The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen.
The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a burlesque troupe. After attracting national attention, the group signed a record deal with Interscope Records, with the original line-up consisting of Nicole Scherzinger alongside Carmit Bachar, Melody Thornton, Jessica Sutta, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt. Their debut album, PCD debuted at number five in the United States and produced six successful singles, including "Don't Cha", "Buttons", and "Stickwitu", which earned the group a Grammy Award nomination.
Following the departure of Bachar in February 2008, the group continued as a quintet. They released their second album Doll Domination in the same year, which spawned singles "When I Grow Up", "I Hate This Part" and "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)".
In early 2010, it was confirmed that Scherzinger, Sutta, Wyatt, Roberts, and Thornton had left the group to focus on their solo careers. In 2011, it was announced the new line-up consisted of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen.
Antin began exploring the idea of a modern burlesque troupe during 1990 with Christina Applegate and Carla Kama. The dance troupe's first performance was in 1995. During this period which have seen many members in its evolving lineup since debuting in 1995, 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 Pussycat Dolls were also featured in the 1997 Morgan Higby Night directed film Matters of Consequence.
The troupe received wider press coverage during June 1999, when Playboy featured a Pussycat Dolls pictorial, featuring at least seven contemporary members posing semi-nude (Kasey Campbell, Kiva Dawson, Antonietta Macri, Erica Breckels, Katie Bergold, Erica Gudis and Lindsley Allen). Three years later, the Pussycat Dolls moved to The Roxy. They were 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 magazine shoot in 2002, which increased public interest in them.
During 2003, Scherzinger, a former member of Popstars winners Eden's Crush, became the recording group's lead singer. In the same year, vocalist Thornton and Jones were also recruited in order to add vocal strength to the group. The musical group's initial line-up consisted of Scherzinger, Thornton, Jones, Antin, Bachar, Batten, Campbell, Wyatt, Roberts, and Sutta. The group 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.
In 2004, Jones left the group after recording a few demo songs for the debut album, to pursue modeling and a solo musical career. In early 2005, just before the group's debut, Batten and Campbell left the group to pursue their solo dancing careers. Antin remained with the group as founder, manager and business associate to Interscope. By the time the recording group was launched the musical lineup was a sextet composed of Scherzinger, Bachar, Thornton, Sutta, Roberts and Wyatt.
On September 13, 2005, they released their debut album, PCD. The album combined several dance-pop songs with their burlesque style,while the second half of the album contain tributes and covers. Lead and backup vocals are by singer Nicole Scherzinger. The album peaked at number one in New Zealand, the top-five in Canada, the Netherlands and the United States, and top-ten in United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland. Worldwide, PCD has sold nine million copies.
Their first single, "Don't Cha" was a success, reaching number one in multiple countries including United Kingdom, Australia and Canada and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was originally sung by Tori Alamaze and featured rapper Busta Rhymes.
The ballad "Stickwitu" was another top five in the United States, and was their second number one in the United Kingdom. It was later nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group. "Beep", featuring will.i.am, was less successful but did reach number one in Belgium and New Zealand. "Buttons" (with rapper Snoop Dogg) scored number three on the UK Singles Chart and in the United States.
Their next single, "I Don't Need a Man" was not as successful, although it scored the top 10 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and United Kingdom. The group's sixth single from the album was "Wait a Minute" featuring Timbaland, becoming the groups top 40 success in the United States.
The group was selected to perform for the introduction for ABC's coverage of the NBA. The Pussycat Dolls first opened for The Black Eyed Peas Honda Civic Tour in North America. At the beginning of 2007 they toured in North America as a support act for Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics Tour, along with Danity Kane and NLT. In November 2006, the Pussycat Dolls embarked their PCD World Tour with Rihanna as the opening act in the UK leg. The Pussycat Dolls performed at the Manchester Evening News Arena in a concert that was recorded and later streamed via MSN Music.
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 Zelniker, Amanda Nowak, Colby Amanda and Alicia. Former dolls include Meredith, Jessica Lea, Rachel Sterling, Laurel, Laura Diane, Cindy, Ashley Gates, Bridget Nicole, Jennifer Affronti, Sheila Joy and Jamie Ruiz from Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.
In April 2006, The New York Times reported that Interscope executives were working to produce their own reality TV series, overseen by the producers of America's Next Top Model and McG, the director of the Charlie's Angels films. The show, entitled Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For the Next Doll would search for a new member for the recording group.
The new member would sing on the next album and tour with the group. The show premiered on The CW, on March 6, 2007, with music produced by Saverio Principini. It premiered in Australia and the UK on April 1. The season finale announced the winner of the show to be Asia Nitollano. It was announced in July that Asia Nitollano had "decided to pursue a solo career" instead.
On May 27, 2008, the Pussycat Dolls released "When I Grow Up", which reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play. The song topped several European charts and became a worldwide top ten hit. Follow-up single "Whatcha Think About That", a collaboration with Missy Elliott, failed to enter the US charts but managed to reach the top 20 in several other countries including the UK.
The group's second album, Doll Domination, was released on September 19, 2008. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, with 79,000 copies sold in its first week of release. A third single from the album, "I Hate This Part", was released in October 2008 and reached the top ten in the majority of the charts it appeared on. The album's fourth single "Bottle Pop" received a limited release in the US and Oceania during March 2009. The Pussycat Dolls on the Doll Domination Tour to support Doll Domination.
Lady Gaga opened for them in Europe and Australia, while Ne-Yo supported the Pussycat Dolls in the UK leg.In mid-2009 they opened for Britney Spears' tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears on the first leg in North America.
On January 29, 2010, Jessica Sutta revealed to E!Online that she had been ousted from the group, following a broken rib she sustained whilst on tour with the group. On February 26, Wyatt confirmed she was also leaving the group in Loaded magazine.
Upon her departure, she told the magazine: "I wish that it was different because I love what we do on stage. I love being a Doll, but as far as variables off-stage are concerned - I just couldn't do it anymore ... when I came out on stage, I knew what my job was and I did it to the best of my ability. I feel like I can relate to anybody in a corporate job – because it's just a job, nothing more!" One day later, Ashley Roberts announced her departure from the group via her website. She said: "Yes, I have left the Pussycat Dolls.. I love you all sooo much!!! I am so grateful to have the love and support of all of you. It was an amazing ride and I learned so much!" Wyatt would later go on to confirm that all of the members had left the group, including Thornton.
In late 2010, Scherzinger officially left the group to pursue a solo career.
n March 2011, Antin confirmed that she would be holding auditions to find new girls in order to replace the departed members of the group. On September 16, 2011, it was revealed that the new line-up will be formed on a reality series, which will see Kim Kardashian and Nigel Lythgoe as executive producers.
On October 29, an official image was released revealing the six new members of PCD. This confirmed the previously rumoured line-up leaked a few days before, consisting on Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. But furthermore Antin revealed that the new line-up for the recording group is not been officially chosen yet as she revealed that the new Pussycat Dolls may consists not like original 6, but could be 5.
Talking to Billboard.com on the red carpet at the American Music Awards Lauren Bennett confirmed herself as a part of the newly regrouped recording group. This makes her the first member of a brand new lineup that creator Robin Antin confirmed to Billboard was in the process of being built. "We're currently figuring out who's in the group and we're working on an album," Bennett says of the Pussycat Dolls.
