I Survived A Spin Class Taught By Nicole Scherzinger

There are many things I would do to listen to new pop music, and last week I pushed that willingness to the limit. No, I didn’t do anything shameful or humiliating — this time — but in order to listen to some of Nicole Scherzinger’s new music, I did something that I never thought I would do: take a spin class.
On Thursday night (October 2), I arrived at a Soul Cycle spot located in New York City’s West Village neighborhood. I’d often heard that patrons have a tendency to treat the brand with a devout sort of reverence, almost like a cult. But if I wanted to get an early listen to the former Pussycat Doll’s upcoming sophomore album, Big Fat Lie, I had no choice. I was ready for my baptism.
Me, texting a friend to “pray 4 me rn.”

Epic

Once I was all strapped into my stationary bike, my nerves began to settle. Partially because my shoes were literally hooked into the pedals (#NoEscape), but also because I was ready to fully give myself over to this new experience. Madeleine, our instructor and “expert at bikes that go nowhere,” began giving the “virgins” in the room (i.e., me) a bit of Soul Cycle 101.
And then Nicole walked in.

Epic

Looking casually stunning, in that low-key way only celebrities and distant first-year-of-college friend-crushes seem capable of, she made her way to the podium to join Madeleine on a neighboring bike. With all the pieces in place, it was time to tap it back.
LET’S DO THIS OH MY GOD.

Touchstone Pictures

We kicked off with the 36-year-old singer’s title track, “Big Fat Lie,” eventually spinning to the never-before-heard “Electric Blue” as we worked out way up the imaginary spin-class mountain.
Previously released songs “Your Love” and “On The Rocks” followed suit, along with a 100-percent appreciated PCD throwback with “Buttons,” and before I knew it I was hovering, ass-off-the-seat, over my bicycle.

Kinda ducking in and out of this plane of existence at that point. Hey, who put these two-pound weights in my hands? The Soul Cycle gods, I guess. The only slow moment of the night came when Madeleine put on Nicole’s new single, “Run.” Despite its down-tempo pace, it was a weirdly perfect addition to our workout playlist. The next time you’re on a stationary bike, put on “Run,” ramp up the resistance, drop your head and just zone. Speaking of the ballad, Scherzinger said that she recently filmed a music video for it while in London. She didn’t give the final product away entirely, but she did tease that shooting involved a “one-take live performance.” Back to the spin class, let’s just say that it was as bizarrely transcendental an experience as it was sweaty, and it was definitely one that I won’t soon forget. It helps that my thighs are currently thuh-robbing more than 24 hours after all this originally transpired, but still… Worth it.