Following her massive success as the female vocalist for the Black Eyed Peas, Fergie stepped into the solo spotlight with The Dutchess . The title plays on her then-nickname, "Duchess" (given by will.i.am), while also nodding to the Dutch influence in her surname. The album was crafted primarily with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, along with Polow da Don and others.
: A vulnerability-focused ballad that became her longest-charting and highest-selling single
The Dutchess spawned an incredible string of five Top 5 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, proving Fergie's versatility as both a rapper and a ballad singer: : A high-energy lead single that hit #1.
If you haven’t spun in a while, do it today. It holds up best in your car with the windows down. "Glamorous" sounds richer now that we are exhausted by "hustle culture." "Big Girls Don't Cry" hits harder in your 30s than it did in high school. And "Fergalicious" is still unapologetically, obsessively fun.
Much of the album was captured on the John Lennon studio bus and at a ranch in Malibu called Morningview.