Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am appears to have confirmed reports Fergie has left the group.
Rumours of a falling out swirled after the Fergalicious singer appeared to have driven a wedge between herself and her bandmates by forming her own record label.
The singer has left Interscope Records to form a new company under BMG, and the band’s Taboo was clearly far from happy.
He unfollowed the M.I.L.F. $ star on social media shortly after the new deal was announced and then posted a shot of the cover of the Black Eyed Peas’ 1998 album Behind The Front, which was released before Fergie joined the boys.
Now, as the group prepares to hit the stage for Ariana Grande’s big Manchester, England benefit on Sunday (04Jun17), will.i.am has hinted Fergie won’t be joining him, Taboo and Apl.de.ap, insisting she has just been one of many female stars who have appeared with the core trio over the years.
“Since the beginning of Black Eyed Peas, we’ve always had amazing vocalists that appeared on the mic with us,” he says in a new interview with Ahlan. “People like Macy Gray, Esthero, Debi Nova, Fergie. On Elephunk, there were several females that appeared on that album.
“Obviously Fergie was the featured female, but on songs like Let’s Get it Started, it’s Noelle (Scaggs), and then Fergie, songs like Latin Girls, it’s Debi Nova, and Request Line, it’s Macy Gray. We’ll always work with good females.”
will.i.am also insists no one will be replacing Fergie, adding, “Nobody is replacing Fergie. She’s working on her solo project at the moment, we’re on this brand new experience, celebrating 20 years of Black Eyed Peas putting out music. We worked on a bunch of songs on her solo record, we’re proud that she has her label, but Black Eyed Peas are pushing it forward in terms of content, technology and experiences on our new project, Masters of the Sun.”
The group last performed with Fergie in late 2011 and will.i.am released two Peas songs to mark the group’s 20th anniversary in 2015, but neither featured the singer, who joined the group in 2002.
Fergie has made her mark as a solo star in recent years, thanks to hits like M.I.L.F. $, Fergalicious, Big Girls Don’t Cry, and London Bridge.