Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 6, 1 June 2009 — NICOLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
NICOLE
■ sizzles on stage as the front woman for the Pussycat i Dolls, but it was advice from a surfing lesson that helped her keep eool in her ascent from slippahs to stardom.
"I got all buss up from the reef," she said, recalling a surfing lesson at Keaulana's in Nānākuli, O'ahu. "And my unele said, 'Never fight the oeean.' " She keeps his advice close to her heart, and it helps her to stay afloat in the rough waters of show biz. On stage, Scherzinger is a star, but off stage, she's a sistah from Wai'anae, O'ahu, who embraces her Hawaiian heritage. And with her
lew solo alhum in the works, she's looking to bring her island background into the studio. "For me, it's important to show my Hawaiian heritage through my work and how I carry myself in my life," she S said. "It's a very hard business that I've chosen, but I've managed to do it all while remaining grounded to where I eome from and my family. I'm grateful every day to God and my family that I ean keep the aloha spirit through it all. I've grown a thicker skin, but my heart is always true." N Scherzinger has been in the puhlie eye since she first belted out Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" ^ in an audition for the reality show Popstars in 2001. That audition earned her a spot in the girl group Eden's L Crush, alongside fellow Hawaiian Maile Misajon. K After Eden's Crush disbanded, Scherzinger performed for a bit as Nieole Kea, adopting her family's name.
Her Dig song was a cover 01 rsreaKiast m rsea on tne sounatracK 01 w tirst uates. rt was an istana-styte remake, a genre she hopes to do more work in.
In 2003, Scherzinger joined the Pussycat Dolls and her fame skyrocketed. Scherzinger lived her early years in Honokai Hale on the west side of O'ahu. Her 'ohana followed her tūtūkāne's military career to Kentucky when she was just 4, and though you ean take the Hawaiian out of 5j Hawai'i, you can't take Hawai'i out of the Hawaiian. S|
J When my niom and her tanniy moved lrom Hawai'i, they still wanted to keep the roots going. So S they made a dance group, Sons and Daughters of Hawai'i," Scherzinger said. Her niom, uncles and aun- S ties - all 10 of them - toured Kentucky and Indiana with the music and dance of Hawai'i and Polynesia. S Mom - the lead dancer of the troupe - taught her some hula, but "as you ean imagine, there aren't too many S hālau in Kentucky." Music and dance were an integral part of Scherzinger's upbringing. "They wanted to keep the connection, and bring a pieee of aloha to people who wouldn't otherwise see it. I got my voice from tūtū. She has the voice of an angel," she said of her tūtūwahine, the lead singer of the group.
But there's more to Scherzinger's Hawaiian heritage than music and dance. "I don't know if many people know I'm Hawaiian, but hopefully that's how I represent," she said. "When people see me, they see something special about me. I don't know many artists that travel the world that ean say they're Hawaiian. I'm so proud to have that heritage, culture and music inside of me." * After the Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domi.nation tour wraps up - the final shows are in Europe after the e lune 13 Honolulu concert - Scherzinger is headed back to the studio for work on her solo alhum titled I Her Name Is Ni.eole. "1 can't wait till one day, when I go solo, I'll be able to have more Hawaiian influences in my music j and the whole world ean see," she said.
Some of her solo singles feature Hawauan influences. In "Puakemkem, she employs the Hawauan ] poetic tradition of using elements of nature to wax romantic. "Baby Love" opens with a soft slack-key S melody. And the music video for "Whatever U Like" featured her Hawaiian friends and a Sāmoan S artistic director and choreographer. S But even with a world of Hawaiian inHuenee in a studio in Los Angeles, it's nothing like home. i "There's no plaee like Hawai'i in the whole world," she said. "I've been all around the world, and 5 no plaee smells like Hawai'i. When I'm at home, I get back to what's important in life: family and S| God." S
All of her family is now back on O'ahu, up and down the Wai'anae Coast. With her success, S Scherzinger was able to buy a home for her niom in Mākaha, with the rest of the 'ohana nearby. S And although Scherzinger's house is in L.A., she comes home often. And what's the first thing she S
does upon arrival/ Why, grind, of course. S "When they eome to piek me up, my niom and aunties always have poke in the cooler from Tanio- ^ ka's, sushi and cuttlefish!" From there, it's on to Matsumoto Shave Iee and the rest of the food that we take 5 for granted in Hawai'i. "I love dried aku and poi, kālua pig and cabbage, lomi sahnon. ... I eome home and I S eat so mueh poi, mae salad and rice. ... I love my plate lunches!" S "I go out (to Hawai'i) every ehanee I get," Scherzinger said. "My family makes up such a huge part of me." S And when she comes home, the pop-star persona stays at the airport. "What my Hawaiian family has taught S me kept me really grounded, with good perspective. That's my strength," she said. The 'ohana yells for Cola, S Elikolani, Sistah or just plain Cuz - no high makamaka here. ^ "You should see me at Tamura's (Superette in Wai'anae) in my surf shorts and hikini, no makeup, pua keni- 5] keni in my ear," she said. "That's as big shot as I get at home. Everybody's like, "īhat's not me, ah?' " I 5
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Pussycat Dolls Doll Domination Tour 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1 3 Neal Blaisdell Arena Honolulu, O'ahu īhe Honolulu show preby Tickets are ean be the Box phone For
The Pussycat Dolls' first appearanee in Hawai'i will be a homecoming for leael singer Nieole Scherzinger, who will perform along with fellow dolls MelodyThornton, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt. "I can'twait to see myfamily and share what I do with them," Scherzingersaid. "I'm gonna make it a very special show. I'm very proud ^^^T^raT^^^^resent."
Nieole Scherzinger looking relaxed wearing Desanka at ū Hollywood event. - Photo: ion Kopoloff/FilmMogic
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