Power and precision from ‘Doll’

Nicole Scherzinger, Wednesday, July 10

HAVING grown up in the Noughties and 2010s, when I heard Nicole Scherzinger was headlining the Henley Festival, I was hoping for only one thing... that she would play some of her girlband era hits.

However, I was not feeling hopeful as it seemed the Pussycat Doll star had long left that era behind in favour of her newfound West End stardom and refined TV judge personality.

So when halfway through her set, Scherzinger’s band played the first chords to the 2008 hit Jai Ho! Along with the rest of the crowd, I went absolutely feral.

Instantly forgiving the star for her 30-minute late start, I danced all the way through the medley of the band’s top hits, including Buttons and Don’t Cha, accompanied by mesmerising visuals on the festival’s 10m wide LED screen.

It was euphoric. My only wish was that she had taken the time to perform the full songs.

Aside from Nicole’s nostalgic numbers, her strengths lay in her powerful vocals and the breadth of her repertoire. It felt, in some way, like three performances in one.

Channelling the old Hollywood era starlet Norma Desmond, whom she played in Andrew Loyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, Scherzinger powerhoused her way though a number of mid-century classics, including the James Bond anthem Diamonds Are Forever.

Dressed in a sparkling baby pink dress with a fur shawl and dripping with jewels, she instantly solidified her role as a leading lady, hitting every note with power and precision, even doing justice to Nina Simone’s I Put a Spell on You.

The highlight, however, was perhaps a somewhat unexpected cover of two Kings of Leon anthems, Sex on Fire and Use Somebody, which solidified Scherzinger’s image as a truly versatile performer and had the crowd belting along.

Perhaps told to wrap it up to keep the fireworks on schedule, the singer did not return for an encore following her final song, Purple Rain by Prince.

In my mind, however, she had already done more than enough to satisfy my desire for a good midweek dance and throwback sing-along. A perfect way to open the festival.

Nicole, you are through to the judges’ houses!

Emma Dodd