The Many Facets Of Fergie
With her sassy demeanor, risky fashion sense and an unexpected voice that belts out from a petite frame, there is more to Fergie than meets the eye.
Her catchy musical collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas have unequivocally brought her to the limelight causing listeners to inquire about that little Caucasian girl who has a powerful set of pipes.
Branching out as a solo artist, Fergie has succeeded without her male counterparts, joining the likes of female artists who have also gone successfully solo - such as Gwen Stefani who left "No Doubt" and Stevie Nicks who left "Fleetwood Mac."
Fergie, whose real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, has had three number-one hits from her debut solo album, The Dutchess - making her the first female recording artist to achieve the feat since Christina Aguilera in 2000, according to the December issue of Allure Magazine.
She also won favorite female artist at the American Music Awards where she performed a compilation of her hit songs.
Fergie has also been dabbling in other projects: She is the face of M.A.C. Cosmetics for 2008 and has a small role in "Planet Terror," part of the Grindhouse double feature.
Photos: Onstage At The AMAs
As a child, Fergie already had the inclination that she was meant to take the stage and perform.
"When I was six or seven, my mom used to take me to musicals. I would sit in the audience, and I wanted to be onstage," Fergie told Allure Magazine. "My mother saw me standing in front of the mirror singing Annie, and she asked me if that was the job I wanted-to be a singer. I told her that's what I wanted to do. This was a no-brainer for me."
The stardom officially began at age 9 when Fergie starred on a TV show called "Kids, Incorporated," about a group of children who had their own rock group. At age 14, Fergie left "Kids, Incorporated" and had some minor TV roles and was the voice of Sally in several Charlie Brown specials.
As a teenager, Fergie was exposed to an eclectic mix of music and a multitude of genres.
"One day I'd listen to 'Lighter Shade of Brown,' and another day, I'd be listening to the Steve Miller Band. It's just that I had a wide range of musical and social tastes. I've never really been easy to categorize," Fergie told Allure. "I was that suburban girl who was fascinated by things going on 40 minutes from my house. And of course, it's always fascinating if you're not involved in the heartache and the hurt of it all. For me, it was just listening to those lyrics. It felt naughty and rebellious and wonderful as a teenager."
So, in a quest to start up a hip and sexy female band, Fergie formed "Wild Orchid" (which included Kids, Incorporated costar Renee Sandstrom) in 1994. To the group's dismay, "Wild Orchid" didn't hit it big and then they broke up in 2001.
According to Allure, when "Wild Orchid" ultimately bombed, Fergie spiraled downward and got into partying and became addicted to crystal meth.
"I had chemically induced paranoid schizophrenia," she said. "At one point I gave myself an ultimatum, because I was absolutely sure the FBI and a SWAT team were coming for me. I said, 'OK, if you walk through that door and they're not out there, then it's the drugs,'" she told Allure.
Although Fergie can relate to other Hollywood stars, such as Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, when it comes to battling a drug or alcohol addiction; she can't fathom the lack of privacy they have endured while trying to recover.
"The thing that appalls me is when you get these stories from inside rehab...that's supposed to be your sanctuary," Fergie said. "People are selling their stories. And I know we live in a voyeuristic world right now, but-how are you supposed to get better when people are constantly leaking stories about you when you're in rehab? It's just not conducive to healing."
Some may get the wrong impression about Fergie when hearing the lyrics to her hit song "My Humps," but she has made it clear that she is a one-man woman. After a three year relationship with "Las Vegas" heartthrob Josh Duhamel (who she met on set of the show), they are both still faithful and smitten with each other.
"It ("My Humps" song) made me a little nervous…what I was saying was a little bit racy. But then I thought, you know what, this is gonna be fun!" and from then on, I didn't take myself too seriously. I think a lot of artists do, and that's fine for them. But I just don't," Fergie said. "I know who I am when all the lights are off, and I'm in my room by myself. Of course I'm not a square. I'm a very sensual person, and I love being with one man. My man."
Fergie has come a long way since her Kids, Incorporated and Wild Orchid days. She has established herself as a strong female artist who has fun with her musical creativity -- and all the while she has managed keep her head on straight.
By Melissa Castellanos