The Pussycat Dolls Artistfacts

2003–2010, 2019–2022
Nicole ScherzingerLead vocals
Carmit Bachar1995–2008, 2019–2022
Ashley Roberts
Jessica Sutta
Melody Thornton2003–2010
Kimberly Wyatt2003–2010, 2019–2022
The Pussycat Dolls were formed as a dance troupe in 1995 by the choreographer Robin Antin, who had a lot of connections in Los Angeles. She got them a residency at the Hollywood hot spot the Viper Room, which attracted lots of celebrities and earned them plenty of attention. There were many different "Dolls" around this time, but when Antin got them a record deal in 2003, they held auditions and created a new group with a permanent lineup.
There was no nudity in their show, but Playboy did a story on them anyway in 1999. They didn't take it all off for the magazine, per their policy.
Members of the dance troupe-era Pussycat Dolls appear in the 2003 movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in a scene where they do a striptease (as part of the mission, of course) with the films stars: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu.
Many celebrities joined the Dolls on stage when they were a dance troupe (Christina Applegate, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Pamela Anderson among them), but Baywatch actress Carmen Electra was a regular performer with them in the early '00s.
They released just two albums. Their first, PCD in 2005, got lots of hype and led to a world tour the following year. During this time, their management extended their brand with a Dolls-themed nightclub and loads of merchandising. There was also a reality show called The Search For The Next Doll, Girlicious, where Robin Antin put together another girl group. It led to Pussycat Dolls fatigue; their second album, Doll Domination, was released in 2008 and didn't do nearly as well. They broke up two years later.
The group was very much centered on Nicole Scherzinger, which caused friction in the group and led to their breakup in 2010. Scherzinger spilled the tea in a VH1 documentary on the group. "I was the one singing," she said. "I'll never forget I finished the album PCD and [producer] Ron [Fair] and I brought the girls into the studio and we played it for them, and it was the first time they'd ever heard the music. Do you understand what I'm saying? We played the album for the Pussycat Dolls. It was the first time they'd ever heard the songs."
Sir Mix-A-Lot gets some juicy royalties from "Baby Got Back," but he also earns from "Don't Cha," The Pussycat Dolls' biggest song, because it interpolates his 1988 track "Swass."
They reunited in 2019 with a performance on The X Factor UK. They performed a few times in 2020 and had a tour planned, but it was postponed due to COVID and ultimately cancelled. In 2021 the group's founder, Robin Antin, sued Scherzinger, who sued her back. They reached a confidential settlement in 2024.
The Pussycat Dolls had wide global appeal. They were particularly popular in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Nicole Scherzinger had previous girl group experience: She was in a group called Eden's Crush, who had a hit with "Get Over Yourself," from 2001-2002. That group was a lot more egalitarian, and Nicole was happy to stay in the background. "It's more comfortable for me to sing in front of the camera instead of speak most of the time," she said at the time.
Their songs were written by seasoned pros like Ne-Yo, Kara DioGuardi and Diane Warren. The only Doll to contribute to the process was Nicole Scherzinger, who has writing credits on a few of their songs.
In April 2005, before they released their first album, Robin Antin opened the Pussycat Dolls Lounge inside the Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Busta Rhymes made an appearance to perform on "Don't Cha." The lounge closed in 2010.
Scherzinger released two solo albums after the group disbanded in 2014, but she's most famous as a stage actress and competition show panelist. She's been a popular judge on The Masked Singer and The X Factor UK, and in 2025 she won a Tony Award for her role as Norma Desmond in the broadway production of Sunset Boulevard.

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