Complex: Do you have the same deal as the rest of the Pussycat Dolls? Are you a salaried employee of the label?
Nicole Scherzinger: My deal is a bit different. I have the same deal as the other girls but I have a solo deal as well. I annoyed the hell out of Jimmy Iovine when I said, “I won’t be a Pussycat Doll unless you give me a solo deal.” I just knew that I had my own voice and my own style. So I kind of shoved it down his throat. 

You’re comfortable in front of a crowd, but do you get nervous on a first date?
Nicole Scherzinger: I get so nervous. To be honest with you, I don’t go on dates—I’ve never really dated. I’ve always been in long relationships and long distance relationships, which has been kinda hard. I just like to laugh and be goofy and get to know real people. I’m a different girl. I keep to myself. I grew up in a conservative Catholic family, so being in the Pussycat Dolls was a big stretch for me.

Are you seeing anyone now?
Nicole Scherzinger: No. I have no time.

Objectively, are most rappers mature men or adult babies?
Nicole Scherzinger: Um, both. You know? They’ve gone through their own trials and tribulations to get where they are. But they are also mature babies just doing their thing, having fun. I haven’t hung around enough rappers to know their stories.

That’s such a positive answer. People always bag on rappers.
Nicole Scherzinger: Thanks. It’s the truth, though. I can’t judge other people until I’ve walked in their footsteps. I know 50, he’s a friend of mine. Other people too—I can’t imagine what they’ve gone through, so who am I to say?

Do you wear sexy outfits for your man?
Nicole Scherzinger: Oh my gosh! It’s kinda funny, ’cause I’m just really…coming from Kentucky, we’re simple, so we wear kinda granny-looking, cute little  flowery lacy things, you know? But occasionally I like to wear, not trashy things, but very…things that I think are, um, complimentary in bed [laughs].

What do you want back from your man?
Nicole Scherzinger: I just like a guy to give me a lot of attention. It’s all about the chemistry and the mind space, ’cause the mind is so powerful it can take the body anywhere you want to go.

Speaking of taking the body elsewhere, have you ever had sex outside?
Nicole Scherzinger: Oh my God! I hope my mom doesn’t read this! Um. Sure. I love nature.

Do you abstain from sex before big shows the way boxers do before a big fight?
Nicole Scherzinger: To be honest with you, I don’t get to have sex much, because I’m always working! Thank God the stage gets me excited, ’cause I’m always on stage.

Is it a similar type of satisfaction?
Nicole Scherzinger: It can be. It’s like this high, you know?

Afterwards you feel relaxed?
Nicole Scherzinger: It’s actually while I’m on stage. Afterwards you come down from the high.

Who’s better at sex, ballerinas or strippers?
Nicole Scherzinger: Ballerinas. Without a doubt. Are you kidding?

I think you’re right.
Nicole Scherzinger: Oh my gosh, I know so. I’ve studied ballet. No, I’m just joking! Ballerinas are just fierce! They’re strong, they’ve got a lot of stamina, they’re fit, they’re very flexible, and they know how to move. There’s something sexy about people who are more reserved, because there’s a mystery.

Have you ever been to a topless beach?
Nicole Scherzinger: Nope.

If you did, would you drop your top?
Nicole Scherzinger: No, I wouldn’t. But don’t get a few drinks in me, though. No, I’m just joking.

Do you think about your role as an empowered sexy woman?
Nicole Scherzinger: I just do what I do. What you see is what you get. I see myself as the biggest nerd ever. When I’m on stage, I’m on, like, super-woman steroids. It’s like the ooze that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles used to take. I’m just like, me, but on steroids. Does that sound really bad?

No, being intimately familiar with the TMNT is sexy. Are you intuitive?
Nicole Scherzinger: Very. It’s kinda trippy. When I was younger, I felt like I had this, I don’t want to sound cheesy…yeah, I am an intuitive person. I feel people, I’m a feeler. I can usually read people very well.

By Nate Denver
Photographs by Randall Slavin