Nicole Scherzinger | |
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Nicole Scherzinger in 2007 |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger |
Born | June 29, 1978 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
Genres | Pop, R&B |
Occupations | Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, model |
Years active | 1999–present |
Labels | A&M, Interscope |
Associated acts | Pussycat Dolls, Eden's Crush, Akon, Rihanna, AR Rahman |
Website | www.nicolescherzingermusic.com |
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger[1] (born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and occasional actress who is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls.
Previously, Scherzinger was a backing vocalist for the late-1990s rock group Days of the New, then she was part of reality TV girl group Eden's Crush. After the disbandment of the group she joined the Pussycat Dolls and became the lead vocalist during the transition to a popular music group. So far, the Pussycat Dolls have released two albums, PCD and Doll Domination, with two supporting tours.[2] More recently, in early 2010, Scherzinger became the winner of the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars.
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Nicole Scherzinger was born on June 29, 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father, Alfonso Valiente is of Filipino descent, and her mother Rosemary is of Hawaiian and Russian descent.[3][4][5] In an interview Scherzinger said: "I’m Filipino-Russian-Hawaiian, but people think I’m from Pakistan".[4] Her mother Rosemary was eighteen at the time of Scherzinger's birth and lived in an inner city neighborhood.[6] Nicole's parents separated when she was still a baby. Her maternal family moved to Louisville, Kentucky when she was six years old,[7] with her sister Ke'ala and her German American stepfather Gary Scherzinger.[7]
In an interview with The Daily Mail Scherzinger explained that she had been brought up with a strict religious (Catholic) upbringing in Hawaii.[6] She first attended Meyzeek Middle School as an adolescent. Growing up, Scherzinger states that she didn't have a lot of money and the singer thanks her mom for all the support she gave her to become what she is today. Scherzinger began performing in Louisville, attending the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School and performing with Actors Theatre of Louisville.[7] As a teenager, Scherzinger was the first runner-up at the 1996 Kentucky State Fair's Coca-Cola Talent Classic contest.[7] Scherzinger majored in acting and musical theatre at Wright State University, where she played Velma Kelly in Chicago and Julie La Verne in Show Boat[8] but put her studies on hold in 1999 to sing backing vocals for the rock band Days of the New.[9]
Scherzinger appeared on the second album by Days of the New, released in 1999. She also recorded two songs with Barry Drake's F.O.B, which were released in 2001.
In 2001, Scherzinger competed in the premiere season of The WB's television show Popstars, on which she earned a spot in the all-girl pop group Eden's Crush. She became one of the main vocalists for the group. Their 2001 US single "Get Over Yourself (Goodbye)" peaked at number one in sales and hit the top ten on Billboard Hot 100.[10] They toured in support of both *NSync and Jessica Simpson.[11] "Love This Way" was the second single chosen from the Popstars album; however, their record company, London-Sire Records, folded and the group eventually disbanded. Songwriter Kara DioGuardi contributed one track to the album, and later went on to co-write with Scherzinger for PCD, Doll Domination and Her Name Is Nicole. In November 2007, Scherzinger spoke of her time in Eden's Crush:
It was hell. [...] I was in a band with five other girls and every day was torture for me. We were on TV all the time and the atmosphere was awful. [...] Every day I was in that band I cried my eyes out. The band was meant to be fun and frivolous but the reality was that it was miserable. [...] I was too sensitive back then, but I got toughened up. I couldn't have gone into the Dolls without my experience in Crush.[6]
After the disbanding of Eden's Crush, Scherzinger made a few promotional solo appearances under the stage name of Nicole Kea, including covering "Breakfast in Bed" for the soundtrack to 50 First Dates in 2003.[12] Scherzinger later worked with Yoshiki of Japanese rock band X Japan on his Violet UK project. She sang the English version of "I'll Be Your Love" live with the Tokyo Symphonic Orchestra. The track also appeared on the 2003 Various Artists album Exposition of Global Harmony.
