" I 'm not claiming to be a battle MC , " she says . " That 's not where I 'm taking this . This is just paying homage to artists like Roxanne Shanté , Monie Love , Salt-n-Pepa , JJ . Fad – women I looked up to . " Fergie loves hip-hop , but she has always known she 's an outsider . " In junior high I was fascinated by gangsta rap , " she says , sipping a caipirinha . " I was suburban , yet I had glimpses from where I lived . I 'm hearing all the stories about what was going on in East L.A. and South Central , looking at it from the outside . I think I come from a whole generation of that . That 's why a lot of people can relate with me , because they lived that , too . Seeing it but not really living it . So there were n't any of the negative consequences to the guns and all of that . It was just interesting and sexy . " The album starts with " Fergalicious " , an electronica , hip hop and dance song , which according to the song 's co-writer , producer and featured guest , will.i.am , has Fergie " just being sassy and flaunting her stuff from a strong female perspective , paying homage to Salt-N-Pepa . " He also labelled it " the sister of Black Eyed Peas hit My Humps ' . " Fergie stated that , " In ' Fergalicious , ' I emulated '80s female rap trio J.J. Fad , and sampled the track from Afro-Rican 's " Give It All You Got . " Lyrically , the song uses food metaphors to describe how tasty the singer is . " Clumsy " follows , with will.i.am comparing the song to Shangri-Las " Leader of the Pack " with a ghetto-ass beat , guitars and background singers . " Lyrically , it finds Fergie " trippin ' , stumblin ' , flippin ' , fumblin ' " after being struck by Cupid 's arrow . In " All That I Got ( the Make-Up Song ) " , she wants a guy who will love her for more than her outward appearance , with the singer asking , " Would you love me/If I did n't work out/Or did n't change my natural hair ? " " London Bridge " was co-written by Sean Garrett and produced by Polow da Don and includes sexual innuendo . It was described as " a club track that only lightly touches on personal lyrics about fame and celebrity " ( ' It 's like every time I get up on the dude / Paparazzi put my business in the news , ' she sings ) , with the singer also threatening to mace pushy photographers and boasts . " It 's poking fun at certain things . I 'm really not going to spray the paparazzi with mace – I do n't know if you know that about me , " she said in an interview . Regarding the song 's title , she claimed , " There are a couple things that you could relate with that title , but I 'm just going to leave it to people 's imagination . " " Pedestal " lashes out at gossip bloggers like Perez Hilton who " hide behind computer screens " , as noted by Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine , while " Voodoo Doll " is a reggae song , with dub influences , where Fergie talks about her past and getting over those demons . According to Fergie , " It 's about my struggle with crystal meth . There 's a demon part that 's a completely different voice than the singing part , and it 's almost like two voices . It 's me battling with myself . " " Glamorous " is again produced by Polow da Don and features Ludacris . It was described as an R&B song with techno influences . Lyrically , it talks about how fame does n't give her amnesia about where she came from . " Here I Come " features once more will.i.am and it is done to the tune of The Temptations ' " Get Ready . " In " Velvet " , Fergie invites a man to share her bed . As stated by Fergie , " I wanted it to sound like velvet feels – very smooth – and I wanted it to be sensual . " The pop/rock song " Big Girls Do n't Cry " talks about a crumbling romance . will.i.am admitted that it " really pushed my production skills . I did an Edie Brickell type of production – ' I 'm not aware of too many things , ' on guitars . " " Mary Jane Shoes " is a song inspired in reggae , ska-punk and scat . It features Rita Marley , Bob Marley 's widow , and I Threes . " That was quite an honor for me , " Fergie said of the song . " I kind of get to play Bob Marley in that song , which is a beautiful thing . " She went on to describe the song as " a breezy reggae song , and at the end I go into a little bit of punk-rock mosh music because I love to do that if you 've ever seen my stage shows . " will.i.am commented , " She goes from dub , doing her interpretation of roots , to some ska-punk and ends up with jazz . From a production standpoint that was fun , flipping all those different styles . " The song is followed by the ballad " Losing My Ground " , which is about desperation , and the album closes with " Finally " , a slightly Broadway-styled , ballad . It was named a " dramatic piano and string-laden coda " track . It was co-produced by John Legend , who also plays the piano . Lyrically , it reflects on lessons learned the hard way and decides that life is good . Fergie further explained the track : " The Dutchess " was first released on September 13 , 2006 in Japan and was released in the United States , Canada and New Zealand on September 19 , 2006 . On September 21 , 2006 , Fergie held a launch party for the album , after a day of radio and television promotion . She first performed " London Bridge " at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards on the '' Red Carpet on the Rock '' pre-show . She also went to '' TRL '' , NBC 's '' Today Show '' , '' So You Think You Can Dance '' and '' Late Show with David Letterman '' , performing the single " London Bridge " . She also performed the track during 2006 Fashion Rocks , where she used a glittery mini-dress , and later was joined by her band The Black Eyed Peas to perform their single " Pump It " . Fergie also went to the 2006 Billboard Music Awards , performing the single " Fergalicious " . In 2007 , Fergie continued the promotion of the album , being part of the AOL Sessions , Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash , Radio 1 's Big Weekend , 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards , 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards , Concert for Diana , 2007 American Music Awards and more . To further promote the album , Fergie embarked on the Verizon VIP Tour , which began on May 8 , 2007
2006 Billboard Music Awards
2006 Billboard Music Awards
The Dutchess