Nicole Scherzinger Recalls ‘Overwhelming’ Pussycat Dolls Schedule That ‘Never Allowed Sleep’

The Pussycat Dolls parted ways in 2010, but singer Nicole Scherzinger hasn’t forgotten how grueling it was to be part of the group.

“So the Dolls, it was a profoundly overwhelming experience, right?” Scherzinger, 45, told the Sunday Times in an interview published on Thursday, June 27. “It was very difficult because I was really learning about myself along the way.”

Scherzinger was recruited by Robin Antin in 2003 alongside Kimberly Wyatt , Melody Thornton , Jessica Sutta , Ashley Roberts and Carmit Bachar to create the Pussycat Dolls. The group shot to superstardom when their debut album PCD spawned the mega-hit singles “Don’t Cha” and “Buttons.”

Despite being on cloud nine — and singing about it in 2008’s “Top of the World” — Scherzinger said it was a “difficult time” for everyone. Her memory of that period was all about “struggling and battling your own demons and issues and always being on the road."

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“They never allowed sleep in our schedule,” she added.

Scherzinger, who was the band’s lead singer , explained that the constant touring was “a recipe for disaster” and resulted in her “always [having] sleeping issues.”

The musician noted that the industry is “a lot different now” because there are “rules set in place.” When the Pussycat Dolls were at their peak that wasn’t the case.

“It was just kind of like, ‘Work them to the bone until they’re passed out,’” Scherzinger claimed.

Looking back, she also recalled feeling a sense of body dysmorphia which was heightened by the girls’ sexy costumes.

“It was difficult for me in the beginning because I didn’t feel comfortable in my skin,” Scherzinger confessed, clarifying that she “didn’t feel exploited at all” in the group “because I was in control of what I was doing.”

She explained that while she “didn’t love some of the clothes” the Dolls wore, she had a lot of creative control. “I wanted to look like Will.i.am and Gwen Stefani . So I got to wear clothes that I felt empowered in,” Scherzinger remembered. “And then the girls got to choose what they wanted too.”

While Scherzinger experienced ups and downs as a Doll, she reunited with the group in 2019 and confirmed they were embarking on The Pussycat Dolls Tour in 2020. The singers released “React” in February 2020 but had to postpone the tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Scherzinger announced in January 2022 that the tour was canceled . “I have invested a huge amount of time, creative energy and my own finances into bringing this project back to life,” she wrote via social media. “And while I’m naturally incredibly saddened by this decision, I am also very proud of what we achieved in the short amount of time we had together before COVID.”

The cancellation took the rest of the group by surprise. Bachar, 49, and Sutta, 42, claimed at the time that they were “incredibly disappointed” to “learn of an announcement made on Instagram that the Pussycat Dolls reunion tour is canceled.”

The duo revealed it was “not the outcome we had hoped for,” but thanked their fans for their continued support. “This tour may have come to an end, but it is not the end of the Dolls story. We created a sisterhood that will live on,” Bachar and Sutta concluded.

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Antin, 62, raised eyebrows with her own statement about the cancellation, insinuating that Scherzinger was to blame.

“We have been so excited to go out & connect with such incredible fans and give them what they truly deserve,” the founder wrote via social media in January 2022. “All of us have made personal & financial sacrifices, but that’s what it takes to be a team player in a ‘BAND.’”

Antin further alleged: “Let’s not forget there are 5 other members of this group who I care for deeply, who deserve to be heard. … There are truths to this situation, I just hope one day they see the light.”

Despite the controversy surrounding their reunion tour, Scherzinger said on Thursday that she still has love for her former bandmates.

“I’m really proud of the music that the Dolls made, and I’m very proud of the little mark that we made with our group,” she told the Sunday Times .