The Pussycat Dolls began as an all-female burlesque group created by choreographer Robin Antin in 1993. Their first live performance took place at the Viper Room in Los Angeles in 1995. Carmen Electra was one of the lead dancers. The Pussycat Dolls' stage act has always followed the classic tradition of burlesque, a sexual performance that focuses on tease, humor and innuendo instead of raunchy sex and bare flesh.
Through the years the Pussycat Dolls have featured guest appearances by a wide range of celebrities. Britney Spears once joined the Pussycat Dolls in a performance for her brother Bryan's birthday, and Pink included the Pussycat Dolls in her video for the song "Trouble." Other "guest" Dolls through the years have included Gwen Stefani, Christina Applegate, Charlize Theron and the "angels" in the movie Charlie's Angels : Full Throttle.
In late 2003 Robin Antin decided to start from scratch and conducted open auditions to create a new troupe of Pussycat Dolls that would ultimately be part of a musical project. Nicole Scherzinger (aka Kea), formerly of the band Eden's Crush, winners of Popstars, an American Idol precursor, became the group's lead vocalist. Music business veteran Jimmy Iovine was brought in as an executive producer alongside Antin and A&M Records president Ron Fair.
In April 2005 the Pussycat Dolls Lounge at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas was opened as a permanent venue for the Pussycat Dolls stage act. Later in the month the group's first single "Don't Cha" was released to radio and retail. It included a guest performance from rap star Busta Rhymes. The single reached #1 on the pop singles chart in late July.
The Pussycat Dolls proved they were not a one-hit wonder when the single "Stickwitu" became the group's second #1 hit single in the U.K. and made its way to #2 on the U.S. pop singles chart.
The experiment of turning a burlesque dancing troupe into a pop music act was phenomenally successful with the Pussycat Dolls. Check out reviews of their music below.
- September 2005 - PCD - #5 Album
- September 2005 - "Stickwitu" - #2 Pop
- January 2006 - "Beep" - #8 Pop
- May 2006 - "Buttons" - #2 Pop
- July 2008 - "When I Grow Up" - #5 Pop
Following 2 more top 10 smashes with "Buttons" and "Beep," 2007 was a quiet year for the Pussycat Dolls as lead doll Nicole Scherzinger pursued solo work. In March 2008 it was announced that Carmit Bachar would leave the Pussycat Dolls and they would continue as a 5-piece group.
In July 2008 a new Pussycat Dolls single "When I Grow Up" was released and quickly landed in the pop top 5. A second album Doll Domination is due in stores in late September 2008. It is slated to include production work from Timbaland, Ryan Tedder, and Darkchild, among others.
