Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson was one of the top pop music stars in the middle of the 2000s. She performed double duty as The Black Eyed Peas’ lone female band member when she broke records with her own solo album, The Dutchess, in 2006.
What followed was a run of successes with the Peas, including the enduringly popular “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling,” as well as enormous success with her solo music, including the ballad “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Fergalicious.” But this eight-time Grammy winner has withdrawn from the public eye in recent years. When will Fergie make a comeback to the spotlight and why haven’t we heard much from her lately?
Contrary to misconceptions, Fergie is still a member of The Black Eyed Peas; nevertheless, she is taking a vacation from the band that helped her become well-known.
As previously reported by Nicki Swift, social media erupted in early June 2017 over claims that will.i.am had informed Ahlan! magazine that Fergie was no longer involved. The rumor was promptly denied by Fergie’s representative.
The singer said in a statement provided to The Associated Press that she was “concentrating on her new album and is excited for fans to hear it” (via CBS News). Also speaking out was Will.i.am. He declared, “Fergie is family and will always be a Pea.”
We wholeheartedly support her solo record, which she is concentrating on. Fergie tweeted encouragement for her bandmates as well: Everyone is aware of my unwavering love and support for my @bep brothers.
Even while the old collaborators may find this changing professional dynamic strange, there are obviously no animosities. In 2016, Fergie spoke to Radio.com “I am familiar with the guys; we are all musicians with a passion to create. I am overjoyed for everybody who needs to make music in their life; we only need to be joyful for one another.”
Double Dutchess, Fergie’s much-awaited sophomore album, has been promoted for almost five years!
The musician is well aware of the rising excitement for its release. She met with EW in September 2017 to discuss the delays.
I won’t forgo spending time with my kid. That simply cannot happen, “She told the magazine. “I’m with Axl, so they can keep knocking on my door to release an album. I’m not connected to anything! Bye!’” However, this does not imply that Fergie would dial in until she had set aside some time in the studio. She told EW, “I’ve never taken on this much responsibility, “I’m the executive producer of the record, and I kept trying to improve it. I wanted to aim high and be the best.
Fergie started releasing three singles in 2014 as album appetizers, but none of those songs did well.
“L.A. Love,” which debuted in 2014, reached its highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 27. The lead single for the album was planned to be that song, but it did not do well on the charts. There isn’t much more to “L.A. Love (La La)” than a dumb geography lecture over one of those catchy DJ Mustard tracks that we’ve already heard 10 times, claims a Pop Dust critic. Ouch.
In July 2016, Fergie changed her sound with the ironic, techno-heavy “M.I.L.F.$.” The second single did much worse than the first, in spite of its popular music video, which featured Kim Kardashian, Ciara, and Chrissy Teigen as famous mothers. The track appeared to be completely perplexing to critics. Before disappearing from the Hot 100, it reached a high of No. 34.
“Life Goes On,” which was released in late 2016, was the pop singer’s third strike. This song was more introspective and put more emphasis on Fergie’s voice, but it failed to catch on and only reached a meager No. 39 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs list. It did not appear at all on the Hot 100.
Variety stated in 2017 that given how long it had taken to create, her new music’s “tepid reception seemed surprising.”
Fergie and Interscope Records, her previous label, ended their collaboration in May 2017. Variety was informed by a label representative that “The decision to separate ways was made. We all attended the concert and are concerned about Fergie.”
After parting ways with Interscope, Fergie quickly signed a record deal with BMG to start her own label, Dutchess Music, which would provide her greater creative flexibility and control. Jon Cohen, a BMG executive, praised the new partnership and said to Variety, “With Double Dutchess, Fergie has created something so original that it completely redefines who she is as an artist. Our work is already one of my most thrilling moments with BMG, and we can’t wait for its release thanks to her prolific output.”
Fergie’s first priority is her family. She claimed to have “put everything into being a parent, a wife, and doing this album” in an interview with Radio.com (via E! News), however after eight years of marriage to actor Josh Duhamel, the couple announced their separation in September 2017.
In a joint statement to People, the couple said, “With absolute love and respect, we chose to separate as a couple earlier this year.” “Before releasing this information to the world, we wanted to keep it a private matter to give our family the best chance to adjust. We support one another and our family together, and we always will.”
Duhamel’s alleged cheating scandal with a stripper less than a year into the marriage was one of the couple’s many ups and downs. After overcoming that obstacle, the couple appeared to be doing better than ever and relishing life with their baby Axl, but undoubtedly, there were issues going on behind the scenes.
Axl Jack was born to Fergie and Duhamel in August 2013. Just a few months later, the new mother couldn’t help but gush about her child, whom she refers to as a “mini-me” of her husband, during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
In spite of her busy schedule, this professional mother, who turned 42 in 2017, makes time for her son. She shared a sweet photo of her gorgeous toddler on site during the filming of the music video for “M.I.L.F.$.” on Instagram. (That song might at some point become a little uncomfortable for these two.)
Fergie said to Entertainment Tonight Canada in August 2017: “Everything is based on the Google Calendar. Everything is color-coded and divided into categories, so we just need to be extremely organized when it comes to our planning since it’s crucial to us that [our son] Axl comes first. Currently, we’re working to make that happen, and although it’s a little challenging, we’re doing it because we love him.”
Fergie has been a consistent advocate of LGBTQ+ rights since she came out as bisexual in an interview with the Advocate in 2009 (via the New York Daily News).
In 2016, she served as the event’s headlining act during NYC Pride, as reported by Out Magazine “This is the celebration. I’ve wanted to participate in Pride for so long. It was such an honor, and because of what happened, it took on even more significance “referring to the tragic shooting at Orlando, Florida’s Pulse nightclub. “We are not going to allow anyone make us live in fear, we will not let anyone ruin our PRIDE,” Fergie declared as she ascended the stage.
According to USA Today, Fergie has also collaborated with numerous groups to raise money and awareness for the fight against HIV/AIDS. These groups include amfAR and the MAC Aids Fund. She has also been a longtime supporter of The Trevor Project, a group that works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.
In 2011, she spoke out against bullying at Trevor Live. When someone bullies you, you feel ashamed because you’re being bullied and you don’t want to talk about it because you feel ashamed, the speaker explained. In contrast, the bully should experience humiliation, not the victim.
Fans of Fergie, rejoice! The release date of Double Dutchess is currently set for September 22, 2017.
What can we anticipate? The musician stated to Out Magazine, “It’s basically a variety of aspects of who I am. entirely opposite feelings. Because writing is therapeutic for me, I have a lot of things to write about, much of them being very autobiographical and intimate.”
Added she, “When you concentrate on an emotion, it expands. For the record, I really dug into a few feelings and enlarged on them, but I still kept it lighthearted and flirtatious. I enjoy making myself laugh a lot and winking at the audience. If I didn’t have those moments, I wouldn’t be myself.”
The pop diva divulged during a Facebook Live Chat in November 2016: “This record has a lot of…blood, sweat, and tears. Personal, pop, hip-hop, retro, reggae, ballads, fun, silly, all of the above, and other music are also included.
It’s somewhat of a cornucopia, then.” She said, “I am so ready for this album to come out, you have no idea. I hope it will be worth it.” She then said what we had all been thinking.
