Fergie’s back & hotter than ever
More than a decade since her solo debut the singer is back with a soul-baring second album, Double Dutchess
FOCUSING ON FAMILY Her latest album is all about her life experiences over the past 10 years – which include marriage, motherhood and her recent divorce from actor Josh Duhamel.
“There was a lot of emotional stuff I needed to clean out from inside me,” Fergie says. “I really opened my heart on this album. I’m not holding anything back.”
The 42-year-old put music on the back burner after giving birth to her son, Axl, in 2013. “I wasn’t going to sacrifice time with my child,” she says. “They could keep banging on my door [to release an album] but I was like, ‘I’m with Axl. I’m off the grid! Bye!’ ”
MEDLEY OF INFLUENCES Double Dutchess features a variety of styles – from pop and hip-hop to reggae and R&B. “I can’t put out an album of just one style of music – of just what’s ‘on trend’. I’d feel like a fraud.”
Among the big names she collaborated with are rappers YG (L.A. Love), Rick Ross (Hungry) and Nicki Minaj (You Already Know).
“I know she’s had beef with other people but for me she’s great!” Fergie says of working with the Anaconda rapper. “We’re very like-minded and detail-obsessed. She’s a boss, just like I am.”
RIDING SOLO Fergie took on more responsibility with this album, releasing it on her own record label, Dutchess Music, and also acting as executive producer. “I’ve never taken this much responsibility and I kept wanting to make it better and better. I wanted to strive for greatness,” she says.
She’s also given her fans a visual experience in the form of a short film titled Double Dutchess: Seeing Double, in which she explores her many personae.
BLACK EYED PEAS REUNION? She hasn’t ruled out returning to the Black Eyed Peas, the hip-hop group that made her famous.
Fergie joined the Peas in 2002 but hasn’t recorded with them in more than five years, opting to focus on her solo career. But as Peas frontman Will.i.am has said, Fergie “is family and will always be a Pea”. He lent his producing skills to Double Dutchess, helping out on two tracks, including You Already Know.