Fergie Exits Interscope After 10 Years at the Label, Signs With BMG

Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas star who embarked on a successful solo career with 2006’s “The Dutchess,” is no longer on Interscope Records, Variety has learned. Says a label source: “The decision was made to part ways. We were all in concert and want what’s best for Fergie.”

The singer, who is managed by David Sonenberg and William Derella for DAS Communications Ltd., has formed her own label, Dutchess Music, and entered into a global partnership with BMG, joining such acts as Avril Lavigne, Blink-182, Blondie, and At The Drive-In on the company’s recorded music roster. A new album, called “Double Dutchess,” is due out later this summer.

Said Jon Cohen, BMG EVP Recorded Music, in announcing the signing: “What Fergie has put together with Double Dutchess is so inventive it redefines her as an artist. Her prolific output has already made our collaboration one of my most exciting times with BMG and we can’t wait for its reveal.”

The nearly 10-year-old division of Bertelsmann is based in Berlin, with U.S. offices located in Los Angeles. Recently, BMG was awarded Independent Publisher of the Year at the 34th annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards, winning for the second year in a row.

Fergie has released three singles since 2014, “L.A. Love,” “M.I.L.F. $” and “Life Goes On,” none of which cracked the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The tepid reception was surprising considering it had been so many years since “The Dutchess” was released, selling more than 5 million albums in the United States, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and yielding three No. 1 songs — “London Bridge,” “Glamorous” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (“Fergalicious” reached No. 2). Also, the video for “M.I.L.F.” featured such beauties as Kim Kardashian, Ciara, and Chrissy Teigen toying with bottles of milk, and has logged more than 173 million YouTube views.

Interscope, a Universal Music Group imprint, is part of the Interscope Geffen A&M family of labels. Fergie was signed via Will.i.am Music Group, the label founded in 1998 by the Black Eyed Peas frontman.