| Fergie | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name | Fergie |
| Nicknames | Fergie Duhamel |
| Birth date | March 27, 1975 |
| Birthplace | |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop, pop |
| Occupations |
Singer,songwriter, rapper, actress, television host, fashion designer |
| Years Active | 1984–present |
| Labels | RCA, will.i.am, Interscope, BMG, Dutchess Music |
| Associate Acts |
Wild Orchid, The Black Eyed Peas |
| Website | Fergie's Official Website |
Fergie[]
Fergie Duhamel (/ˈfɜːrɡi dəˈmɛl/; born Stacy Ann Ferguson; March 27, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress. She originally achieved chart success as part of the hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. Her debut solo album, The Dutchess (2006), 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 September 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). Fergie began touring with her own group in 2009. Her second solo album, Double Dutchess, was released on September 22, 2017.
In May 2010, Fergie launched her first fragrance, Outspoken, under Avon and has since released four more fragrances.
Early life[]
Fergie was born in either Hacienda Heights, California, or Whittier, California, to a mother with the maiden name Gore. Her ancestry includes English, Irish, Mexican, Native American, and Scottish. She was raised Roman Catholic and attended Mesa Robles Middle School and Glen A. Wilson High School. She was a cheerleader, straight-A student, spelling bee champion, and Girl Scout.
Career[]
1984–2002: Television, acting and Wild Orchid Fergie studied dance and began to do voiceover work; she provided the voice for Sally in two made-for-television Peanuts cartoons, It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984) and Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985), as well as on four episodes of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. From 1984 to 1989, she starred on the TV show Kids Incorporated and was the longest running cast member; she starred in the first six of the show's nine seasons. Fergie was a member of the female trio Wild Orchid, which she fronted with Stefanie Ridel and fellow Kids Incorporated star Renee Sandstrom. By 1992, the girls began meeting with record labels, but they still could not get a recording contract. They eventually signed a music publishing deal with Sony Publishing before signing a record contract with RCA Records in 1994. In April 2007, she gave an interview in which she admitted that she went on a sex and drugs spree when she turned eighteen, saying: "I have had lesbian experiences in the past. I won't say how many men I've had sex with—but I am a very sexual person."
Wild Orchid's first single, "At Night I Pray", debuted on the Billboard charts in September 1996. In March 1997, the band released their self-titled debut album, which debuted at #153 on the Billboard 200. In September 1998, they released their second album, Oxygen, which was a commercial failure, only selling 200,000 copies worldwide. From June 16 to August 28, 1999, they opened for Cher's Do You Believe? Tour alongside Cyndi Lauper, which took them to 52 cities across the United States and Canada. They completed a third album, which their record label declined to release, and Fergie left the group in September 2001. In 2006, Fergie told Entertainment Weekly that both frustrations with the band's image and personal drug problems led her to leave Wild Orchid.
2013–present: Double Dutchess In 2013, Fergie announced that she had begun writing her second solo studio album. In April, Fergie received the "Always Next, Forever Now" award from LOGO TV in honor of her work in the LGBT community. Fergie has filed a claim at the Los Angeles County Superior Court to legally change her name to Fergie Duhamel and take the last name of her husband, Josh Duhamel. Her lawyer claims that she is doing so to "conform to the first name which she is commonly and professionally known as, and has been for many years." On January 6, 2014, it was announced, again, that Fergie was beginning the process of her second studio album. She stated in an interview with radio host Ryan Seacrest that will.i.am will be handling the production, with release through Interscope. In September 2014, it was announced that Fergie's second studio album has been slated for a 2015 release. A new single from Fergie, titled "L.A. Love (La La)", was released to contemporary hit radio on September 30, 2014. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 and peaking at number 27. As of November 30, 2014, it has peaked at number 16 on Rhythmic Songs, number eight on Hot Rap Songs, number 24 on Digital Songs and number 20 on Pop Songs radio chart. On April 22, 2015, the singer performed a song with the Black Eyed Peas at the 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as part of David Guetta's set. Fergie announced in June 2015 that she was putting the finishing touches on the album, titled Double Dutchess.
A teaser for the album titled "Hungry (1st Byte)" was released on June 9, 2016. On July 1, she released a new single, titled "M.I.L.F. $". Fergie was inspired to write the song after the birth of her son, Axl. The music video was conceptualized by Fergie and features a group of famous mothers, including Ciara, Chrissy Teigen, Alessandra Ambrosio, Kim Kardashian West, Gemma Ward, Tara Lynn, Devon Aoki, Angela Lindvall, Isabeli Fontana, Amber Valletta, and Natasha Poly as lingerie-clad 1950s housewives. On November 11, 2016, Fergie released the third single from the album, "Life Goes On". In November 2016, during a live Facebook chat, Fergie confirmed that the album would see its release in 2017. In May 2017, it was announced that Fergie had parted ways — by mutual decision — with Interscope and would launch her own imprint, Dutchess Music, as part of a global partnership with BMG Rights Management. On June 2, 2017, a Billboard article rumoured that Fergie was departing from the Black Eyed Peas. Band frontman will.i.am dismissed this, but stated that Fergie was taking a break from the group opting to concentrate on her solo career whilst the remaining members are working on a side project. After much anticipation, the pre-order of Double Dutchess was made available on August 25, 2017 along with instant downloads of "Hungry" and "You Already Know", collaborations with Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj respectively, the latter being the fourth single of the album. On September 16, 2017, Fergie performed a solo set live from the Rock in Rio stage in Rio de Janeiro for over a hundred thousand people with surprise guests Pabllo Vittar, Sergio Mendes and Gracinha Leporace.
Double Dutchess was finally released on September 22, 2017. On February 18, 2018, will.i.am confirmed Fergie's departure from the band, in an interview with the Daily Star.
At the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, Fergie performed a controversial rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" which People described as a "slowed-down jazzy rendition" with Deadline reporting it as being "bluesy" and "breathy". She would later acknowledge that "clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone."
Personal life[]
Fergie began dating actor Josh Duhamel in September 2004, after she met him when she and the Black Eyed Peas filmed a cameo for an episode of Duhamel's show Las Vegas. Fergie and Duhamel became engaged in December 2007; they married in a Catholic ceremony on January 10, 2009. They have one son, Axl Jack Duhamel, born on August 29, 2013. In May 2009, Fergie came out as bisexual in The Sun. On September 14, 2017, Fergie and Duhamel announced that they had separated earlier that year.
Substance abuse While performing with Wild Orchid, Fergie developed an addiction to crystal methamphetamine which followed her after she left the group in 2001. In September 2006, Fergie talked with Time magazine about quitting her crystal meth addiction. "It was the hardest boyfriend I ever had to break up with," she says. "It's the drug that's addicting. But it's why you start doing it in the first place that's interesting. A lot of it was being a child actor; I learned to suppress feelings." Fergie has stated in several interviews that she is an avid user of hypnotherapy, which she used to overcome her crystal meth addiction and to relax.
Discography[]
- The Dutchess (2006)
- Double Dutchess (2017)