Post by ELLIE on Oct 20, 2006 4:24:41 GMT 2
Ten Minutes with Fergie
09.22.06
By Ross von Metzke
I still remember the first time I knew Fergie was going to be huge. But her name wasn’t Fergie yet! Back then she was Stacy Ferguson, graduate of The Disney Channel school of performing arts (aka Kids Incorperated) and lead singer of the bubble gum pop trio Wild Orchid. The songs were cheese, the Guess? outfit they were paid to wear made them look like Valley Girls Gone Wild.
But there was this voice. A voice that once toured as a backup singer for Chaka Khan, the then platinum blonde Ferguson had a tone that could rattle the rafters on R&B/dance hits like “At Night I Pray” and “Talk to Me.” Wild Orchid never really took off, and quickly went from opening act for the likes of Cher and ‘NSync to another casualty of an over-crowded music industry.
Then, one day, cruising down the freeway, this song came on the radio. Shut Up, just Shut Up / Shut Up, the lead singer pattered in an unmistakable tone. Stacy had returned, now as Fergie (part of a catharsis that came out of parting ways with Wild Orchid)—lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas. The oft-critcially acclaimed band went from being a force of nature on the indy scene to selling 10 million plus albums and dominating the airwaves on Mtv.
Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson had arrived, and four years later, she arrives again—this time with her solo debut, The Dutchess. We sat down with Fergie to discuss the new album, her hunk of a boyfriend Josh Duhamel and her battle with crystal meth (and subsequent message for the gay community).
GayWired.com: I hope you know you’re one lucky bitch. Most gay men would kill to come home to Josh Duhamel (Fergie’s boyfriend, star of TV’s Las Vegas)
Fergie: (Laughs) Oh, I know. You don’t have to tell me!
GW: And for your lesbian fans: Have you ever experimented with a woman?
Fergie: Definitely. I’m just saying yes.
GW: So which female celeb would you go gay for?
Fergie: Hmm (pausing to think). Oh, who’s Marilyn Manson’s…?
GW: Dita Von Teese?
Fergie: Yeah!
GW: That’s a hot choice. How aware are you of your gay fan base?
Fergie: (pictured far right with Wild Orchid band mates Stefanie Ridel and Renee Sandstrom) Well, when I was in Wild Orchid, we toured with and opened for Cher. And we did gay Mardi Gras in New Orleans. So a lot of gay people have been loyal and followed my career since then, which is nice. And now, after joining the Black Eyed Peas and going through the growth that I’ve gone through, being comfortable wearing gowns again and stuff like that, I’m able to explore that part of my personality again, and I think the gay community appreciates that.
GW: The gay community is all over your first single, “London Bridge”. Do you ever have the gay audience in mind when you write or record?
Fergie: I’m not thinking of any audience. I’m just writing and creating. But I definitely have some big ballads on the album that the gay community will appreciate more than the hip-hop crowd. And I think they’ll enjoy “Fergalicious”, because it’s a great dance song—and there are subliminal meanings, of course. And “Finally”, which I did with John Legend, who plays piano. It’s a very simple, stripped-down, classic ballad where I just stand there and sing.
GW: Are those love songs about Josh?
Fergie: I’m not saying who the songs are about! They’re about a few different relationships that I’ve had, and they’re all true. But you have to realize that these songs were written over a seven year period of time, and I’ve had different boyfriends throughout that period. Josh and I are going on two years right now. I’m very excited, I’m actually flying back for our anniversary this weekend—one day, then I fly back out.
GW: What do you two have planned?
Fergie: I don’t know, I’m sure we’ll just have a date night. We’ll probably do to a nice dinner, and I don’t know if we want to do much else. I think we’ll be anxious to get back home!
GW: (laughs) Many songwriters say that the best songs come from a place of heartache and pain. What do you think?
Fergie: A lot of my songs are beautiful love songs and testaments to loves that I’ve had. The conflicts on this album are more about my struggles with drugs. “Voodoo Doll”, for example, has to do with the demons versus the angels within yourself, and “Losing My Ground” is about what I went through when I hit bottom.
GW: And hitting bottom for you was crystal meth. Crystal use has reached epidemic proportions in the gay community. As someone who successfully kicked the habit, what’s your message to gay fans who might be headed down that path?
Fergie: In my experience, ecstasy led to crystal meth, and I just think that people don’t know how addictive that drug is. It’s so cunning because it’s such a fun drug at first. You lose weight and look great for a while, but I don’t care if it takes six months or five years, it will creep up on you. Don’t be fooled and think you’re special.
GW: Your album has a Parental Advisory. Does being a bit dirty just come naturally?