In May 2003, Scherzinger joined the Pussycat Dolls burlesque troupe, who were being re-cast as recording artists. She had first seen them performing on The Late Show with David Letterman in November 2002, where Carmen Electra sang "Big Spender" from the Bob Fosse musical Sweet Charity. In 2006, Scherzinger said "It caught my eye because I’d played Velma Kelly in [Fosse's] Chicago in college."[8] In one interview she spoke of her role with the Pussycat dolls stating that it was a "challenge fronting the group" but that "every girl has something different to bring and add to the success".[13]
The Pussycat Dolls have worldwide status as a popular singing group, with "Don't Cha", "Buttons", "Stickwitu" and "When I Grow Up" as Top 10 hits in the United States. The album PCD went double-platinum in 2006. Scherzinger sang nearly all lead vocals on the album, with Carmit Bachar and Melody Thornton also contributing. It was revealed in 2006 that the Dolls are salaried employees of Interscope Records, giving the label a high level of control over the group's finances and business decisions.
Scherzinger is the only group member with songwriting credits on PCD; she co-wrote "I Don't Need a Man" with Kara DioGuardi and producer Rich Harrison, and co-wrote "Buttons" with producer Sean Garrett. Another collaboration with DioGuardi, "Flirt", became a bonus track on PCD and later became a B-side to "Buttons". As with PCD, Scherzinger is the only group member to have songwriting credits on the second Dolls' album Doll Domination.
Along with the Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger was asked by Ron Fair to record the English version of "Jai Ho", the hit song from the film Slumdog Millionaire. The new version titled "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" was released to iTunes on February 23, 2009, and elsewhere worldwide on February 24.[14] A video accompanying the song has been shot at a Vienna train station and was released worldwide on March 13, 2009.
The success of PCD brought Scherzinger into the media spotlight and she went on to record a series of duets/guest vocals with a wide array of male vocalists. In 2005, she appeared on recordings by Shaggy, Vittorio Grigolo and Will Smith. In 2006 she sang co-lead vocals with Avant on his single "Lie About Us" , and Diddy's hit "Come to Me" (which she also co-wrote). Other appearances are listed in discography. In the biography section of her official website she says that everyone recognises her from the Pussycat Dolls's debut single "Dont Cha" which although amazing doesn't fulfill her musical desires. When asked what she intended to achieve with her solo career she commented "Some people only have their glasses half full, but there was never a limit to mine."[15] The purpose of the album was to appeal to younger audiences, show them "the heart of Nicole" and show that she is "not always strong and fearless".[13]
In April 2008, Scherzinger recorded a cover version of "Rio" by Duran Duran for an advertising campaign for Unilever's Caress brand of body wash. A commercial video was released, and the single was released via download only, after May 2008.[16] In 2008, in support of Barack Obama, she was one of many musicians to contribute to a track by will.i.am called "Yes We Can".[17] Also on September 5, 2008, Scherzinger joined an all-star cast to perform the charity song "Just Stand Up" on live TV.[18] Scherzinger performed "America the Beautiful" at WWE's WrestleMania XXV in Houston, Texas at the Reliant Stadium on April 5, 2009.[19] Nicole Scherzinger performed with guitarist Slash on October 2 in Las Vegas.[20] Scherzinger confirmed that she has done one song with Slash for his solo album Slash to be released in April 2010.[21] In February 1, 2010 along with other artists Scherzinger had re-recorded "We are the World", a charity single for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[22] The song debuted during NBC's coverage of the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.[23] It was released as a single on iTunes in February 12, 2010 accompanied by the music video.[24]
From 2006 until late 2008 Scherzinger had been working on her debut album which was titled Her Name Is Nicole. She recorded/wrote about 75-100 songs for the album which was supposed to be released in 2007 before being pushed to October 16, 2008 and later into 2009 before being shelved.[25][26] She told MTV "I've always said that in the Pussycat Dolls, I kind of feel like Superwoman. But that's just one of my alter egos. I've got the vulnerable, lovesick side of me amongst others which all appear on my record."[27]
