Fergie

Biography

Stacy Ann Ferguson was born on March 27th, 1975, in Hacienda Heights, California. Her parents, Terri and Pat, encouraged Stacy and her younger sister Dana to pursue careers in the entertainment industry.

Stacy began her acting career as the voice of Sally on the Saturday morning cartoon The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show in 1983, as well as on two TV specials: It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984) and Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown (1985).

In 1984, following a commercial for Rice Krispies, she appeared in the pilot for the long-running musical television show, Kids Incorporated. The show, which also starred Jennifer Love Hewitt and the girl who would become goth pop princess Martika, was a hit with Saturday morning audiences and she sang backup on it until 1989.

stacy incorporated

In 1986, she appeared in the horror comedy movie Monster in the Closet as well as two TV specials: Kids Incorporated: Chartbusters and Kids Incorporated: Rock In the New Year. She left the spotlight in 1989 and settled down to live a normal teenager's life.

But music was always her first passion and she teamed up with Stefanie Ridel and fellow Kids Incorporated member Renee Sandstrom to form the band Wild Orchid. In 1999, they even had their own Saturday morning show on the FOX Family Channel.

They released their first album, Wild Orchid, in 1997 on RCA and it was followed the next year with Oxygen. They scored a minor hit when the song "Declaration" was featured in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.

stacy bounces back

In 2001, Wild Orchid was ready to launch a third album but the label declined to release it. Wild Orchid ceased to exist and it triggered an emotional crisis for Stacy, forcing her to seek therapy.

For the next few years, she continued to perform, albeit in obscurity. She became a dance floor regular and backup singer at a number of Los Angeles venues. And that's when she met will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.

They had a number of meetings after shows and before long, she was invited to join the trio in the recording studio. They recorded five songs together and the band invited her to join them permanently.

fergie joins black eyed peas

The Black Eyed Peas actually began as Atban Klann in 1989, with will.i.am and apl.de.ap. They became Black Eyed Peas in 1995 after recruiting Taboo and then singer Kim Hill. In 1998, they released their first opus, Behind The Front, and it was followed up in 2000 with Bridging the Gap.

Even though their musical style was out there and they had collaborated with big shots like Macy Gray and Wyclef Jean, the group's relationships deteriorated and Hill left the band. It took two years for their third album, Elephunk, to be produced and the arrival of Stacy, who took the stage name of Fergie, to make the Black Eyed Peas appreciated in mainstream circles.

While she's finally enjoying major success, she's hoping to embark on a solo career. The first step has already been taken since she contributed to the soundtrack of Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates (2004) on the remake of "True" along with will.i.am.