Nicole Scherzinger for Marie Claire September 2011

Nicole Scherzinger is featured inside Marie Claire's September 2011 issue (US edition). In the interview with the magazine, the 33 year old beauty opens up on ambition, being a hard worker & a perfectionist, the new chapter in her life and 'Killer Love', but also on pop-reality shows & Simon Cowell. Peep Nicole's photos for Marie Claire & some interview highlights below. But for more Nicole in the mag click HERE.

Nicole Scherzinger is featured in Marie Claire's September issue. Inside the magazine, she confessed that it was her parents work ethic & a Whitney Houston cassette tape to inspire her ambition. "I definitely have the eye of the tiger. I’ve fought my way to where I am & will continue to do so. I’m a hard worker - I get it from my family. We only know work. Nothing was handed to us. When I believe in something, I go after it. It’s very hard to tell me 'no'", Nicole states.

The former Pussycat Doll is having a great year. She will be a judge on X Factor & will release her new solo album called 'Killer Love'. "I'm a perfectionist, so when I'm in it, I don't know if things are good or not. I'm like, 'Is that good? Are you sure that was good? It could have been better.' Because for me, things can always be better," the singer told the magazine.

Nevertheless, Nicole reveals she's rather the nerdy type & she doesn't try to be cool. "I'm kind of a nerd. My assistant said the other day when she was watching me get ready, 'I wish people saw this side of you. You are really a nerd.' I was rushing around, trying on different make-up — so I had like five different foundations on one side, & a bunch of different lipstick & eye pencils on the other side of my cheek — & my hair was like some crazy side-ponytail, & I was wearing two different shoes asking, 'Which one looks better? What should I do?' as I tripped everywhere. I really don't try to be cool, because I'm not," she says.

 

For the rest of the interview & photos click the jump below:

Making the transition from Pussycat Dolls lead vocalist to her solo career, Nicole admits that, "It's different going solo, because I had the Pussycat Dolls to fall back on for a lot of stuff. With PCD you have the camaraderie of four other girls. That's your team, you're a gang — that gives you extra superpowers, extra confidence, onstage. But now, as a solo artist, I have to bring it all on my own & make sure that I'm doing music that's true to me, with great performances where I connect to the audience."

Speaking about her new album, Killer Love, Nicole says that, "This is a whole new chapter. It's what I've been working for my whole life. I'm really excited that I'm finally coming out with my solo album — it's the start of many great things to come, I know," the singer told 'Marie Claire'.

Nicole recalls that when she first joined the Pussycat Dolls she found it rather hard wearing those sexy costumes. "I cried when I saw my first Pussycat Doll costume. It was my first photo shoot, & I wasn't used to wearing clothes like that", she says.

As for her everyday wear, the gorgeous entertainer states that, "I grew up in the theater, so it's fun to get glammed up for a performance in clothes that you wouldn't wear on the street. When I'm onstage, I make sure my costume has a rock edge to it, or something blinged-out for that diva aspect — like the greats Diana Ross & Tina Turner — to keep it funky and cool. But then in my day-to-day life, I'm much more of a boho chick — flowy skirts and or jeans and white t-shirts with hats — I love hats."

On pop-reality shows, Nicole says that, "I think it's great that people like American Idol & The Voice, because it shows that they have an appetite for these pop-reality shows. I think audiences are fascinated to watch people struggle to achieve their dreams. America connects to that, they're engaged by that, and they undoubtedly love Simon Cowell. He's not too shabby, that guy."