The album saw Scherzinger work with a wide roster of producers and song writers some of whom had worked with Scherzinger for albums with the Pussycat Dolls. Sean Garrett and Polow da Don worked on "Whatever U Like" (featuring T.I.) which was released as the album's lead single[28] on July 24, 2007 but deemed unsuccessful reaching just 57 in Canada. "Baby Love" was the second single released on September 10, 2007. Although well received and compared to the Pussycat Dolls' song "Stickwitu"[28] the track did not chart well in the United States. Internationally the single fared well reaching Top 15 in most countries including the UK, and mainland Europe. It was remixed to be included on Doll Domination as a bonus track. The third single "Supervillain" was described as having a "danceable jam with a catchy chorus" and featured a reggae–dancehall interlude. Written by Rock City and produced by Mad Scientist it was only released to US iTunes in November 2007. The song's synthy melodies and disco-motown feel with Scherzinger's 5-octave range were not enough to chart in the US.[15] Fourth single "Puakenikeni" (a type of flower in Hawaii) also released to iTunes in November was produced by Akon to as a tribute to Scherzinger's heritage[15] but failed to chart.
Other songs included the critically acclaimed "Just Say Yes", written by Gary Lightbody (of Snow Patrol) which was a soft and slow song with its pulsing, electronic beat.[28] She told MTV of her excitement to record the song previously rejected by Gwen Stefani. "I'm such a huge fan of Snow Patrol's music, I felt like I was supposed to make it my own. "It's a very honest and truthful song."[27] Ne-Yo gave Scherzinger two songs, "Happily Never After" a slow ballad of which Scherzinger said she felt it "important for young girls to have an empowering message that they deserve better".[15] Interestingly the song was originally written for Britney Spears to record for her album Blackout in 2007.[13] The other song has a tear jerking ballad called "Save Me from Myself" for which Scherzinger helped Ne-Yo in developing the hook before recording the song.[15] When commenting on another song "March" Scherzinger said she wanted a powerful record. "It's about never giving up on your dreams and it’s about what I went through to get where I am today."[13] Timbaland produced and featured on the song "Physical"[15] on which his trademark vocals can be heard over the upbeat melody and thumping baseline.[28] Part of the song was used in the film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The album sessions also produced number of other songs including "When Your Falling" (also co-written by Akon)[15] "Power's Out" a riveting duet with American singer Sting (featured in Revlon adverts with Jessica Alba)[15] and "I M.I.S.S You" written by Pharrell Williams & produced by The Neptunes.[28]
Doubt was cast over the future of the album when the Pussycat Dolls released their second album Doll Domination which featured some of the songs which had initially been recorded for Scherzinger's own album. "Happily Never After" and "Who's Gonna Love You" were placed on the album with no changes whilst additional backing vocals were added to "When I Grow Up" before it was released as the album's lead single.[29] Christopher "Tricky Stewart" and The-Dream were also working with Scherzinger and produced, wrote and recorded at least two songs for the album. Both of the known recordings, "Punch You In Your Sleep" and "I'm a Cheat" were re-allocated to The-Dream's ex-wife Christina Milian who has recorded them for her fourth studio album Elope due in 2010.[30] Furthermore it was revealed that Keri Hilson (a writer who has been heavily involved in writing for the Pussycat Dolls) had written a song called "Alienated" for Scherzinger, however when the album was delayed and shelved Hilson reclaimed the song and instead recorded the song with producer Cory Bold for her own debut studio album In a Perfect World…[31] Reviews later went on to give the song critical acclaim for its "electro-blips and whispery raps that are alluring."[32][33] In September 2009 it was confirmed that the teary ballad, "Just Say Yes" was reclaimed by Gary Lightbody who has since re-tooled and reworked the song.[34] It was released as the lead single from his band, Snow Patrol's compilation album Up to Now, on November 2, 2009.[35]
