Fergie (singer)

Stacy Ann "Fergie" Ferguson ( FUR-ghee; born March 27, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. After earning recognition as a child actress in the 1980s, Fergie achieved international fame as a member of the Black Eyed Peas from 2002 to 2018. During her tenure with the group, she also achieved success with her solo career, film and television appearances, and business ventures.

As a child, Fergie starred on the children's television series Kids Incorporated from 1984 to 1989, and voiced Sally Brown in two Peanuts television specials and in The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1984–1986). She later co-founded the girl group Wild Orchid, performing on two of the group's albums. Fergie then joined the Black Eyed Peas in 2002, from which she achieved her commercial breakthrough and with whom she recorded four albums. Her debut solo album, The Dutchess (2006), peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Glamorous" and "London Bridge", as well as the top-five singles "Clumsy" and "Fergalicious". Her second solo album, Double Dutchess (2017)—accompanied by a namesake film subtitled Seeing Double—peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the top 40 singles "L.A. Love (La La)" and "M.I.L.F. $".

Fergie continued acting into the 2000s, appearing in the disaster film Poseidon (2006), the double feature Grindhouse (2007), the musical drama Nine (2009), and the comedy film Marmaduke (2010). She also pursued other ventures, releasing the fragrance Outspoken with Avon Products in 2010, and launching four other fragrances and two footwear lines. She began hosting the reality series The Four: Battle for Stardom in 2018.

Fergie has sold over 30 million records within the United States alone, and her accolades include eight Grammy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Billboard named her Woman of the Year in 2010, and ranked her among the top female artists of the 2000s decade and the 21st century.

Early life, family and education

Stacy Ann Ferguson was born on March 27, 1975, in Hacienda Heights, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Her parents are Terri (née Gore) and Jon Patrick Ferguson. She has a younger sister named Dana Ferguson; their ancestry includes English, Irish, Mexican, and Scottish. Ferguson was raised Roman Catholic.

She 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

1984–2001: Early acting and Wild Orchid

Fergie studied dance and began providing voiceovers. She was the voice for Charlie Brown's sister 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, Fergie 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.

Additionally, she 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 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.

Wild Orchid released their self-titled debut album in March 1997, which charted 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 US 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.

2002–2005: Breakthrough with the Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas were recording their third album, Elephunk (2003), when A&R Music Coordinator Dante Santiago asked will.i.am to invite Fergie to try out for the song "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 Records 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' newfound 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 songs — 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; it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. The album sold over 295,000 copies in its first week; it was later certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (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 and 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 US 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 lyrics. 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 a 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.

2006–2008: The Dutchess and expansion

Fergie's debut solo album, The Dutchess, was released in September 2006. It was initially recorded in 2005. The songs on the album are "from a seven-year period, but [Interscope CEO] Jimmy Iovine heard some [tracks] and was like, 'This is great, let's put it out'. One of the album's executive producers and fellow Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am stated that she was "writing about her personal struggles and casting her demons away and feminine power. [It's] her singing for young girls to be strong, and what they're going through in life, just growing up in this world of uncertainty." "London Bridge" was released as the album's lead single on July 18, 2006, to radio stations and on August 7, 2006, on the iTunes Store. The urban pop track caused controversy due to its double entendre title. It became a huge success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 (for three weeks) and New Zealand charts, while also reaching the top-ten in over twelve countries. The music video for the song features the Black Eyed Peas members as well as Fergie on the Tower Bridge, among other scenes.