Amid numerous reports that Fergie has left the Black Eyed Peas, frontman Will.i.am has now chimed in to clarify the band’s situation. The 42-year-old rapper took to Twitter to debunk the rumors, saying that Fergie was merely taking time off to work on her solo album, Double Dutchess. In the meantime, the remaining members of the Black Eyed Peas, namely apl.de.ap, Taboo, and Will.i.am himself, will continue working on their ongoing project, Masters of the Sun – The Zombie Chronicles, a new graphic novel for which they teamed up with Marvel.
Will.i.am further slammed the media for their false and inaccurate reports, claiming that “people will report whatever they want to report regardless of the sources.” Fergie, of course, joined the Black Eyed Peas back in 2002 and has since helped the hip hop group become a worldwide sensation. The vocalist made her debut as a full-fledged member of the group on the 2003 release of Elephunk, the Black Eyed Peas’ third studio album. Elephunk turned out to be the group’s first major success and featured popular songs, such as “Where is the Love?,” “Let’s Get It Started,” and “Shut Up.”
However, Double Dutchess won’t be Fergie’s first solo project, as the 42-year-old singer previously released her debut solo album, The Dutchess, back in 2006.
In response to the rumors that she had allegedly left the Black Eyed Peas, Fergie insisted that she “will always love and support” her fellow bandmates, whom she refers to as her brothers.
Apparently, these false rumors initially made the rounds because of an exclusive interview between Will.i.am and Ahlan! While Will.i.am never explicitly stated that Fergie had left the Black Eyed Peas, his comment that the band “would always work with good females” was interpreted as such. Ironically, Will.i.am clarified in this interview that Fergie would not be replaced and even said that he had collaborated with her on her upcoming solo album.
“As for replacing, what people know The Black Eyed Peas to be, 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.”
Will.i.am refutes claims that Fergie has quit the Black Eyed Peas. [Image by Brad Barket/Getty Images]
Furthermore, it was rumored that Nicole Scherzinger would permanently join the Black Eyed Peas and take over as the group’s female vocalist. As far back as January, Perez Hilton reported that the former Pussycat Dolls singer may be replacing Fergie. Will.i.am further fueled speculation when he told Ahlan! that he would be collaborating with Nicole Scherzinger in his band’s upcoming project.
“Nicole is on the new BEP project as well. I don’t want to go into details how she’s involved yet.”
Although Scherzinger is confirmed to be involved in Masters of the Sun, it looks unlikely that the singer will be joining the group on a permanent basis, especially after Will.i.am revealed that Fergie was only taking time off to focus on Double Dutchess.
Will.i.am will continue working with apl.de.ap and Taboo on their upcoming project. [Image by Lisa Lake/Getty Images]
Next up for the Black Eyed Peas is the UEFA Champions League Final opening ceremony, which takes place in Cardiff today. The group will be without Fergie for their grand performance prior to the match between Real Madrid and Juventus. In a promotional video for the event, the trio of Will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo revealed how excited they were for the opening ceremony of Europe’s top soccer competition.
“What’s great about playing in front of a stadium of fans, you’re in a sea of pride, and a sea of community, and a sea of excellence, people wanting excellence. They’re there to witness something extraordinary,” said Will.i.am.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwpXCzNhOgA
So while Fergie may not be part of the group for the time being, Black Eyed Peas fans can look forward to her reuniting with her “brothers” sooner or later.
[Featured Image by John Salangsang/AP Images]
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