From The Vault is back this week with a hit that never was.
Join us as we journey back a decade to 2007 with Nicole Scherzinger, who was eyeing solo domination with her first single ‘Whatever U Like.’
Produced by Polow Da Don and penned by Sean Garrett (two names synonymous with countless hits during that time), the track featured rapper T.I. – who too was at the top of his game.
With all of those ingredients, one would think Nicole had cooked up chart monster, right? Wrong! ‘Like’ peaked at #4… on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. It was the first single from Nic’s equally ill-fated album debut ‘Her Name Is Nicole.’
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The single’s smoking hot video was directed by Paul Hunter and boasted a subtle spy theme. Ever arresting on camera, Scherzinger sizzled in solo dance scenes and showcased ample chemistry with T.I.
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Sadly for this tower of talent, she has never quite been able to achieve her full potential as a soloist. Nicole is the perfect example of just how uncertain and unfair the music industry can be: clearly she has the full package, yet she has never “happened” in the way anticipated.
Still, numbers (or the lack there of) can’t extinguish authentic hotness and this remains fire.
Here’s hoping Scherzy, who celebrated her 39th birthday this week, will one day someday have her “moment.”If not, there’s always a reboot of the Pussycat Dolls?
It’s a cute song but where has her music took her besides reality tv show judge? ?
Could have been the next BIG star…smh.
Yeah really don’t understand why she didn’t pop. She has the look, can dance and sing.
What look…when the top stars are Beyonce…Rihanna…Nicki….black girls
Nicole is extremely talented, but there’s always something missing in her music, though I like this song, Pretty and Run.
To be honest, the beat / vocals (and to a certain extent, the video) reminds me of a less catchy, average version of Kelis’ Blindfold Me. Nicole is arguably a better technical singer than Kelis and T.I. is probably more suited than Nas for a club track, but in comparison Nicole’s offer fell flat imo :/
yup, kelis’s ‘blindfold’ was a lot better. But interestingly, a solo song by Chili leaked and it’s called ‘straight jack’ and it’s the same beat as the Nicole song.
It’s the other way around for me. Other than Nas, I couldn’t even listen to the other one. Afroman was right about Kelis.
“Kelis, wow. I hate her so much right now. My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, who gave her a record deal, oh my God!”
I stanned hard for her back in the day. Went to the record store weekly to ask if ‘Her Name Is Nicole’ had a release date.
And then Lady Gaga came and claimed my stan card. Funny thing is that I became a Gaga stan 4 months prior to the PCD Doll Domination concert wich Gaga uses to being the opening act for.
I disagree with parts of the post. The thing that Nicole lacks is personality. Plus her vocals were unstable at huge moments.. anyone remembers that horrible ‘Baby Love’ performance at the AMA’s?
I remember it. LOL
You know that’s because she had bulimia at the time! At least she still tried to sing it live, unlike beyonce or rihanna who would’ve just used playback.
She shouldve just promoted this like how jlo promote those horrible songs and get away with it.
But JLo had success from the start, she used to have good music pre-Love?, this girl never happened.
She had so much potential as a solo artist. Her name is Nicole was a good cd and sadly it got shelved. Her voice sounds good on sassy R&B tunes.
Her music is terrible and this song is not the exception, one thing is true though, she’s the whole package, can dance, sing and perform, she’s also stunningly beautiful, but the music they gave her was mediocre, not everyone is lucky like Rihanna.
I don’t think Nicole is that pretty…she has a bad nose job…
@I HATE WHITE B******. AND ….. BLACK BIT..,,,HES…both. Not ish.., you’re either blind or a jealous female. You don’t like white girls, you don’t like black girls, you don’t like exotic beauties, do you just not like girls at all?
“Her music is terrible and this song is not the exception…” -S****** Blonde
lol
Yes, the funny thing is that rihanna has no talent whatsoever yet she is huge.
Strange how SHE wasn’t able to have a hit, but PCD had hits before this dog and after this song. I wonder how this song would have done had there been 4 girls with her and the named artist was pussycat dolls and not Nicole. Song was a fun and video was electrifying. A ton of potential and nothing came from it. Makings of a super star, but nothing popped off.
Good point
Some things should just stay in the vault ?
lol
The problem is that Nicole wasn’t as much of the stand out of the group as she thought she was so her timing for going solo was wrong for her, her people and the record company, and whilst she has the ingredients to be successful her personality was lacking and didn’t pick up momentum throughout the years and whilst getting older on average never seemed to grow up mentally when her initial target market did
@Boosie
Quit comparing yourself to Pac man! Pac is a legend and you better put some respect on his name. He was way more gangster than you and he also did stuff for the community and was a social figure. You’re just a rapper, you haven’t done what Pac has for the community.
