Black Eyed Peas Biography

Black Eyed Peas were formed in Los Angeles in 1995. Their upbeat, positive tunes set them apart from most hip-hop bands at the time who were all about the tough gangsta image.

Their first two albums ‘Behind the Front’ and ‘Bridging the Gap’ were released to great success in the States, but it wasn't until 2001's ‘Elephunk’ that the band broke worldwide. The first single from the album, 'Where is the Love', was a massive hit, featuring vocals from Justin Timberlake. It was at this time that female singer Fergie joined up with the boys and sang on their massive hits ‘Hey Mama’ and ‘Shut Up’.

‘Elephunk’ went on to sell 2.6m copies in the US and is four times platinum in the UK and three times in Europe. Their album ‘Monkey Business’ featured ‘Don't Phunk with my Heart’, ‘Don't Lie’ and the rather saucy ‘My Humps’.

In 2009, the band released their fifth studio album – The E.N.D. The first single from the album, ‘Boom Boom Pow’, gave the Black Eyed Peas their first US Billboard number one, after it sold more than 465,000 copies in one week.

The E.N.D also features the hit singles ‘Meet Me Halfway’, ‘Rock That Body’ and ‘I Gotta Feeling’. It became one of the best-selling albums of 2009, doing particularly well in the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

The group performed two tracks from the album at the American Music Awards in 2009 and went on to scoop two gongs at the ceremony.

In November 2010, the Black Eyed Peas released their sixth album. ’The Beginning’ was described by band member will.i.am as a sequel to their previous album.

It features the singles ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’ and ‘Just Can't Get Enough’, the video for which was shot in Japan a week before the earthquake and tsunami.

During an appearance on American Idol in March 2011, the group said the song is dedicated to their "friends in Japan".