The Dutchess is the debut studio album by American musical recording artist Fergie. It was released on September 13, 2006, by A&M Records and the will.i.am Music Group as her first solo album since the break from her band The Black Eyed Peas. The album was recorded between The Black Eyed Peas' tour in 2005, and the songs were written throughout the last 8 years that preceded its release. While developing the album, Fergie wanted to create an autobiographical album that would be more intimate bet...
The Dutchess is the debut studio album by American musical recording artist Fergie. It was released on September 13, 2006, by A&M Records and the will.i.am Music Group as her first solo album since the break from her band The Black Eyed Peas. The album was recorded between The Black Eyed Peas' tour in 2005, and the songs were written throughout the last 8 years that preceded its release. While developing the album, Fergie wanted to create an autobiographical album that would be more intimate between her and the listener. By doing so, the album experiments with different music genres, including pop, hip hop, R&B, reggae, punk rock and soul. Lyrically, The Dutchess has themes about love and critics, while also dealing with her drug abuse and addiction.
Upon its release, The Dutchess received mixed reviews from music critics, with many praising its production, calling it one of the most eclectic and adventurous albums of 2006, but some criticized the album's lyrical content and believed the material was not strong for her voice. It became a commercial success, reaching number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and spending 94 weeks inside the chart, while also topping the Australian Albums Charts and becoming a worldwide success, reaching platinum status in over eight countries. It sold almost 4 million copies in the United States and over 8 million copies worldwide.
The album produced 5 top five singles in the United States, including three number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, "London Bridge", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "Glamorous", as well as the number two single "Fergalicious" and the number five single "Clumsy". All five of the aforementioned singles have sold over two million digital downloads each in the United States, thus setting a new record in the digital era for the most multi-platinum singles from one album. Fergie held this record until 2012, when Katy Perry achieved six multi-platinum singles with her album Teenage Dream (2010). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