Speaking about the delayed release of her solo album, in September 2008 Scherzinger said "Despite what other people might write, it was my decision, ultimately. I actually put some of my solo songs on the Pussycat Dolls' new album Doll Domination. Everything is all about timing. I believe it will come out next year, and it will be able to coexist wonderfully with the Dolls' album. It's completely separate from what you've heard with "Baby Love" and "Whatever U Like," and I'm still working on it — that's what happens when you're a perfectionist."[36] She was interviewed by Billboard magazine in April 2009 regarding her own career plans as well as what The Dolls were up to. She said "the current incarnation of the album is just in talks and in the writing process. I haven't started recording yet." She plans to enter the studio again after the Pussycat Dolls have finished their World Domination Tour. Speaking about the project Scherzinger said she will be working again with Will.i.am, Timbaland as well as with new associates Lady Gaga and A.R. Rahman.[37]
Reports of a second attempt at a solo album surfacted in January 2010 when Contactmusic reported that singersongwriter Ne-Yo is working with Scherzinger on new material. Ne-Yo had previously given two songs he wrote, "Save Me From Myself" and "Happily Never After", to Scherzinger for Her Name Is Nicole. Of the new collaborations he said,"she is putting all her energy into her work". He was also quoted as saying
Nicole is in a state of liberation right now so the tracks are very free. She is in a place where she is happy to be alive and the tracks are definitely expressing that. The whole album is going to be a pressure release - a great big exhale - and I'm happy about that. She has a lot of emotions after splitting up with Lewis (Hamilton). But it's like taking an eagle and giving it back its wings.[38]
On January 26, 2010, it was revealed that Jay Sean and Scherzinger were both working on something in the studio together. The video was originally posted to twitter but has been uploaded to the general internet too and shows the pair having a good time at Hit Factory (Criteria) record studios in Miami, Florida. In the video Scherzinger reveals she has been recording in the studio which Mariah Carey created some of her best known material as well as 'Studio F' where Sean recorded "Down" with Lil Wayne and where Scherzinger previously laid down vocals for Timbaland's hit single "Scream" with Keri Hilson. The pair also made note to T-Pain and Lil Wayne who were present at the studio. It is unknown whether the pair achieved any musical success e.g. recorded any usable songs and it is unknown if the records are for an upcoming single for Jay Sean, the upcoming third album from the Pussycat Dolls or Scherzinger's own heavily delayed studio album which is also due for release in 2010. Separately it was reported that she was working with Chuck Harmony[39] whose previous credits include Rihanna's top-ten hit "Russian Roulette" (2009) as well as multiple credits on Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman (2008) and Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains (2007). "My music that I’m working on now for my album might have a little more rock, funk, soul edge, but it’s basically in the genre of popular music and it’s just honest music, fun music".[40]
Rap Up first reported her intention to release a new song on May 23, 2010 stating that "The single ["Nobody Can Change Me"] is an empowering song, so it’s very much like Pussycat Dolls, but it’s just [Nicole] singing the same thing".[41] Scherzinger herself described the single and "uplifting[42] and powerful song with a deep meaning"[43] During one radio interview she the song was recorded at night whilst she was competing on season ten of U.S. reality competition ,Dancing with the Stars. It was mastered on May 23, 2010 ready for its premiere on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS FM radio show the following day.[44] Amongst the first to review the song was Beck Bain of Idolator. She was not impressed,
"after listening to the treacly pop tune, we think she has a better shot at becoming a full-time sailor than reviving her solo career anytime soon. ... Her voice sounds a little bit higher/squeakier than usual, and the overproduction of the track certainly doesn’t help—we know this girl can saaang, and this generic pop song about empowerment or independence or some other vague 'let me be me' message does nothing to utilize her vocal range. ... And if Nicole wants to win the public back, it’s probably in her best interest to release a thumping dance track with sex appeal than an uninspired, uninteresting message song."
