Wild orchid album cover oxygen4/5/2023 ![]() ![]() Two further singles consolidated the band’s breakthrough and helped Elephunk shift nine million copies around the world.Ī relentless touring schedule was the backdrop for the recording of The Black Eyed Peas’ fourth studio set, Monkey Business, which came out in May 2005. Though it never made a single release in the US, the song hit the Top 10 almost everywhere else. Justin Timberlake’s involvement certainly didn’t harm the track’s chances of being a hit, but the international follow-up, ‘Shut Up’, which had essentially been Fergie’s try-out for the group, had nothing to do with the former NSYNC-er and was another smash. ‘Where Is The Love?’ became the UK’s biggest seller of the year and performed spectacularly around the world, including the US, where it peaked at No.8. It would be some months before that chance meeting could be capitalised on, but September saw Wild Orchid dropped from their label and Stacy seized the opportunity to leave the act, which struggled on as a duo for one final release.įor her appearance on The Black Eyed Peas’ 2003 release, Elephunk, Stacy was now billed as Fergie, and her distinctive, solidly commercial vocal performance helped land the band that elusive breakthrough smash. ![]() This bleak period did offer one pivotal opportunity, however: in May 2001, a Minneapolis radio station hosted a concert that saw Wild Orchid billed with The Black Eyed Peas, an LA-based band also looking for a commercial breakthrough after two studio sets. ![]() When Wild Orchid pulled out as the openers for NSYNC’s epic No Strings Attached tour, it effectively signalled the end for an act that never quite seemed able to get properly off the ground. First single ‘Stuttering (Don’t Say)’ did moderate business across the globe, but again spluttered to a halt outside the all-important Hot 100. Wild Orchid’s third album, Fire, was a move towards more dance-oriented material, with JC Chasez again assisting on a handful of tracks. Lead single ‘Be Mine’ stalled outside the Hot 100 and, despite some strong promotional opportunities with fashion brand Guess, and a spell hosting a music game-show, the album flopped. The following year’s Oxygen seemed more of a rush job, despite the production support of NSUNC’s JC Chasez. This was the launchpad the band needed to get their self-titled debut album out and, while it failed to challenge the omnipresent Spice Girls, it still sold solidly around the world and secured Wild Orchid a handful of award nominations. ‘Talk To Me’ came out in January 1997 and edged further up the Hot 100 stateside to secure them a No.48 hit but, more significantly, a Top 10 dance placing. The album was pushed back to give the group another shot at a hit single. ‘At Night I Pray’ was a solidly produced slice of mid-90s soul-pop but it faltered on the Billboard charts, peaking at a relatively modest No.63. When they were finally signed in 1994, Wild Orchid were back to a three-piece, but it took another two years for their debut single to secure a release. Securing a record deal proved a struggle at first and a fourth member was briefly recruited in a bid to help them break through. Working with fellow Kids Incorporated star Renee Sandstrom and vocalist Stefanie Ridel, Stacy formed a band, first called NRG and then rebranded Wild Orchid. As the show was put on a year-long hiatus, Stacy was moving on. That impressive performance appeared to signpost the direction of travel for Stacy. Her final appearance in 1990’s ‘Karate Kids’ episode saw Stacy perform a cover of Donna Summer’s ‘This Time I Know It’s For Real’. Stacy had appeared in the pilot and ended up featuring in the show’s first six seasons, making her the longest-serving member of the cast. She was in good company – Martika, who scored a US No.1 with ‘Toy Soldiers’ in 1989, and actors Mario Lopez and Jennifer Love Hewitt were also in the show. A straight A-grader with an early interest in pursuing a career in the arts, her first professional gigs included voiceover work for cartoons before she committed, aged just nine, to a recurring role as Stacy in the American TV series Kids Incorporated. ![]() Now in her 40s, “Fergie” is an artist armed with the confidence to take her time.īorn in California in 1975, evidence suggests Stacy was an outstanding student. That she’s taking so long to release a fully-fledged follow-up should surprise no one. That her first solo project, 2006’s The Dutchess, arguably outperformed all of The Black Eyed Peas’ releases to that date consolidated her reputation as one of pop’s principal players. Navigating the trek from a huge hit group to solo success is treacherous one – but Stacy Ann Ferguson has a track record of making things work. ![]()
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