTV Movie Awards on June 1. The song scored at number nine on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play. The song charted at number six on the European Singles Chart, and number 2 in the UK. The video for this single won the Dolls a Video Music Award for Best Dancing in a Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.

The album spawned 5 other singles including the urban pop themed "Whatcha Think About That", worldwide top 20 hit "I Hate This Part", number one club song "Bottle Pop", worldwide number 1 "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)", and Euro-influenced top 20 international hit "Hush Hush; Hush Hush".

See main article: Doll Domination 2.0 for track listings. Also see singles chronology: Doll Domination Era Singles

Scherzinger confirmed to Billboard Magazine that The Dolls would be re-releasing their current album to give people the chance to get a new spin of their music. In Europe the album was repackaged to include all of the original songs plus 3-4 of the new recordings.

In preparation for the release a host of new songs were recorded: "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)", "Top of the World" and "Painted Windows". In addition to this "Hush Hush" was remixed into an up-tempo version (now titled "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" it was first performed by Scherzinger on the World Domination Tour) and "Takin' Over the World" was remixed for a German TV promotion called We Love To Entertain You. The re-release will feature songs from the original album plus some of the new songs, exact track listings vary by region.

In Australia a compilation called Doll Domination 2.0 was released with 6 songs from the original version plus four new songs. The Dolls went on to release Doll Domination: The Mini Collection exclusively in the UK on 27 April 2009. It is a compilation of songs from the revised edition of the original album.