[45] However Amos Barshad of New York magazine actually liked the song stating that "there’s none of the Pussycat Doll’s forced sexiness here; instead, it sounds like something that could have just missed the final cut on a Kelly Clarkson album (that is sort of supposed to be a compliment, yeah)."[46]
Then in August 2010 Swedish electropop producer RedOne was interviewed by the BBC. In the interview he revealed he had been working on Scherzinger's album. "I just finished her album. Her last one never came out because it was collecting hamburgers, like fast food. One from McDonalds, one from Burger King, and so on. It tasted good, but it wasn't consistent. Her new record - people are really going to go crazy about it because it's the real her."[47]
Scherzinger has made minor appearances as an actress. She appeared in the TV comedy, Half & Half, My Wife and Kids and the 2003 film Love Don't Cost a Thing. She also had a role in 2001 as one of the "Pop Stars" in the episode "Finally!" of the show Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, in Wanda at Large, Chasing Papi, Be Cool and Cane. She provided the voice of Dora Maddingly, a ghost that is a sinderella like princess that can transform into a dragon in the episode 'Beauty Marked' of the tv show Danny Phantom Scherzinger was supposed to cast in one of the lead roles in the upcoming movie with the Filipino Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao together with professional wrestler Dave Batista. She was about to play the leading lady of the Filipino Champ but it was cancelled and her role went to the filipina actress Ruffa Mae Quinto. She also made an appearance in the Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush show as herself.
In 2006, she made a "Bench Body" brand underwear commercial in the Philippines and in October 2008, she promoted Clear Shampoo and Conditioner. Both commercials were reportedly aired throughout Southeast Asia. She appeared in a Nike shoe commercial with basketball player LeBron James. In 2010 she made a commercial for the C&A campaign.[48] In late 2009, it was reported that Scherzinger is working closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the Phantom of the Opera sequel, Love Never Dies.[49]
In December 2009, Scherzinger served as a celebrity judge on NBC's reality singing competition, The Sing-Off[50] along with singer-songwriter Ben Folds and Boyz II Men bandmember Shawn Stockman. The show was hosted by singer Nick Lachey. Scherzinger's role was to critique performances of the competitors and vote on eliminations in all but the final round, which was determined by audience vote. In the finale/results show, Scherzinger performed "You Don't Own Me" with competition finalists the Beelzebubs of Tufts University. On March 1, 2010, it was announced that Scherzinger would be a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season and would be partnered with Season 7 Champion Derek Hough.[51] On May 25, 2010 Nicole won Dancing with the Stars season 10.[52] On June 4, 2010, it was announced that Nicole would take on the role of Maureen in the Hollywood Bowl production of the rock musical Rent, directed by Neil Patrick Harris.[53] She played the role from August 6–8, 2010.
On July 1, 2010 MTV reported the media mogal Simon Cowell had hired Scherzinger as a guest judge for season seven of the UK reality TV series The X Factor after regular judge Danni Minogue went on maternity leave. Fellow judge Cheryl Cole had previously said that "Scherzinger doesn't stand out".[54] Then on July 9, 2010, as planned, Scherzinger appeared at the Manchester auditions. According to The Daily Mail she is one of several celebrities being considered for a role on the U.S. version of The X Factor and so the role on the UK version served as an important screen test and opportunity to impress the producers.[55] Following praise from the show's producers, Scherzinger was asked to return as a guest judge after it was discovered that permanent judge Cole had contracted maleria and was unable to film the 'bootcamp' stages of the competition. Scherzinger was the guest judge who was asked to return to fill the week-long role.[56] One of her fellow judges and permanent panel member Louis Walsh praised Scherzinger saying "My favourite though was Nicole who I had never met before. This girl has the X Factor in every way. She just got it, was incredibly impressive and ticked every box."