Fergie Duhame Stacy Ann Ferguson
Fergie Duhamel is an American singer and actress. She first achieved chart success as part of the hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. Her debut solo album,
The Dutchess, saw commercial success and spawned three Billboard Hot 100 number one singles: “London Bridge”, “Glamorous”, and “Big Girls Don’t Cry”
Fergie was originally a member of the children’s television series Kids Incorporated and the girl group Wild Orchid. In 2001, she left the group and in the subsequent year joined the Black Eyed Peas.
She worked with the Black Eyed Peas on two albums before releasing her debut solo album, The Dutchess, in 2006. She continued her collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas and released a further two albums with them,
The E.N.D. (2009) and The Beginning (2010). Her second solo album, Double Dutchess, was released in 2017.
Fergie has additionally appeared in various films, including Poseidon (2006), Grindhouse (2007), and Nine (2009).
She launched her first fragrance, Outspoken, under Avon in May 2010 and has since released four more fragrances. Her footwear line, Fergie Footwear, was launched in 2009
The Black Eyed Peas were recording their third album, Elephunk (2003), when will.i.am invited Fergie to try out for a song called “Shut Up”. She secured the gig and instantly bonded with the trio, going on to record five additional songs on the album.
The following spring, shortly before Elephunk came out, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine offered Fergie a permanent spot to take over vocal duties and fill the void left by background singer Kim Hill’s departure in 2000. In a positive review of the Black Eyed Peas’ new-found style, Rolling Stone noted that since 2002,
when the group “hired a blond bombshell named Stacy ‘Fergie’ Ferguson and gave up their pursuit of backpack-rapper cred, they have made a kind of spiritual practice of recording futuristic song
– a total aesthetic commitment that extends from their garish wardrobes to their United Colors of Benetton worldview.”From Elephunk came “Where is the Love?”, which became the Black Eyed Peas’ first major hit:
it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in several other countries. The album subsequently spawned “Shut Up”, which topped the charts in many markets.
The third single from the album, “Hey Mama”, reached the top 10 in several European countries and later peaked at number twenty-three in the United States in 2004.
Their next album, Monkey Business, was released on June 7, 2005, and debuted at number two on the U.S.
Billboard 200 albums chart, selling over 295,000 copies in its first week and was later certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Their next and last commercially released single from the album was “Pump It”, which borrows much of its sound from “Misirlou”, specifically Dick Dale’s version; it peaked at number 8 in Australia but 18 in America. The album’s first single,
“Don’t Phunk with My Heart”, was a hit in the United States, reaching number three on the U.S. Hot 100 and earned them another Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. “Don’t Lie”, the second single from the album, saw success on the U.S.
Hot 100, reaching No. 14, although becoming somewhat more successful in the UK and Australia, reaching a peak of No.6 in both countries.
“My Humps”, another song from the album, immediately achieved commercial success in the U.S. and fairly substantial radio play despite the sexually suggestive lyrics, reaching number three on the U.S. Hot 100 and number one in Australia, making it their fourth Australian number one single.
However, many mocked the song for its poor lyrical content; John Bush, writing for AllMusic, described it as “one of the most embarrassing rap performances of the new millennium”
Later in 2005, the Black Eyed Peas toured with Gwen Stefani, as supporting act. In December 2005, they embarked on the “European Tour”. In March 2006, the Black Eyed Peas toured again, as the featured headliner for the Honda Civic Tour.
In early 2009, Fergie and the group left A&M Records; both remained with Interscope Records.The group’s fifth studio album, The E.N.D
(“The Energy Never Dies”), was released on June 9, 2009. The overall sound of the album has a more electro hop beat rather than the usual hip pop/R&B feeling of their previous albums. In its first week, the album sold 304,000 copies and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200.
They released “Boom Boom Pow” as the lead single from their fifth album, The E.N.D., in March 2009. It went to number one in the United States and became the group’s first chart topper.
As of March 2011, the album has sold over 3,000,000 copies in the US aloneIn France, the album proved to be very successful. It spent 55 weeks inside of the top 10 with 11 at No.
They subsequently released a second single from the album, “otta Feeling”, which proved an even greater success than the first: it moved from number two behind “Boom Boom Pow” to the top spot in July and stayed for 14 straight weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 10
the longest stay at the top of 2009. The two hit singles back to back kept the Black Eyed Peas on the top for 26 consecutive weeks, from April 18 through October 16.
“Meet Me Halfway” was released as the third single from the album in September 2009. The single reached number one in the United Kingdom and Australia. It also peaked at seven on the Billboard Hot 100. In October 2009,
Fergie became a part owner of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins. “Imma e” was released as the fourth single; it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. “Rock That Body” was then released as the fifth single and reached number nine on the U.S. charts
In September 2009, the group embarked on The E.N.D World Tour, visiting Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. In October 2009, they also were the opening acts for 5 concerts of the U2 360° Tour North America leg. The group performed at the Grammys on January 31, 2010.
They performed a mash-up of “Imma Be”/”I Gotta Feeling”. They won 3 out of the 6 awards they were nominated for including Best Pop Vocal Album for The E.N.D., Best Pop VocalPerformance by a Group for “I Gotta Feeling” and Best Short Form Video for “Boom Boom Pow”. On July 27, 2010, the Black Eyed Peas released a remix album: The E.N.D. Summer 2010 Canadian Invasion Tour:
Remix Collection. It was released on iTunes in Canada only, during the Canadian leg of The E.N.D World Tour. It mostly features remixes of the singles taken from The E.N.D.
It also features a remix of “Let’s Get It Started” taken from Elephunk; the remix was also a bonus track on the deluxe edition of The E.N.D.. She launched her debut fragrance, Outspoken, under Avon in May 2010
Her performance of Gimme Shelter with Mick Jagger and U2 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary in 2010 has over 13 million views
Their sixth studio album, The Beginning, was released on November 30, 2010, and received mixed reviews
The album’s first single release was called “The Time (Dirty Bit)”.In January 2011, she began appearing in Dr Pepper Cherry commercials. “Just Can’t Get Enough”, the album’s second single, was released on February 18, 2011.
The music video was released on March 16, 2011, and it was filmed in Tokyo, one week before the earthquake and the tsunami. The video was directed by Ben Mor. The group’s third single was “Don’t Stop the Party” and it was released on May 10, 2011.
On the same day, a music video for the song was released on iTunes, along with the single. The video, which is directed by Ben Mor, features on stage and backstage footage of the group during
The E.N.D. World Tour in 2009–10. The video premiered on Vevo on May 12, 2011. On May 22, the group appeared on
Billboard Music Awards and won 1 of their 4 nominations, for “Top Duo/Group” On the July 6, 2011 during a concert at Alton Towers in Staffordshire,
the Black Eyed Peas announced they are taking an indefinite hiatus following the completion of their current tour, as they did between 2005 and 2009. On September 22, Fergie visited Madame Tussauds for the unveiling of her wax figure in Las Vegas, Nevada.
