Stacy Ann Ferguson (born March 27, 1975), better known by her stage name Fergie, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, and actress. She is a former member of the kids' TV series Kids Incorporated, and the girl group Wild Orchid. Ferguson was also a co-host of the TV show Great Pretenders. She is currently a vocalist for the hip hop/pop group The Black Eyed Peas, as well as a solo artist, releasing her debut album, The Dutchess, in 2006.
Ferguson was born in Whittier, California to Terri Gore and Patrick Ferguson in nearby Hacienda Heights. She has one sister, Dana, who is an actress. Her parents were Catholic and worked as schoolteachers, and Ferguson had a strict Catholic upbringing. During her youth, she was involved with members of the Mexican gangs in Hacienda Heights. Ferguson attended Glen A. Wilson High School.
Ferguson was a member of the female trio Wild Orchid, which she fronted with Stefanie Ridel and fellow Kids Incorporated star Renee Sandstrom. Wild Orchid released two albums, but after completing a third album, their record label declined to release it, and she left the group shortly thereafter. Her disappointment with Wild Orchid led to an addiction to crystal methamphetamine. In September 2006, Ferguson talked with Time 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."
In 2003, Ferguson took over the lead female vocal duties for The Black Eyed Peas, replacing background singer Kim Hill, who had left the group in 2000. Ferguson recorded five songs with the group before she was invited to join them permanently. Ferguson's addition to the band, which had enjoyed underground success until then, helped them quickly grow into mainstream popularity.
After two hit Black Eyed Peas albums, Ferguson began pursuing a solo career. Her first album, released on September 19, 2006, was entitled The Dutchess. The album's name is a misspelled variant of the former title of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, with whom Ferguson shares a surname and popular nickname. The solo deal does not mean the demise of The Black Eyed Peas, as Ferguson intends to remain with the group, alternating between the two duties. The Dutchess is similar in style to that of the Black Eyed Peas, as fellow Peas member will.i.am is the album's executive producer. Ferguson has had four hit songs from The Dutchess, with "London Bridge" and "Glamorous" becoming number one singles. Her second single, "Fergalicious", peaked at #2. "London Bridge" reached #2 on the United World Chart, while "Fergalicious" and "Glamorous" both made it to #4. "Big Girls Don't Cry" has been confirmed as her fourth single.
In 2005, Ferguson urinated on stage during a performance at San Diego's Street Scene festival. Ferguson later commented on the incident: "I had a few drinks before the show, but I didn't think to go to the bathroom before we went onstage. We were jumping around...and my bladder just started." Wikipedia
_.jpg "Fergie (Stacy Ferguson)")