[57] The host of the show, Dermot O'Leary also praised Scherzinger saying she was his favourite guest judge. "She was brilliant, tailor-made for it and hilarious too. We were all stunned by her beauty."[58] Scherzinger left her mark on the competition after she persuaded producers to change the ages of the judging categories. An X Factor spokesman told the media that "At Nicole's suggestion, and agreed by Simon and Louis, the boys' and girls' category age limit has been increased to 28. The judges believe this will strengthen the competition and talent."[59] Additionally it was reported that Scherzinger will be asked to help Cowell or Walsh during the "judges' houses" stages of the competition where each judge is given a category of acts to mentor and then, with the help of other celebrities and musicians, they choose three acts to take through the live finals.[60]
She dated actor Talan Torriero from 2005 to 2007.[7] For the last few years she has been dating Formula One 2008 world champion racing driver Lewis Hamilton.[7]
Over the past five years Scherzinger was ranked Maxim's Hot 100 in 2006 and 2007 she ranked at twenty-two and twenty-one respectively. In 2008 she ranked at number nineteen along with the Pussycat Dolls. In 2009, she ranked at number forty-nine,[61] and in 2010 landed at number twenty-four.[62]
Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | UK [63] |
CAN [64] |
AUS | GER [64] |
IRE [65] |
AUT [66] |
SWI [67] |
NZ | SWE [68] |
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2007 | "Whatever U Like" (featuring T.I.) | — | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Her Name Is Nicole |
"Baby Love" (featuring will.i.am) | — | 14 | — | — | 5 | 15 | 21 | 14 | — | 51 | ||
"Supervillain"[69][42][70] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Puakenikeni"[42][71][72][73] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [64] |
UK [63] |
CAN [64] |
AUS [74] |
GER [64] |
IRE [65] |
AUT [66] |
SWI [67] |
NZ [75] |
SWE [68] |
|||
2006 | "Lie About Us" (Avant feat. Nicole Scherzinger) | — | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Director |
"You Are My Miracle" (Vittorio feat. Nicole Scherzinger) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Vittorio | |
"Come to Me" (Diddy feat. Nicole Scherzinger) | 9 | 4 | — | 11 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 25 | 44 | Press Play | |
2007 | "Scream" (Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger) | 122 | 12 | 41 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 18 | 45 | 9 | 8 | Shock Value |
2010 | "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" (with various artists) | 2 | 50 | 7 | 18 | — | 9 | — | — | 8 | 17 | Artists for Haiti |
"Heartbeat" (Enrique Iglesias feat. Nicole Scherzinger) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 52 | Euphoria |
Year | Song | Director(s) |
---|---|---|
2006 | "Lie About Us" (Avant featuring Nicole Scherzinger) | Benny Boom[76] |
"Come to Me" (Diddy featuring Nicole Scherzinger) | Chris Robinson[77] | |
2007 | "Whatever U Like" (featuring T.I.) | Ray Kay[78] |
"Baby Love" (featuring will.i.am) | Francis Lawrence[79] | |
2008 | "Scream" (Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson & Nicole Scherzinger) | Justin Francis[80] |
2010 | "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" (with various artists) | Paul Haggis[81] |
Year | Song | Album | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | "Breakfast in Bed" | 50 First Dates Official Soundtrack[12] | appeared as 'Nicole Kea' |
2005 | "Supa Hypnotic" (Shaggy featuring Nicole Scherzinger) | Clothes Drop[82] | |
"Don't Ask Her That" (Shaggy featuring Nicole Scherzinger) | |||
2007 | "Fire" (50 Cent featuring Young Buck & Nicole Scherzinger) | Curtis[83] | |
2009 | "Until U Love U" | Doll Domination[84] | Its included on the International Deluxe edition disc. |
Hotel Room Service Remix (Pitbull featuring Nicole Scherzinger) | Rebelution[85] | It is included on the Australian Bonus Track Version. | |
2010 | "Baby Can't Drive" (Slash featuring Alice Cooper & Nicole Scherzinger) | Slash[86] | The song is included in certain territories in Deluxe/Special editions. |
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson |
Dancing with the Stars (US) winner Season 10 (Spring 2010 with Derek Hough) |
Succeeded by Current |
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