After her acclaimed stint in London's West End, former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger is gearing up to make her Broadway debut in Jamie Lloyd's reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard.
For Nicole, performing as lead character Norma Desmond - a role she's been "waiting for [her] whole life" - has been a transformative process whereby she's been able to "heal a lot of old wounds".
© Getty ImagesSpeaking exclusively to HELLO! whilst at the Wimbledon Championships, Nicole tells us: "It's just helped me to heal a lot of old wounds. A lot of old insecurities, a lot of fears that I've had.
"I think that it's helped me to let go of a lot of things that weren't serving me. The role is very raw and very real. There's no vanity in it whatsoever. It's just really opened me up a lot… It's just been such a healing, transformational time for me."
© Getty ImagesThe Honolulu-born star continued: "The role battles with a lot of issues, a lot of issues of abandonment and loneliness and in some ways I feel parallel to Norma at times. So being able to open up my heart and my soul and be so truthful on stage every night, it's just cathartic.
"It just feels like you're not hiding from anything. You're not running from anything. You're just being brave to look your deepest darkest fears and insecurities in the eye every single night. And so you're forced to heal from that."
While Nicole states that she was "born to be on stage", she confesses that she feels more confident now than she's ever done before. During her time as one sixth of iconic girl group the Dolls, the singer leant into the music as a way to bolster her confidence.
© Toni Anne Barson Archive"It's the music that gives me the confidence. It's the music that makes me feel superhuman. I transform into my very own Sasha Fierce," she explains.
"I've always been like that since I was a little girl, I always felt like I didn't fit in, I was pretty awkward. And then when I heard the 'Greatest Love of All' by Whitney Houston, and when I started to sing, I just felt more comfortable in my skin… It's the music moving through me, the storytelling working through me, that's what gives me the confidence."
© Getty ImagesNow at the age of 46, the Olivier Award-winning actress is seemingly in her element and taking life in her stride. Opening up, she reveals: "I've been loving my forties. That's the greatest thing - as you go through life and its experiences, it's a blessing.
"People don't realise how much of a privilege that it is and that things do get better. I know [the younger generations] go through these hard times, we all did, but it's preparing you for something.
"It's preparing you for your purpose. It's preparing you for your destiny. It's preparing you for your greatness within. I am more confident now, more than ever."
She continues: "And this role [Norma] has even helped me with that as well, of getting out of my head and not being afraid to show my ugly, darkest parts of me because our perfections are not what connect us. It's our imperfections that truly connect us all."
And forging stronger family connections is at the top of Nicole's list. In light of her demanding role which will see her travel across the pond for a whopping nine months, the former X Factor judge is itching to return home to reunite with loved ones.
© Instagram"I really am excited to go home to Hawaii to see my grandparents. I miss them so much and I have a really big family," she explains. "Before I go to Broadway I have to see them."
Before she tackles Broadway, Nicole is teaming up with Wimbledon to host a special concert in the heart of New York's Dumbo neighbourhood to celebrate the return of the Hill in New York. Returning for its third year, the hotly-anticipated event sees tennis fans gather to enjoy the sporting action from afar.
Of her involvement, she tells us: "I'm honoured. I get to go home and I'm also an adopted Brit, so I get to bring the hill from here to the hill over there and be the first official artist to do this concert for Wimbledon on the hills. So I think it's super prestigious, but also going to be really fun.
"I just want everybody to have a good time, that's what it's all about and it's a celebration of this beautiful tradition of Wimbledon, and it's about connecting people across the pond and bringing us all together. So that's what we're gonna do."
