New Projects Are the Pussycats' meow
With a new CD, the Pussycat Dolls try to claw their way to the top of the heap.
Sept. 23, 2008 — -- The Pussycat Dolls may want to rule the world, but relax, ladies: They have no interest in stealing your men.
The group that rocketed to fame in 2005 by posing the musical question "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" is hardly a haven for homewreckers. Sitting in their record company offices, all glammed up for a photo shoot, the women pass around Mentos and describe themselves as good girls more interested in being role models for their core audience.
That would be "girls between ages 3 and 15," says Jessica Sutta, 26. "Everyone says, 'Oh, a lot of guys must come to your concerts.' But from the start, it's been the girls — and the gay boys.
"When you have a huge gay following, that's when you know you've made it," she says. "Madonna has one. Cher has one."
The Dolls aren't resting on their laurels, though. Their sophomore album, out today, is titled "Doll Domination" and showcases A-list co-writers and producers, among them Timbaland and Sean Garrett.
Rodney Jerkins helmed the first single, "When I Grow Up," already a top 10 hit and No. 1 dance track. The follow-up, "Whatcha Think About That," features Missy Elliott.
"Our old fans are going to love it, and hopefully we'll get new fans," says lead singer Nicole Scherzinger, 30. "There are fun songs that everybody can dance to, and there are really emotional songs that people will be able to relate to."
Granted, the Pussycat Dolls — conceived as a burlesque troupe before being reformed as a band — didn't become a household name solely by virtue of musical prowess, as its members acknowledge.
"PCD is a brand, a powerhouse, a machine that's constantly expanding," says Ashley Roberts, 27. In addition to the CW reality show "Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious," which just wrapped a season, there are lingerie and denim lines and a Pussycat Dolls lounge at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. A second lounge is scheduled to open in West Hollywood this fall, and more are planned.
"You want to keep the train moving," says Roberts, employing a metaphor that several bandmates use to describe their momentum. "Albums (aren't selling) the way they used to, so we're trying to evolve and touch people in as many ways as we can."
