Fergie: 'Criticism made me hungrier'

Fergie has admitted that she had to convince fans of the Black Eyed Peas that she belonged in the band.

The 'Glamorous' singer revealed that when she joined the then-underground group in 2003 she had to prove her worthiness as a member, which was made tougher after they achieved mainstream success.

"Then I come in, and the first song we released when I was in the band was 'Where Is The Love?' with Justin Timberlake. So when that hit all the crossover markets, a lot of people said it was my fault that they were taken out of the underground," she told Elle magazine.

Fergie also said that she used the negative reaction to her as a motivation tool.

She added: "I had to read a lot of criticism. But it only made me hungrier."

The Black Eyed Peas's single 'Boom Boom Pow' has been number one on the US singles chart for ten consecutive weeks.