Fergie: I think it’s more raw. Sometimes I’m a little too blunt, but that’s who I am. We are releasing a clean version because I don’t want to exclude my younger fan base. But at the same time, I want to say what I want to say, and sometimes there’s no other way for me to say things than to be politically incorrect.
GW: On “Glamourous”, you claim to be unaffected by money and fame. Are you really still Stacy from the block?
Fergie: I’m from a cul-de-sac, okay? (laughs) I definitely am still that girl who gets home and goes straight to Jack in the Box or Taco Bell right after I land at the airport. And I’m still that girl who likes to go home and watch Everybody Loves Raymond with my mom. That’s what I enjoy.
GW: But you must enjoy spending your cash.
Fergie: I’m not going on the huge shopping sprees that you see some of these girls go on, but I’m starting to actually buy things, and it feels kind of naughty. Like, I just got the Fendi B. bag, and I bought a Valentino purse and a big Burberry bag with a big ol’ chain on it. You have to remember, I was collecting unemployment when I joined Black Eyed Peas, so I really appreciate the worth of things. I have a room full of clothes at my mom’s that I don’t know how to throw out because I still have that weird feeling that I’m not going to get anymore.
GW: You had a small role in this summer’s Poseidon and now, you have a role in the Robert Rodriguez-directed zombie half of next year’s Grind House. Has acting always been a goal?
Fergie: It’s definitely a passion of mine. I took theater classes for a year long after my childhood acting days, when I had no idea what I was doing. It was strictly a creative outlet for me, because I wasn’t being satisfied in that way in Wild Orchid at the end. I learned the process of acting, and I’m experimenting with it a little bit as I have time. I want to earn my place in that world, so small roles are key for me right now.
GW: Right on. What about Black Eyed Peas fans who are afraid you’re breaking up?
Fergie: We’re not breaking up! We say it at every show because it’s always the question. But we are going to take a break from touring, because at the end of the year it’ll be four years straight. So I think that’s enough of a chunk of tour for a while as the Peas.
GW: So what would the Peas be without Fergie?
Fergie: I don’t know. (Pause) Well, I definitely think it would be a different color.
Fergie’s solo debut The Dutchess is in stores now. For more information, visit www.fergie.com.
Interview compiled in part with HX Magazine.
© 2006 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.
09.22.06
By Ross von Metzke
I still remember the first time I knew Fergie was going to be huge. But her name wasn’t Fergie yet! Back then she was Stacy Ferguson, graduate of The Disney Channel school of performing arts (aka Kids Incorperated) and lead singer of the bubble gum pop trio Wild Orchid. The songs were cheese, the Guess? outfit they were paid to wear made them look like Valley Girls Gone Wild.
But there was this voice. A voice that once toured as a backup singer for Chaka Khan, the then platinum blonde Ferguson had a tone that could rattle the rafters on R&B/dance hits like “At Night I Pray” and “Talk to Me.” Wild Orchid never really took off, and quickly went from opening act for the likes of Cher and ‘NSync to another casualty of an over-crowded music industry.
Then, one day, cruising down the freeway, this song came on the radio. Shut Up, just Shut Up / Shut Up, the lead singer pattered in an unmistakable tone. Stacy had returned, now as Fergie (part of a catharsis that came out of parting ways with Wild Orchid)—lead singer of the Black Eyed Peas. The oft-critcially acclaimed band went from being a force of nature on the indy scene to selling 10 million plus albums and dominating the airwaves on Mtv.
Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson had arrived, and four years later, she arrives again—this time with her solo debut, The Dutchess. We sat down with Fergie to discuss the new album, her hunk of a boyfriend Josh Duhamel and her battle with crystal meth (and subsequent message for the gay community).
GayWired.com: I hope you know you’re one lucky bitch. Most gay men would kill to come home to Josh Duhamel (Fergie’s boyfriend, star of TV’s Las Vegas)
Fergie: (Laughs) Oh, I know. You don’t have to tell me!
GW: And for your lesbian fans: Have you ever experimented with a woman?
Fergie: Definitely. I’m just saying yes.
GW: So which female celeb would you go gay for?
Fergie: Hmm (pausing to think). Oh, who’s Marilyn Manson’s…?
GW: Dita Von Teese?
Fergie: Yeah!
GW: That’s a hot choice. How aware are you of your gay fan base?
Fergie: (pictured far right with Wild Orchid band mates Stefanie Ridel and Renee Sandstrom) Well, when I was in Wild Orchid, we toured with and opened for Cher. And we did gay Mardi Gras in New Orleans. So a lot of gay people have been loyal and followed my career since then, which is nice. And now, after joining the Black Eyed Peas and going through the growth that I’ve gone through, being comfortable wearing gowns again and stuff like that, I’m able to explore that part of my personality again, and I think the gay community appreciates that.
