Choreographer Travis Payne has exclusively told omg! that he thinks Nicole Scherzinger has enough experience behind her to validate her role as a judge on the X Factor this year.
Travis discovered Nicole back in 2001. [Copyright Wenn]
He told us: "I think that Nicole is very well qualified, she is immensely talented. I think that she has had enough experience that she can mentor others."
The choreographer discovered Nicole before she joined The Pussycat Dolls after she auditioned in front of him on the US version of 'Popstars' in 2001.
He said: "I remember being a judge on a show called 'Popstars' years ago which is where I found her and was very insistent upon her continuing the process and not being cut throughout the auditions. She always thanks me for that."
Travis however remembers a very different Nicole to the woman we see today.
He continued: "I saw in her that she was a star who just needed to be discovered. She was living in Kentucky at the time and I met her in Chicago."
"She was in college and had pigtails and glasses, not at all the vixen that we've come to know now."
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Travis' latest work has seen him collaborate with Cirque De Soleil for 'Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour' which premieres at O2 Arena in London tomorrow.
Travis is currently working on the Michael Jackson: Immortal Tour
The choreographer worked alongside MJ for 15 years, co-choreographing the late Jackson's sell out 2009 London dates and producing award winning film 'This is It'.
On what to expect from the show Travis told us: "You can expect to see all of the classic Michael Jackson imagery and movements as well as many surprises. This Immortal Tour is really a re-imagining of Michael's great work.
"You'll see of course the whimsy and the fun of Cirque and the fantasy that this company has created for decades with the fire, flashes and funk of Michael Jackson.
After working alongside Michael for so many years, it's fair to say that Travis knows a thing or two about what makes a pop star.
However, when asked if there was anyone in the industry today who could come close to leaving behind a legacy like Michael's, Travis was adamant there was not.
He said: "Not like Michael, there are many great artists who are out there who will have rich legacies of their own but I think Michael was a very unique individual who paved the way for a lot of those people who may come to mind."
Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil opens Friday 12th October at London's O2 until 21st October. For tickets: www.livenation.co.uk