Nicole Scherzinger's Real Name: Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente

Quick answer: Nicole Scherzinger was born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente on June 29, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Scherzinger is the surname of her stepfather, who adopted her. She was raised in Louisville, Kentucky, became the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, and won a 2025 Tony Award as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. She once recorded as "Nicole Kea" (Library of Congress; AllMusic; Playbill).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files her as "Scherzinger, Nicole, 1978-," with the variants "Valiente, Nicole Prescovia Elikolani, 1978-" and "Kea, Nicole, 1978-." Its citation says she was "born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978, Honolulu, Hawaii." It adds that she made "a few promotional solo appearances under the stage name of Nicole Kea." TV Guide gives her birth name with the spelling "Prascovia," and both spellings appear in print. Digital Spy reports that she took her stepfather's surname after he adopted her.

AllMusic says she is of Hawaiian, Russian, and Filipino descent and moved to Louisville at six with her mother after her parents separated. TV Guide says she spent her early years in Hawaii watching her family perform Polynesian dances, with her mother as lead hula dancer. She decided to become a singer after receiving Whitney Houston's debut album at six. She attended a performing arts high school and studied theater arts, with a dance minor, at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Career highlights

AllMusic says she left college to sing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New. In 2001 she won a spot on the WB's Popstars as lead singer of Eden's Crush, whose single "Get Over Yourself" reached the Billboard Hot 100 top 10. As Nicole Kea she contributed "Breakfast in Bed" to the 50 First Dates soundtrack.

In 2003 she became lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, singing most of the vocals on PCD (2005). Doll Domination (2008) entered the U.S. and U.K. charts at No. 4, and "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" became an international hit. Her solo debut, Her Name Is Nicole, was shelved. She competed on season 10 of Dancing with the Stars in 2010 and judged The X Factor in the U.K. Her solo albums Killer Love (2011) and Big Fat Lie (2014) were released outside the U.S. She appeared in Men in Black 3 (2012).

Playbill reports that she won the 2025 Tony Award for best leading actress in a musical as Norma Desmond in the Broadway revival of Sunset Blvd.

Name notes for searchers

Valiente is her birth surname, and Scherzinger is her adoptive stepfather's. Prescovia (or Prascovia) and Elikolani are her middle names. "Nicole Kea" was an early solo alias.