GW: The gay community is all over your first single, “London Bridge”. Do you ever have the gay audience in mind when you write or record?
Fergie: I’m not thinking of any audience. I’m just writing and creating. But I definitely have some big ballads on the album that the gay community will appreciate more than the hip-hop crowd. And I think they’ll enjoy “Fergalicious”, because it’s a great dance song—and there are subliminal meanings, of course. And “Finally”, which I did with John Legend, who plays piano. It’s a very simple, stripped-down, classic ballad where I just stand there and sing.
GW: Are those love songs about Josh?
Fergie: I’m not saying who the songs are about! They’re about a few different relationships that I’ve had, and they’re all true. But you have to realize that these songs were written over a seven year period of time, and I’ve had different boyfriends throughout that period. Josh and I are going on two years right now. I’m very excited, I’m actually flying back for our anniversary this weekend—one day, then I fly back out.
GW: What do you two have planned?
Fergie: I don’t know, I’m sure we’ll just have a date night. We’ll probably do to a nice dinner, and I don’t know if we want to do much else. I think we’ll be anxious to get back home!
GW: (laughs) Many songwriters say that the best songs come from a place of heartache and pain. What do you think?
Fergie: A lot of my songs are beautiful love songs and testaments to loves that I’ve had. The conflicts on this album are more about my struggles with drugs. “Voodoo Doll”, for example, has to do with the demons versus the angels within yourself, and “Losing My Ground” is about what I went through when I hit bottom.
GW: And hitting bottom for you was crystal meth. Crystal use has reached epidemic proportions in the gay community. As someone who successfully kicked the habit, what’s your message to gay fans who might be headed down that path?
Fergie: In my experience, ecstasy led to crystal meth, and I just think that people don’t know how addictive that drug is. It’s so cunning because it’s such a fun drug at first. You lose weight and look great for a while, but I don’t care if it takes six months or five years, it will creep up on you. Don’t be fooled and think you’re special.
GW: Your album has a Parental Advisory. Does being a bit dirty just come naturally?
Fergie: I think it’s more raw. Sometimes I’m a little too blunt, but that’s who I am. We are releasing a clean version because I don’t want to exclude my younger fan base. But at the same time, I want to say what I want to say, and sometimes there’s no other way for me to say things than to be politically incorrect.
GW: On “Glamourous”, you claim to be unaffected by money and fame. Are you really still Stacy from the block?
Fergie: I’m from a cul-de-sac, okay? (laughs) I definitely am still that girl who gets home and goes straight to Jack in the Box or Taco Bell right after I land at the airport. And I’m still that girl who likes to go home and watch Everybody Loves Raymond with my mom. That’s what I enjoy.
GW: But you must enjoy spending your cash.
Fergie: I’m not going on the huge shopping sprees that you see some of these girls go on, but I’m starting to actually buy things, and it feels kind of naughty. Like, I just got the Fendi B. bag, and I bought a Valentino purse and a big Burberry bag with a big ol’ chain on it. You have to remember, I was collecting unemployment when I joined Black Eyed Peas, so I really appreciate the worth of things. I have a room full of clothes at my mom’s that I don’t know how to throw out because I still have that weird feeling that I’m not going to get anymore.
GW: You had a small role in this summer’s Poseidon and now, you have a role in the Robert Rodriguez-directed zombie half of next year’s Grind House. Has acting always been a goal?
Fergie: It’s definitely a passion of mine. I took theater classes for a year long after my childhood acting days, when I had no idea what I was doing. It was strictly a creative outlet for me, because I wasn’t being satisfied in that way in Wild Orchid at the end. I learned the process of acting, and I’m experimenting with it a little bit as I have time. I want to earn my place in that world, so small roles are key for me right now.
GW: Right on. What about Black Eyed Peas fans who are afraid you’re breaking up?
Fergie: We’re not breaking up! We say it at every show because it’s always the question. But we are going to take a break from touring, because at the end of the year it’ll be four years straight. So I think that’s enough of a chunk of tour for a while as the Peas.
GW: So what would the Peas be without Fergie?
Fergie: I don’t know. (Pause) Well, I definitely think it would be a different color.
Fergie’s solo debut The Dutchess is in stores now. For more information, visit www.fergie.com.
Interview compiled in part with HX Magazine.
© 2006 GayWired.com; All Rights Reserved.
Um when did she sing backup for Chaka Khan?
