Killer Love is the debut solo studio album by American singer Nicole Scherzinger which features special guest appearances from Sting, Enrique Iglesias and 50 Cent. It was released on March 18, 2011, by Interscope Records, in association with its affiliated record labels. Scherzinger had been working on a solo album since 2005, under the title Her Name Is Nicole and was originally due for release in 2007. However, unsuccessful singles and poor timing led the project being pushed back numerous times. After releasing The Pussycat Dolls' second studio album Doll Domination (2008), Scherzinger shelved the project entirely citing bad timing and creative issues as the reasons for its cancellation. Many of its songs were reassigned to the Dolls or other artists. In 2010, Moroccan producer RedOne was brought on board for a second attempt at launching her solo album.

Completed in 2011 and titled Killer Love, Scherzinger's debut album features a combination of up-tempo pop and Eurodance songs, as well as mid-tempo ballads. Songs contain influences of rock, soul and funk music, with the specific aim of selecting songs and productions which would lend themselves to being performed live. Amongst the fourteen-song track listing are two collaborations, one with Enrique Iglesias, and one with Sting, the latter of which was a leftover from the Her Name Is Nicole recording sessions. RedOne and his associates produced almost half of the album, while other contributions come from the likes of Jim Jonsin, Stargate, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Boi-1da. It would be her first and only solo studio album with Interscope, after she ended her ten-year partnership in 2014 and signed a record deal with RCA Records.

Killer Love was preceded by the release of "Poison", which peaked at number three and numbers seven in the United Kingdom and Ireland, respectively. The album's second single, "Don't Hold Your Breath", would go on to top the UK Singles Chart and reach the top five in Ireland. In an attempt to launch the album worldwide, a new version of "Right There", featuring 50 Cent, was released, becoming one of Scherzinger's highest-charting solo singles. The song gave Scherzinger her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist. Another single was released from the standard edition of the album, "Wet", which became her fourth consecutive top-ten hit in Ireland. A repackaged edition of the album spawned a brand new mid-tempo single titled "Try with Me". It gave Scherzinger her fifth consecutive top-twenty hit in the United Kingdom and helped the album to receive a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Upon its release, Killer Love received mixed to positive response from music critics. Some praised Scherzinger's strong vocals and conviction to convey emotion, while others criticized her choice of allowing RedOne to produce the majority of the album, stating that some of the songs sounded too similar to each other. At times it was felt that Scherzinger lacked coherence across the record, often taking the sound that individual producers had created for her instead of showing originality. Critics compared many of the songs to those her fellow pop and R&B contemporaries Beyoncé and Rihanna. Scherzinger recorded new songs with R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg and Ne-Yo for the North American release of Killer Love; however, she announced recording for her second studio album, originally scheduled for late 2013 release, had begun, signaling the end of the promotion for this album. In 2021, a campaign group successfully petitioned Universal Music to release Killer Love for streaming and downloads in the United States; it was released on January 7, 2021.

Amidst worldwide success with The Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger initially began work on her debut studio album back in 2005. The project, titled Her Name is Nicole, saw the singer recording 75–100 songs, with some of the songs later ending up with the Pussycat Dolls. Amongst those working on the album were Akon, Gary Lightbody, Dr. Dre, Ne-Yo, T.I., Timbaland, will.i.am, and Kanye West. However following four unsuccessful singles, Scherzinger admitted she was going to restart her album. In an interview with Billboard magazine in April 2009, she said "the current incarnation of [my album] is just in talks and in the writing process. I haven't started recording yet". Singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, confirmed that Scherzinger's album was not released so that Scherzinger could focus on the Pussycat Dolls instead. Then in January 2010, Scherzinger began the recording and writing process once again, reuniting with Ne-Yo on "personal and heartfelt" tracks. She attempted to launch her debut album for a second time in May 2010, with a brand new "rock, funk, soul edge" sound, and a brand new single "Nobody Can Change Me".

Then in August 2010, Moroccan producer RedOne confirmed his involvement in the project during an interview with BBC Music, where he confirmed that it was the third time that new material had been recorded for the album. When asked why he thought the album didn't previously come out RedOne said "Her last one never came out because it was collecting hamburgers, like fast food. One from McDonald's, one from Burger King, and so on. It tasted good, but it wasn't consistent." He confirmed that he had produced the majority of the new album. Scherzinger followed up his comments in an interview with X magazine in September 2010. She said "It was actually my decision not to put Her Name Is Nicole out, not the label's". Scherzinger then said how much of an honor it was to work with RedOne. "He's an unbelievable producer and musician. He had made some amazing songs with Lady Gaga. Now, there is someone with the 'x factor'. I can't touch GaGa or RedOne in that space, but I know that we've created something unique of our own." RedOne revealed that Jimmy Iovine (chairman of Scherzinger's record label) personally called him to work on Scherzinger's album.

"Honestly, Jimmy, if you want me to do it you gotta just trust me and let me do it, let me do a body of work and not chase a single" He was like, 'Absolutely, you go and create magic and create a style and everything. That's what we did. I think we created a new sound for Nicole Scherzinger that fits her, that really represents who she is, and you're gonna be impressed when you hear it."

According to Billboard, Scherzinger had collaborated with Ne-Yo and Jay Sean for songs on the album, while Scherzinger confirmed that the album was mostly up-tempo songs which "lend themselves to live performances". Though Ne-Yo's songs are not featured on the international version of the album, Scherzinger confirmed that songs produced by the singer-songwriter would appear on the US version of Killer Love. When Scherzinger was asked by her UK-label (Polydor Records) which artists she wanted to work with, Scherzinger's only request was UK rapper Plan B.