Fergie is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as a member of the successful hip-hop group, The Black Eyed Peas, before starting her solo career. Her debut solo album The Dutchess (2006) saw commercial success and spawned three BillboardHot 100 number one singles; “London Bridge”, “Glamorous”, and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Throughout her solo career and as a member of The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie has won nine American Music Awards and eight Grammies. She’s made recent news for her unique and not so well received performance of the National Anthem for the NBA All-Star Game.
Fergie Net Worth: $45 Million
The Black Eyed Peas and her success as a solo artist have treated Fergie quite well. Let’s take a look at how it all happened below!
1984-2002
Stacy Ann Ferguson (Fergie) grew up in Hacienda Heights, California and went to Glen A. Wilson High School where she was a cheerleader, straight-A student, spelling bee champion, and Girl Scout. She studied dance and did some voiceover and acting work as a child. Most notably, she provided the voice for Sally in two made-for-television Peanuts cartoons. From 1984 to 1989, she starred on the TV show Kids Incorporated and was the longest-running cast member, appearing 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. They signed with RCA Records in 1994 and produced two albums with limited success over the next seven years. Fergie left the group in 2001. She later said that she made the decision because of frustration with the band’s image and personal drug problems.
2003-2005
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 got 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. 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.
Their next album, Monkey Business, was released on June 7, 2005, and debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and was later certified triple platinum. “Pump It”, “Don’t Phunk with My Heart”, “Don’t Lie”, and “My Humps” were all recorded on this album and all cracked the Top 20 on U.S. charts.
2006-2008
Fergie’s debut solo album, The Dutchess, was a monster success and catapulted her into stardom as a solo artist. To date, it has sold over five million copies in the United States and over nine million copies worldwide. “London Bridge” was the first released single and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. Four additional singles were released afterward: “Fergalicious”, “Glamorous”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, and “Clumsy.” All of which made the top 10 in the U.S. and were very successful abroad as well. “Glamorous” topped the charts in the U.S., and also reached the top-ten in over seven countries. The album’s fourth single, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, was the biggest hit. The ballad became a huge success worldwide, topping the charts of ten countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United States.
2009-2012
After rejoining The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie and the group released their fifth studio album, The E.N.D, in early 2009. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and had many hit singles like, “Boom Boom Pow”, “I Gotta Feeling”, “Meet Me Halfway”, “Imma Be”, and “Rock That Body”. Their sixth studio album, The Beginning, was released in 2010 to mixed reviews. The album had singles like “The Time (Dirty Bit)”, “Just Can’t Get Enough”, and “Don’t Stop The Party” which were met with some success, but nothing like they’re previous releases. During The Black Eyed Peas world tour in 2011, the group announced they would be taking an indefinite hiatus.
2013-Present
In 2013, Fergie announced she was working on her second solo album, Double Dutchess. Over the next four years, three singles were released in anticipation of the delayed album premiere: “L.A. Love (La La)”, “M.I.L.F. $”, and “Life Goes On”. The album was finally released on September 22, 2017. Double Dutchess failed to replicate the commercial success of its predecessor. Although it debuted within the top 20 of the Billboard 200, it fell off fast and in its third week, fell out of the Top 200. In total, the album has sold almost 30,000 copies in the US and 45,000 worldwide.
