We have decided to research the music group, the 'Pussycat Dolls'. The Pussycat Dolls are an American girl group and dance ensemble, they originated as a burlesque troupe in 1995 and then later in 2003 they had managed to get a record deal with Interscope Records.
The group had worldwide success in 2005 with their first album 'PCD' which had earned them a Grammy Award nomination.
- Their most recent album 'Doll Domination' is the album we have decided to research. Doll Domination is their second album to date, this was released on the 23rd of September 2008.
- Doll Domination sold around 79,000 copies after the first week of its release.
- The genre of 'Doll Domination' is a combination of Pop, R&B and Dance.
- The Pussycat Dolls have released a total of two main albums and an additional mini album in their total six years which they have been in the music industry. Also after the release of their single 'Jai Ho' Pussycat Dolls decided to re-release Doll Domination, but this time calling it 'Doll Domination 2.0', this included 'Jai Ho' and also each member of the group having a lead singing role in one of each of the songs. The songs added where:
- Jai Ho
- Painted Windows
- Space (Lead vocals by Melody Thornton)
- If I Was A Man (Lead vocals by Jessica Sutta)
- Don't Wanna Fall In Love (Lead vocals by Kimberely Wyatt)
- Played (Lead vocals by Ashley Roberts)
- Baby Love (Originally a single released by Nicole Scherzinger)
It was also announced on the 10th August that 'Doll Domination 3.0' is to be released in the UK due to the success of their 5 hit singles fairing well. - The main target audience which the Pussycat Dolls appeal to are generally females between the ages of 13 and 30 years old, this is what we discovered whilst researching their fan website.
- They have appeared in numerous newspapers such as the Sun where they carried out interviews about their album, the photo used in the newspaper article to advertise their album was the photo used on the back of their album.
- They carried out interviews about their album on music channels such as MTV.
- The cover of their CD and DVD uses the same recurring image used for their advertisements. An example of this is used on their tour poster which is the same as the album.
- The Pussycat Dolls have been criticised for its overly sexual image and explicit dance routines used in their music videos, which is often commented by the public as being inappropriate for children. There is also criticism for the over emphasis on the lead singer Nicole Scherzinger and not much attention on the other members of the band.
- The overall image of the band can be seen in a positive and negative ways depending on the audience. The presentation of their sexual image which many girls tend to admire and quite possibly to a small amount of males. However for the parents of their audiences may see their sexual image as inappropriate.
We decided to analyse one of the Pussycat Dolls songs from Doll Domination to see how it is related to their image and their music, we decided to analyse their song "When I Grow Up":
- There are a wide range of camera shots used within the music video
- Their most prominent shots used in the video are close-ups which are mainly used to emphasise their image and beauty. Close-ups of their rings are also used to emphasise their wealth and also relates to the lyrics used in the song.
- Medium shots are used of the band dancing, this relates and creates a link to previous videos emphasising the fact that they are also a dance group.
- The long shots used to show the group walking down the street reinforces the bands image and also gives the group a sense of power and domination, which also tends to relate to the name of the album.
- The editing used in the video is very fast this is due to the fast tempo of the song.
- The mise-en-scene used within the video works well as there is a link with their lyrics and their image.
- The band tends not to wear much clothing in their costumes, reinforcing their sexual image.
- The use of many flashing lights in the video create an image of wealth and glamour creating a strong link to the lyrics of the song.
Pussycat Dolls Split/Nicole Scherzinger's Solo Career Controversy
When the single 'Jai Ho' was released, it was released under the name 'Pussycat Dolls ft Nicole Scherzinger, and also the single that followed, 'Whatcha think about that?' was the same. This lead to rumours that Scherzinger was leaving the band, or posibbly she had already left, so legally she was not part of the Pussycat Dolls.
After this, whilst in Arizona supporting Britney Spears on her successful 'Circus World Tour' Melody Thornton said to the crowd what she thought on the matter; "Thank you for supporting me even though Im not featured!" Then went onto say "Don't let anyone stomp on your dreams" This caused a lot of media attention to the band and rumours of their split where ever growing. Many people in attendance at the show said that after her outburst, it was an orkward performance, as it was so un-expected.
Further problems where shown in August 2009 when after leaving a hotel in London, Ashley Roberts, crying reported that "This is the last time we'll be in the UK as a band. We've broken up. We're sorry." Although the Pussycat Dolls management where quick to clear this up by saying "The girls are still together. They are in Beirut for a gig." Although Roberts is yet to deny these comments.
