--- description: The performer won in a competitive category which included Tony record holder Audra McDonald. title: Nicole Scherzinger Wins Her First Tony Award for Her Performance in 'Sunset Boulevard' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81fac00d9b39c982/6998c750f1b0820c2f6f1691/GettyImages-2219245596.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [awards](/tag/awards/) ## awards Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Nicole Scherzinger Wins First Tony Award for Her Performance in _Sunset Blvd._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jun 9, 2025 3:11 AM CUT  Nicole Scherzinger accepts the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical award for Sunset Blvd. onstage during The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 08, 2025 in New York City. Nicole Scherzinger accepts the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical award for Sunset Blvd. onstage during The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 08, 2025 in New York City.Theo Wargo—Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions  by [Olivia B. Waxman](/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jun 9, 2025 3:11 AM CUT [Mr. DeMille](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVi1NlYBljU "undefined"), Nicole Scherzinger is ready for her close-up. On June 8, Nicole Scherzinger, 46, won her first [Tony Award](https://time.com/7290601/tony-awards-2025-what-to-know/ "undefined") for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Norma Desmond, a has-been staging a comeback in _Sunset Blvd,_ Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway adaptation of the 1950 film by the same name. “Thank you,” Scherzinger said through tears while accepting the award at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, "for making this little Hawaiian Ukranian Filipino girl’s dream come true." She then fretted about how quickly the seconds were ticking by and mentioned more than once how grueling the Broadway schedule is as she thanked her mother, who had her at 18, her father and sister, and her entire _ohana_, or family. She also thanked composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Scherzinger, who hails from Kentucky, has become one of the most prominent Asian Pacific stage actors. She’s cited [_Les Misérables_](https://time.com/4060242/1985-les-mis/ "undefined"), [_The_ _Phantom of the Opera_](https://time.com/archive/6711483/theater-music-of-the-night-the-phantom-of-the-opera/ "undefined")_,_ [_Jesus Christ Superstar_](https://time.com/archive/6815000/a-letter-from-the-publisher-oct-25-1971/ "undefined"), and [_Miss Saigon_](https://time.com/archive/6715711/theater-will-broadway-miss-saigon/ "undefined") as some of her own favorite musicals. Before she was a Broadway star, Scherzinger was a member of the bestselling pop group the Pussycat Dolls. Because of her experience chasing stardom as a pop singer, she says she can relate to her _Sunset Blvd_ character Norma Desmond. “Time is fleeting for all of us, and Norma struggled with abandonment, deep loneliness, feeling unseen, and not accepted,” Scherzinger told TIME for a [recent profile](https://time.com/collections/gold-house/7277143/nicole-scherzinger-broadway/ "undefined"). “A lot of us feel that way, especially in this industry.” Scherzinger is also on [TIME’s 2025 list](https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/ "undefined") of the most influential people in the world. In a [tribute](https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273828/nicole-scherzinger/ "undefined") to Scherzinger for the list, Tony Award-winning actor and singer [Patti LuPone](https://time.com/6186965/75th-tony-awards-recap/ "undefined") described her performance as “courageous, audacious, mesmerizing, elegantly beautiful, and ultimately heartbreaking,” and capped it off with “Brava, Diva.” Earlier this week, _Sunset Blvd._ announced a final extension on Broadway with performances through July 20. Scherzinger said she never felt like she belonged as a child, but "You all have made me feel that I belong and I have come home at last. So if theres anyone out there who feels like they don't belong or your time hasnt come," she continued, "don't give up, just keep on giving and giving because the world needs your love and your light more than ever now." ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7291513/nicole-scherzinger-wins-first-tony/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7291513/nicole-scherzinger-wins-first-tony/"},"headline":"Nicole Scherzinger Wins First Tony Award for Her Performance in Sunset Blvd.","datePublished":"2025-06-09T03:11:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:46:15.688Z","description":"The performer won in a competitive category which included Tony record holder Audra McDonald.","url":"https://time.com/7291513/nicole-scherzinger-wins-first-tony/","keywords":["awards","Brief","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81fac00d9b39c982/6998c750f1b0820c2f6f1691/GettyImages-2219245596.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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