And get in the studio and give us that got damn “Boopac” album. And that sht better be good and worth the wait. If it’s not I will stop supporting you.
Still waiting for that song with Justin Bieber that you kept talking about two years ago man. Where that sht at. “Stalker” or whatever it was. Let’s go my n*****.
Give us a “Bad A**” 2 or a “For My Thugs” part 2 man. Not another mixtape man.
I need a “Zoom” 2.0 my n*****. Or a “Wipe Me Down” 2.0. Get in the maf*ckin studio and make that sh*t happen my n*gga.
This was originally chilli’s of TLC’s song
She’s probably being perceived as a ‘looks over talent’ artist at first glance by the general public. I think her marketing team isn’t doing enough to make her relateable. Looking through her discography she’s constantly changing her image and style. I think she needs to find the right style and sound that she can later on turn into her own brand so she won’t have to constantly change herself so much in every album.
Nicole’s solo music career should act as a standard warning to any pop girl who tries to leave her girl group. It’s just not going to happen unless you’re a Diana Ross or Beyonce.
Beyonce wasn’t anything until she went solo though. In DC she was strugglin’ to hit the high notes with her weak a*s average r&b aaliyah voice lol, then suddenly she went solo and had this powerhouse voice. Nicole is better than her. She just wasn’t marketed properly. And diana slept her way to the top honey, hate to break it to ya. “Dirty Diana” is the truth.
Girl, the same ones praising this mediocre mess, will sit here and bash people with actual talent.
Nicole’s problem was that she was always the off brand to whatever sound was popular during the day. Coke to Rite Aid Cola, Dr.Pepper to Mr.Pibb etc. The queen of C-listers!! There’s a title she can have!
She only had the “IT” factor when paired with a group of one dimensional, below average singers aka The Pussycat Dolls. Stop this mess, Nicole’s only ever came out with one good album and it’s PCD!
All of her solo material is just terrible, which is why she never caught on.
Like who? Nobody has more talent than her! She can sing and dance at the same time, without using playback like beyonce. And even most of beyonce’s music is horrible.
This song missed it for me at the time. It was released right at the beginning of earliest stages of the EDM phase. And a younger me always thought this song was a tad outdated for the time.
It sounded too much like Kelis Blindfold Me but I guess that’s cause it was done by the same producer.
Nicole is such a special girl??????????????????? Those who don’t appreciate her are fückin tasteless scumbags who are mad at the world and are jealous. Nicole is why the sun comes up every morning so everyone can see how beautiful she is??????????????? She’s the perfect girl and more girls should take notes from her but then again no one will ever be able to mimic her. ?????? Nicole is everything, man.
The funny thing is that the people who hate on Nicole are the same people who will sit here and praise minimal to average talent women like ciara, rihanna, janet jackson, mya, tinashe, aaliyah, britney spears, ashanti, kelly rowland, keri hilson, selena gomez, katy perry, taylor swift, tlc, kelis, ETC. Yup aaliyah. Had to put baby girl in their too because vocally she was average.
Honestly her music being somewhat generic or mediocre isn’t the problem, even beyonce and rihanna’s music is mediocre and lame so that’s not a good enough excuse. It’s also not her personality because she has the best personality of any celebrity. It’s yall, yall are the problem, not her. Yall didn’t support her because she isn’t black or white, if beyonce or rihanna came out with the same songs Nicole did people would praise it because they are “beautiful black women.” It’s also her team, and the higher ups in the music industry. Not everyone is willing to suck d**ks and sleep with industry men like rihanna or beyonce to get higher up. Even mariah carey (as talented as she was) got famous because of Tommy, she got married to a man she didn’t love and slept her way to the top. Nicole was never going to do that kind of thing. Oh and lets also remember Nicole didn’t have her daddy “helping” her in the music industry since she was 10 and doing every got damn thing for her.
#RealFactsOnly
#PositiveVibes
#NicoleIsLife
#NicoleIsLove
#IndustryIsBullsh*t
#Sellouts
It’s not about her personality that she isn’t a star either so stop with that mess. Even mariah carey is a total narcissistic b***h (as well as boring as hell in her interviews) yet she is still a star. It’s about connections and marketing. In a perfect world, Nicole would be beyonce successful (without selling her soul like bey did though) and the talentless rihanna who is good for nothing except spreading her legs for everyone in the industry would be “singing” in her basement.