Musical group 'The Black Eyed Peas' revealed why American singer-songwriter Fergie stepped away from the group in 2017, after working together for over 10 years.
According to E!News, in a new interview with Billboard magazine, Will.i.am, Apl.de.ap and Taboo stated that their former bandmate left the group out of a desire to devote herself to being a "great mom."
Will.i.am explained, "We love her, and she's focusing on being a mom. That's a hard job, and that's what she really wants to do and we're here for her... It's really the way Fergie designed it, so we're respecting her design. We love Fergie, and we don't want anything but awesomeness for her."
Apl.de.ap added, "But unfortunately our schedule is displaced by [her] wanting to be a great mom, and she wants to focus on that."
The group shared that her departure was ultimately for the best as it allowed them to introduce singer J. Rey Soul to the world.
Taboo said, "I feel we're giving birth to a new artist, J.Rey Soul. I really want to give her the ultimate praise and respect. What the fellows said, Fergi, she's doing the mom thing, but we have an amazing artist we're developing."
As for Fergie, it's been over two years since the band confirmed her departure. In the time she released her solo album 'Double Dutchess', which Will.i.am helped produce, and launched her record label Dutchess Music.
The 'London Bridge' singer Fergie, divorced from husband Josh Duhamel in September 2017. They finalised their split in November 2019 and have since been co-parenting their son Axl Duhamel together.
Previously, a source shared, "Fergie and Josh have been in the best place since announcing their split. They get along much better now that they are apart than when they were together, and have also mastered co-parenting."
( With inputs from ANI )