Nicole Scherzinger: Embracing Her Asian Heritage and Making an Impact in the Entertainment Industry

Nathan Chen
4 min readMar 8, 2023

Nicole Scherzinger is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, a popular girl group that dominated the music scene in the early 2000s. However, what many people may not know about Scherzinger is that she has a rich and diverse heritage, with her father being of Filipino descent and her mother of Hawaiian, Ukrainian and Russian descent. In this article, we will delve deeper into Nicole Scherzinger’s Asian heritage and explore how it has influenced her life and career.

Early Life and Family Background

Nicole Scherzinger was born on June 29, 1978, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father, Alfonso Valiente, is a Filipino, and her mother, Rosemary Elikolani, is of Hawaiian, Ukrainian and Russian ancestry. Scherzinger’s parents met while her father was stationed in Hawaii with the US Army. The family later moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where Scherzinger grew up.

Growing up, Scherzinger was exposed to both her Filipino and Hawaiian heritage. Her father taught her traditional Filipino dances, and she often visited her grandmother in the Philippines. She also learned to play the ukulele, a traditional Hawaiian instrument, from…

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Nathan Chen

I'm Nathan Chen, a queer Asian writer advocating for LGBTQ+ issues, Asian representation, work life & mental health. Let's explore life's complexities together!