Don’t cha ever wonder what happened to the members of The Pussycat Dolls?
They were the dance-ensemble-turned-girl-band created by famous choreographer, Robin Anton, and they were known for their slick choreography and catchy songs. In fact, they had some of the catchiest songs of the early noughties. Think, ‘Buttons’, ‘When I Grow Up’, and of course, ‘Don’t Cha’.
Everyone remembers the group’s lead, Nicole Scherzinger, but what became of her and the others after the group folded in 2010?
Nicole Scherzinger
We totally believe Nicole Scherzinger when the 44-year-old told The Guardian (in third person), “It takes a lot for Nicole Scherzinger to burn out.” Since The Pussycat Dolls disbanded in 2010 after five years on the charts, Nicole has worked as an X-Factor and Masked Singer judge, Broadway star, America’s Got Talent panelist and influencer.
In 2023, she’s returning to her roots. "To me, music is emotion," she told People. "Music is story. I just want to go back to my love of music, my love of singing, my love of telling stories through songs, connecting on a much deeper level through performance, having people transcend through these performances and be moved, inspired or changed in some way."
She debuted her comeback track ‘Freedom’ at Sydney’s World Pride event in May to resounding success. The song features lyrics like, "Please allow me to introduce myself/I'm not that little doll you knew/She paid her dues/Now she owns herself."
The words hold similar sentiments to what other members of The Pussycat Dolls have said about their time in the band, starting with Melody Thornton.
Melody Thornton
“I was just a back-up dancer. It was very painful for me. It was a big opportunity to show what I could do and I was never given that chance really,” Melody Thornton told The Sun while reflecting on her time in the girl group.
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The 38-year-old also made a bombshell confession: she never actually sang. “In order to carry on singing, people need to know that you can sing in the first place and that wasn't really the case for me in the group, so it was actually very painful.”
But Melody eventually found her pipes in 2022 when she competed in and won The Masked Singer Australia. So, she could sing after all? “I’m a phenomenal vocalist, you just never heard it with the Pussycat Dolls," she said.
Ashley Roberts
“Growing up, my idols were Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul and I was into pop — edgier stuff,” Ashley Roberts told You, in the midst of her comeback.
“What’s been awesome about my life is that it’s taken so many twists. That’s been challenging at times but it’s exciting too.”
One twist was the band folding, but like Nicole, reality TV became her bread and butter.
After leaving the band, in 2012 she competed on the British instalment of I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! She placed runner-up. Then she took a punt on Strictly Come Dancing and Saturday Night Takeaway. The UK has been a pool of abundance for Ashley, 41, who now appears in West End productions and hosts breakfast radio alongside Amanda Holden.
Kimberly Wyatt
Post-Pussycats, Kimberly Wyatt has lived a busy existence. “I’ve really been fortunate to continue working as an actress, still teaching dance classes, and still doing many things,” she told Buzz mid-pandemic. But it was the cancelled The Pussycat Dolls reunion tour in 2020 that was a real kick to the performer’s guts.
With no prospects of that tour resuming, Kimberly said her time in the entertainment industry has left her with a very thick skin, or “armour”, as she described it.
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“You’ve got to have a bit of a body of armour, and when things get tough, the tough gets going! You do have to pick yourself up and just keep at it and hope that things get better.”
Now based in the UK, between her acting jobs and festival gigs, the 41-year-old is busy raising her daughter, Willow, with hubby, Max Rogers.
Carmit Bachar
Before Carmit Bachar became a member of the Pussycat Dolls, she was a backup dancer for the likes of Beyonce, Michael Jackson, and Jennifer Lopez. She even danced alongside Janet Jackson during that infamous Superbowl Halftime Show.
Carmit quit the ensemble in 2008 in an attempt to go solo, but it took until 2017 for her to release her own music.
She still remembers her days in PCD as some of her favourites because of the songs. “We have some amazing hits that never get old,” she told Larry and Kylie on The Morning Show in 2022.
These days she’s married with a 12-year-old daughter, and still takes to the stage.
Jessica Sutta
Just like Melody, Jessica Sutta felt like a wallflower in PCD. “I basically felt like nothing more than a glorified back-up dancer after seven years with the group,” she told Life & Style in 2010.
The 41-year-old eventually packed her bags and left, just like Carmit. “I wasn't feeling like I was growing in the situation. It was something I had to do. Breaking my rib is what sent me over the edge.”
Unlike Carmit, she had success right off the bat, with her single ‘Show Me’ which reached number-one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart.
These days, she’s a mum-of-one and a “COVID vaccine-injured” advocate.
Image: Getty.