Travis Payne: Nicole Scherzinger is a true star
Michael Jackson's choreographer Travis Payne thinks Nicole Scherzinger is a huge talent and makes a great 'X Factor' judge, but insists no one in music will ever topple the King of Pop.
Nicole Scherzinger is ''very qualified'' to be a talent show judge, legendary choreographer Travis Payne has claimed.
Travis - who is best known for inventing some of Michael Jackson's signature moves - immediately saw star potential in the former Pussycat Dolls singer while judging US programme 'Popstars' in 2001 and thinks she has all right qualities to mentor other pop hopefuls on British series 'The X Factor'.
Travis told BANG Showbiz: ''I think Nicole's very qualified. I remember being a judge on a show called 'Popstars' years ago which is where I found her, and was very insistent in her continuing on in the process through the auditions.
''She always thanks me for that, but I saw in her that she was a star and she just needed to be discovered. I met her in Chicago. She was in college and she had pigtails and glasses - not at all the vixen that we've come to know now!
''I think she's immensely talented and she's had enough experience that she can mentor others.''
Despite working closely with Nicole and the likes of Madonna and Lady Gaga, Travis is yet to find an artist who exudes as much star quality as Michael Jackson or even comes close to having his talent.
Travis doesn't think his legacy will ever be bettered and his reign as the King of Pop will last forever.
Travis admitted: ''There are many great artists out there that will have rich legacies of their own, but I think that Michael was a very unique individual who paved a way for a lot of those people.
''It wasn't just a talent, it was the timing, it was the innovation, it was the pioneering that I think are going to be very difficult for anyone to top ... That just doesn't happen anymore.''
Travis is a choreographer on the 'Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour' by Cirque du Soleil. The spectacular show opens in the UK on Friday 12 October at London's O2 arena and runs until October 21.
X Factor’s Tulisa: There's a beast inside Nicole Scherzinger
X Factor’s Tulisa: There's a beast inside Nicole Scherzinger
Tulisa Contostavlos has revealed that fellow X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger isn't as soft as she seems.
Nonetheless, former N-Dubz singer Tulisa - who's in her second year on the panel of Simon Cowell's singing contest - thinks newbie Nicole, 34, is "lovely".
Tulisa told Cosmopolitan magazine: "There will be no fights between us. We’re complete opposites and she brings out the more sensitive side in me.
"There is a beast inside Nicole, though, if you push her. She would bite your f*cking head off.
"That girl has got so much fire, but - unlike me - she keeps it reserved, whereas I wear my fire on the outside!"
Tulisa's group Little Mix won X Factor last year - but she insists she's not worried about her chances mentoring the girls category this series.
The singer continued: "I know that everyone will assume I want to win again this year - especially after the year I’ve had - but I’m not bothered.
"It’s not about me, it’s about the contestants, and I believe in righteousness. I want the right person to win, whether they are in my category or not.”
Tulisa's tough year has included a high-profile break-up from her N-Dubz band mate Fazer and the release of a "humiliating" sex tape that saw her giving oral sex to another former boyfriend.
The 24-year-old described the release of the X-rated video as the worst thing that's ever happened to her, but now she insists she's over it.
And Tulisa's adamant that she doesn't pine for the attention that comes with being a celebrity.
She continued to Cosmopolitan: “I don’t want the fame; I want the success... There’s always higher to go.
"Once I achieve something, though, I always focus on reaching for the next goal. If you don’t keep stepping up to the next level, then you just stop and think there’s nowhere to go.
"I look around me and there are other artists doing stuff on a bigger scale, and I’ve got to be up there. I should be around the world by now!"
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