Nicole Scherzinger has said that her Broadway debut playing the failing Hollywood star Norma Desmond “was God’s divine plan for me all along”.

The American singer and actress, who rose to fame as a member of girl group The Pussycat Dolls, won an Olivier award for best actress in a musical for her role as Norma in a West End production of Sunset Boulevard.

The reimagined musical has moved to Broadway, with Scherzinger having her opening night at the St James Theatre in New York on Sunday.

On Instagram, the 46-year-old wrote: “I believe God has a plan for all of us — a plan and a purpose. I believe you just have to listen to the whispers of your heart and trust him.

“I see now that this show, and telling Norma’s story, was God’s divine plan for me all along. There was a purpose behind all the patience, pain, and pushbacks that have been scattered amongst the beauty of my life so far.

“Tonight I fulfil my childhood dream.”

She said she was “so honoured to take the stage with this brave and beautiful cast, crew, and creatives”, as well as echoing quotes from the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical including “this world’s waited long enough, I’ve come home at last” from the song As If We Never Said Goodbye.

Scherzinger also referenced Norma’s quote “I’m back where I was born to be” and the well-known line, “Right, Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up” in reference to a director the character imagines, in the original 1950s black comedy.

She also wrote: “It’s funny how God brings you back to your roots and the initial desire he placed on your heart. Theatre was where everything started for me.”

The new stripped-back version of Sunset Boulevard differs from the original film as well as the musical adaptation, and earned seven wins at the Olivier Awards this year.