Popular Singer Embraces Her Hawaii Ties

HONOLULU (KHNL) - Her name is Nicole, and you will know it after her solo CD comes out in November. The Pussycat Doll's former lead singer is in Hawaii to promote her new career move.

But what you might not know is, the Waianae born Nicole Scherzinger calls these islands home. The Hawaii born, Kentucky raised Scherzinger is on a hot streak with her new, highly anticipated solo album, "Her name is Nicole." Scherzinger says, "I have my first single I'm here to promote in Hawaii, 'Whateva U Like,' featuring TI."

She wrote all the songs, and included a nod to her almost-half Hawaiian heritage. "I am of Hawaiian Russian Filipino descent so I wanted to make sure people know about my Hawaiian heritage in my music and album to represent. So I wrote a song entitled Puakenikeni with my boy Akon. 'Cause pretty much I just wanted everyone around the world to be singing something in Hawaiian, and that my family in Hawaii can dance to."

She sings a few bars: "Don't you want to pick my puakenikeni? Don't you want to pick my puakenikeni? Don't you want to catch me in my red bikini? Nothing sweeter than my pua...kenikeni."

Twenty-nine-year-old Scherzinger says she's proud of her heritage.

"I am blessed to be of Hawaiian descent and even more blessed to be from the ohana that I come from. I come from a very big family so this would be the part that I give a shout out to the family that I want to give a shout out to! The Fredrick ohana, the Wright ohana, the Valiente ohana, the Lim Ching ohana, the Correas."

And she hopes to reflect it in her music.

"I don't know many people of Hawaiian Russian Filipino descent who were born in Honokai Hale who've made it to where I am today and it's a blessing and gift."

Scherzinger's based out of LA now, but one day, she hopes to return to Hawaii.

"Home is where your heart and family is so I will definitely come back home one day when I want to relax, kick back, and enjoy life."