The Dutchess: When Fergie Went Solo

Being the only lady from the successful hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, Fergie was given the chance to release her solo album despite not leaving the group. Her first album was "The Dutchess" which turned out to be a hit.

The album's first single was "London Bridge" which many compared or even considered it as a rip-off of Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl", which I also heard the similarities of both songs. Still, "London Bridge" was a hit reaching number 1 in Billboard Hot 100 while taking number 3 in UK Singles Chart on its peak.

"Fergalicious" was released as the second single. The song has sampled the song "Supersonic". Similarities of "Fergalicious" and Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps" was also noted. Despite being a number 2 hit in Billboard Hot 100, it charted moderately in some European countries. In UK, it only reached number 105 being only a promotional single.

The third single was "Glamorous" which actually can be compared to "Luxurious" by Gwen Stefani. Still, the song became a big hit in the US where it reached number 1. In UK, where it was her second single, peaked at number 6. The song featured rapper Ludacris.

The fourth single turned out to be Fergie's biggest hit. It was actually the toned down version of Fergie with this pop song "Big Girls Don't Cry". It became a big hit worldwide reaching number 1 in many countries including the US, while in UK Singles Chart, it reached number 2.

"Clumsy" became Fergie's fifth consecutive top 5 single in Billboard Hot 100. In UK, where its release was limited has peaked at number 62. The final single has been "Finally" which didn't receive much promotion, and reached number 34 in US Mainstream chart.

"The Dutchess" was a global success with US certification of 5x platinum. In UK, it was awarded platinum. Global estimate on its sales has been 12 million units.