Will.I.AM planning Royal collaboration

will.i.am attending the Voice UK Launch at Ham Yard Hotel, London. (Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)
will.i.am attending the Voice UK Launch at Ham Yard Hotel, London. (Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)

Rapper and music producer Will.I.AM is lining up an unusual collaboration, after the Voice coach revealed a project in the pipeline with former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson.

The ex-wife of Prince Andrew is affectionately known in the British press as ‘Fergie’, the same as former Black Eyed Peas singer, Fergie.

COLOGNE, GERMANY – JANUARY 28: Duchess of York Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson during the ‘Rockin’ Chocolate’ Lambertz Monday Night 2019 ( Schokoparty ) on January 28, 2019 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY – JANUARY 28: Duchess of York Sarah ‘Fergie’ Ferguson during the ‘Rockin’ Chocolate’ Lambertz Monday Night 2019 ( Schokoparty ) on January 28, 2019 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

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Will said: “I’m doing a project with Fergie. She writes poetry and I want to do poetry over my beats. She brought it up. She said: ‘imagine my poetry over your beats?’”

“She’s my homegirl. We do tea all the time. She came to my project, she came to my ghetto. Royal Fergie and Prince Andrew came to my ghetto to mentor my kids at my school. I love her. And her daughter Beatrice. She’s the coolest. I love her eyes.”

WINDSOR, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 12: Sarah, Duchess of York and Princess Beatrice arrive ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Mr. Jack Brooksbank at St. George’s Chapel on October 12, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 12: Sarah, Duchess of York and Princess Beatrice arrive ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Mr. Jack Brooksbank at St. George’s Chapel on October 12, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The pairing may seem unusual, but it would appear it may have been in the pipeline for quite a while. Last year, Will joked to The Sun’s Bizarre he was considering lining up the former Duchess as a replacement for her namesake who had previously left the hip-hop outfit. Will said: “I was gonna call Princess Beatrice and take her mum’s offer up, we’re going to bring the duchess in. I’m sure nobody will notice.”

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He continued he had already met Fergie, while discussing a poetry project with Oprah Winfrey. He said: “We talked about doing a project together because she has awesome poems, poetry that she does. Her and Oprah, we hung out. We were bumpin’ in the car in the whip and Fergie was like, ‘Yo, turn that s*** up’.”

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 26: Fergie performs on stage during New York City Pride 2016 – Dance On The Pier on June 26, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 26: Fergie performs on stage during New York City Pride 2016 – Dance On The Pier on June 26, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/WireImage)

Will.I.AM has been taken into the heart’s of British telly fans since becoming a judge and coach on prime time singing competition The Voice in 2012. He is the only coach on the show to be present since its inception in 2012, right up until this years series, which revealed the finalists in an episode screened last night.


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