Fergie

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• Genre: Hitmakers
• Hometown: Los Angeles
• Fergie Website

About

Born Stacy Ferguson in 1975, the woman now simply known as Fergie rose to fame as essentially a set-piece for one of the most popular pop-rap bands of the new millennium. But things weren't always so rosy for the California native. Her first go around in the music industry, with group the Wild Orchid, left her confused and depressed. After Orchid was dropped from their recording contract in the late-'90s, Fergie struggled with addiction and mental instability. But then she landed a role as a temporary background singer for up-and-coming hip-hop act the Black Eyed Peas. In 2003, she was offered a permanent position. And when their songs "Where Is the Love" and "Let's Get It Started" rocketed up the charts, she quickly became a star, appearing in music-related journals such as Blender and FMH. The runaway success of 2005's "My Humps" -- Fergie's meditation on female anatomy -- led to a solo career. Her 2006 album, The Duchess of York, was her debut.

- Sam Chennault