With all four members ensconced in solo projects, the Black Eyed Peas have been unusually dormant in 2007. And singer Fergie says it may be that way for a little while longer.
"We don't have an album yet, a Black Eyed Peas album," she tells Billboard.com. "We haven't had time; everybody's been constantly working, as we always do. But we will have an album. We're not going away."
The group won't be completely invisible this year. The quartet will perform at the London Live Earth concert on July 7 and at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival on Aug. 11 in Tokyo and Aug. 12 in Osaka.
The group is also planning a special tour for later this year. "It's 15 different countries featuring 15 shows in some pretty unique places," she says. "So that's going to be exciting. This will have been the longest time we have not performed together, so it'll be a nice reunion."
Fergie, who joined the Peas in 2002, reports that bandmates will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo are all working on solo albums, all of which are on target to be released before the end of the year. But Fergie isn't concerned about the group breaking up - even in the wake of the success of her solo debut, "The Dutchess," which has sold nearly two million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"The thing with us is it's such a great family, and we've always been honest with each other," she says. "I love the beauty of having both, because being a solo artist is my dream, and it's really important to me to have my own voice. But I also love working with the Peas. I think everybody feels the same way."
Fergie plans to spend the bulk of 2007 on the road, either on her own or with BEP. She's currently "knee-deep" in a tour sponsored by Verizon Wireless and supporting "Big Girls Don't Cry," the fourth single from "The Duchess." She expects more singles to pop off the album but says at this point it's anybody's guess which will be released.
"I love 'Mary Jane's Shoes,' that kind of chill girl thing," says Fergie. "Or maybe 'Clumsy,' a throwback to oldies. I'd just like to get as much music out there as possible so that I can show as many sides of myself as possible and so people can discover that there's something on the album for them.