Fergie’s “Double Dutchess” Is So Much More Than An Album, It’s A New Era For The Singer

It looks like 2017 is serving as the year of a major comeback for Fergie. The 42-year-old released her first single in 11 years, "M.I.L.F. $" last summer, and she's gearing up to release her second solo studio album Double Dutchess on Friday, Sept. 22. And as if fans weren't excited about having singer-slash-rapper back in the limelight, learning the reason why Fergie waited to release new music will melt your heart.

Fergie recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to explain why she took such a long hiatus, and according to the artist, her family life had a lot to do with it. For Fergie, being a wife and mom took precedent over releasing a follow-up to her 2006 smash Dutchess. She heard the fan cries, and she totally felt the heat from executives to get back on the airwaves, however, neither were enough to make this super succumb to the pressure. In the interview, Fergie said,

“I’m not going to sacrifice time with my child. That’s just not going to happen. They can keep banging on my door, but I’m like, 'I’m with Axl. I’m off the grid! Bye!'”

And as for it being delayed from its original March 2017 release date, she continued, “Getting pregnant reset me. I just got on my game. People wanted me to release it and I was like, ‘It’s good, but I want it to be great.'”

Being off the grid didn't stop Fergie from working on music — after all, she is musician. But perfecting the sound for radio play, and conceptualizing Double Dutchess, took more time than what the wife and mom was willing to give. Fergie explained the working mom struggle perfectly, telling EW, “even the hours in the studio are different. Everything has to be so masterfully scheduled that it’s crazy" — and that goes for both Hollywood starlets and those hardworking parents in the real world.

Balancing family life and work can, without a doubt, be a doozy. Throw in the handling of breakup rumors, and you have a whole other battle on your hands. The news of Fergie splitting from her husband of eight years, Josh Duhamel, caught fans off guard. But according to Fergie and Duhamel's statement to People in September, their separation had already been in the works privately for the past several months; which means that while in the midst of perfecting her upcoming album, Fergie was also trying to keep their family secret at bay.

Eventually, things "started to get a little weird," as Fergie described in an interview with People recently, and because of that, the ex-lovers decided to let the cat out of the bag. Fergie explained,

“We’re great friends, we love each other so much, and it just got to the point where it was getting a little weird. There’s no perfect time, so we just decided to do it.”

Speaking of "perfect timing," the release of "M.I.L.F. $" last summer was a full tell-tale sign that the Grammy Award-winning artist had something amazing up her sleeve. The single is all about female empowerment, and showing that moms are not only powerful, but sexy too. Fergie was giving the world a look into how she sees herself — an independent woman who can manage her household and bring home the bacon.

So what can fans expect from Fergie's upcoming album? A ton of raw vulnerability, that's what. While promoting the new project, Fergie shared a bit about what it is was all about. She told People, "I just wanted to … peel back the layers and show my vulnerable side. There’s so much vulnerability on my album."

Bottom line: If you've been wondering what Fergie's been up to for the past decade, tuning into Double Dutchess may be a good idea. She's definitely got some stories to tell, and it sounds like this is the marker of a new era.