If you spent the 2000s bopping to Fergie — both as a solo superstar and as part of the Black Eyed Peas — you may have been excited to see that the BEP just released a new album, Translation. But beware: Fergie, who was a key part of the group’s biggest hits like “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling,” is not singing with them this time out.
And according to her bandmates, she has a very good reason: She’s busy being a mom.
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Speaking with Billboard in celebration of Translation’s release, Black Eyed Peas members Will.i.am, Taboo, Apl.de.ap, and new member J. Rey Soul opened up about the and why Fergie — real name Stacy Ferguson — is not featured on the album.
“Fergie is our sister,” Apl.de.ap tells Billboard. “So even with these small connections, she’s always going to be our sister. But unfortunately, our schedule is displaced by [her] wanting to be a great mom, and she wants to focus on that. We support her 100%.”
Will.i.am added that, though they may not see each other as they once used to, he and the rest of the Peas have nothing but love for Fergie and her son, 6-year-old Axl Jack Duhamel. “We try to keep in touch. We reach out every once in a while and say our hellos and happy birthdays and Merry Christmas and Happy Easter. She knows where we’re at! We’re at the studio. And we love her, and she’s focusing on being a mom. That’s a hard job, and that’s what she really wanted to do and we’re here for her, and she knows how to contact us for a retreat or a breakaway.”
“It’s really the way Fergie designed it, so we’re respecting her design. We love Fergie, and we don’t want anything but awesomeness for her,” he added.
It’s wonderful to hear that Fergie’s former bandmates are showing support while she focuses her efforts and energies on raising her son, Axl Jack.
Fergie welcomed Axl in 2013 with then-husband Josh Duhamel. The pair split in 2017 and finalized their divorce just last November.
This is not the first time motherhood has altered Fergie’s career plans. In 2017, Fergie explained why it took her 11 years to put out her second solo album, Double Dutchess, following the massive success of her first, The Dutchess.
“I’m not going to sacrifice time with my child,” Fergie told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “That’s just not going to happen. They can keep banging on my door [to release an album], but I’m like, “I’m with Axl. I’m off the grid! Bye!”
She also said that being pregnant “reset” her for the better while simultaneously changing her time table to release new music.
We’re glad Fergie is making time for herself and her son. According to her Instagram, it seems like she is, in fact, spending most of her days with Axl Jack. And when she’s ready to come back with new music — either by herself or with the Black Eyed Peas — we’ll be ready to listen. Moms gotta have each others’ backs.
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Fergie is still one of the best! Her devotion to her kids proves this and her performance in the studio is amazing! Not only can she rap like a pro, but she can sing extremely well too. In fact, Fergie could make it as a singer alone. Watch the music video from her latest album and you will see how fantastic she really is. Also, Fergie is one of the hottest looking women on the planet with an incredible body.