Singer Fergie enjoyed huge popularity as a member of the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas. But now she has left the group and is performing as a solo artist.
Stacey Ann Ferguson was born March 27, 1975 in Whittier, California. She began appearing in commercials and on the set of Kids Incorporated in 1984.
The album Elephunk (2003) became a hit. It included singles: Where Is The Love?, Hello, Mum. Fergie has also released two albums as a solo artist. These are The Dutchess and Double Dutchess.
Fergie's early life
Stacey started out as an actress, appearing in commercials and doing voiceover work. She then joined the cast of Kids Incorporated in 1984. The show featured members of the fictional music group Kids Incorporated. There, Fergie was given the opportunity to demonstrate his singing abilities.
It was later acquired by Disney Channel. Along with Fergie, the program featured other future performers such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Eric Balfour. She stayed with the show for six seasons.
In the 1990s, Fergie teamed up with Stephanie Riedel and former Kids Incorporated actress Renee Sands to form the pop group Wild Orchid.
They released their first self-titled album in 1996. Thanks to the collection hits came out: At Night I Pray, Talk to Me and Supernatural. Their next album Oxygen (1998) was not as successful as their first records.
As her musical career failed, Fergie had a lot of fun and started using crystal meth.
She then decided to stop her heavy partying, giving up drugs in 2002. In an interview with Time magazine, Fergie talked about how crystal meth "was the hardest guy I've ever had to break up with."
Fergie in the Black Eyed Peas
Fergie joined the group Black Eyed Peas. Her first album with the group was Elephunk (2003). He became successful with several successful singles, including Where Is The Love?, Hey, Mum.
The group received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Duo for Let's Get It Started.
The group, which included apl.de.ap, will.i.am and Taboo, released the album Monkey Business (2005). It reached the top of the rap, R&B and hip hop charts and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200.
The band won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for Don't Phunk With My Heart in 2005. As well as the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance My Humps in 2006.
The Black Eyed Peas experienced another wave of chart success in 2009 with The END. The record reached the top of the Billboard album charts with songs like I Gotta Feeling and Boom Boom Pow. In 2010, the band released their sixth studio album, The Beginning.
Fergie solo success
In 2006, Fergie released her own solo album. With The Dutchess, she reached the top of the charts with hits such as London Bridge, Glamorous and Big Girls Don't Cry.
The singer has demonstrated her ability to handle different styles and moods on the record, from emotional ballads, hip-hop tracks to reggae-tinged songs.
Continuing her solo career, Fergie created the song A Little Party That Never Killed Anyone (All We Got). She became the soundtrack to the film "The Great Gatsby" (2013). The following year, Fergie released the single LA Love (La La).
In 2017, the singer released her second studio album Double Dutchess. And it included collaborations with Nicki Minaj, YG and Rick Ross. Will.i.am then talked about how the Black Eyed Peas were "moving" forward on the new album without Fergie. This marks the completion of her contribution to the group.
Fashion, Film & TV
In addition to music, Fergie has been recognized for her looks. In 2004, she was chosen as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world (according to People magazine).
In 2007, she was featured in a series of advertisements for Candies. This is a company that produces shoes, clothing and accessories. Fergie is a big fan of fashion. And she did more than just be a model. She also signed an agreement to create two bag collections for Kipling North America.
Fergie then played small roles in films such as Poseidon (2006) and Grindhouse (2007). She also appeared in the musical Nine (2009) with Daniel Day-Lewis, Penélope Cruz and Judi Dench. And the following year, she did voice work in Marmaduke.
After releasing her second album, in January 2018, Fergie began working in The Four singing competition. She also sang the national anthem before the NBA All-Star game. There was a jazz performance that caused a storm on social media.
Fergie's personal life
Fergie married actor Josh Duhamel in January 2009. They welcomed their first child, Axel Jack, in August 2013. In September 2017, the couple announced they were separating after eight years of marriage.
"With absolute love and respect, we have decided to separate as a couple earlier this year," the joint statement read. “To give our family the best opportunity to adjust, we wanted to keep this a private matter before sharing it with the public. We will always be united in our support for each other and our family."
