FERGIE

Biography

Stacy Ann Ferguson was born on March 27th, 1975, in Hacienda Heights, California. Her parents, Terri and Pat, encouraged Fergie and her younger sister Dana to pursue careers in the entertainment industry, even though they were devout Catholics.

Fergie began her acting career as the voice of Sally on the Saturday morning cartoon The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show in 1983, as well as on two TV specials: It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984) and Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985).

In 1984, following a spot in a commercial for Rice Krispies, she appeared in the pilot for the long-running musical television show, Kids Incorporated. The show, which also starred Jennifer Love Hewitt and the girl who would become goth pop princess Martika, was a hit with Saturday morning audiences, and Fergie sang backup on it until 1989.

fergie on kids incorporated
In 1986, Fergie appeared on two TV specials: Kids Incorporated: Chartbusters and Kids Incorporated: Rock In the New Year before leaving the spotlight in 1989 and settled down to live a normal teenager's life.

Music was always her first passion and she teamed up with Stefanie Ridel and fellow Kids Incorporated member Renee Sandstrom to form the band Wild Orchid. In 1999, they had their own Saturday morning show on the FOX Family Channel.

Wild Orchid released its first album, Wild Orchid, in 1997 on RCA and it was followed the next year with Oxygen. The group scored a minor hit when the song "Declaration" was featured in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. In 2001, Wild Orchid was ready to launch a third album, but the label declined to release it. Wild Orchid ceased to exist and it triggered an emotional crisis for Fergie, which led to a crystal meth addiction.

fergie and the black eyed peas
For the next few years, Fergie continued to perform, albeit in obscurity. She became a dance-floor regular, a backup singer at a number of Los Angeles venues and then she met will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

They had a number of meetings after shows and before long, Fergie was invited to join the group in the recording studio. They recorded five songs together and the band invited her to join permanently. It took two years for their third album, Elephunk, to be produced and the arrival of Fergie to make the Black Eyed Peas appreciated in mainstream circles.

fergie releases the dutchess
After two successful BEP albums, Fergie embarked on a solo career. She contributed to the soundtrack of Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates (2004) on the remake of "True" along with will.i.am. While continuing to work on projects with the BEP, she also ventured into creating her first solo album, The Dutchess (2006). Fergie had four hit songs from The Dutchess, including "London Bridge," "Glamorous" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" -- all of which became No. 1 singles.

In 2007, Fergie hit the studios to prepare the release of her 2008 album. She also won Favorite Female Artist at the 2007 American Music Awards. And while The Dutchess continued to storm the airwaves, Fergie appeared in the remake of The Poseidon Adventure (2006) and Grindhouse (2007).