After the false alarm that was 2015’s ‘LA Love,’ Fergie finally rang the alarm on news surrounding her long-awaited sophomore album, ‘Double Dutchess.’ Rumored to have been completed as early as March 2016, social media-lifted photos and unconfirmed reports started to get wheels spinning that some official release from the set was nigh.
Though the rumors began to cool by the end of spring, they were given a fresh douse of heat when the singer’s husband, actor Josh Duhamel, went on record stating the project would arrive by Mid-June. With refreshed excitement over the album – 10 years in the making – Fergie Ferg finally took to Instagram to began teasing it herself via snippets for songs ‘Hungry’ and ‘M.I.L.F. $.’
The latter – a critical polarizer – would be gifted a full fledge roll-out with star-studded video to boot. Initial response signaled that maybe, just maybe, the world really was ready for a new Fergie album:
Premiering at an impressive #34, the tune’s inaugural chart placement set a personal best for the singer and remains (to date) her highest debut on the Hot 100. And, while the press could not get enough of its sexy accompanying visual featuring some of Hollywood’s hottest moms (Kim Kardashian, Ciara, Chrissy Teigen, and more), critics and some fans seemed none-too-impressed with the unconventional tune. Evidence of this was found in the song’s 56-spot drop the following week on the Hot 100. Two weeks later, it was nowhere to be found on the chart at all.
So, what went wrong?
Now, make no mistake about it, any song that reaches the Hot 100 – let alone the top 40 – is, for all intents and purposes, a “hit.” But, when it comes to someone who is trying to regain buyers’ attention after such a lengthy hiatus, the shelf-life of the hit is more important. Much like the streaming response to ‘LA Love’ before it, the song’s initial placement is indicative that there is still some level of public interest in her offerings despite her 10 year absence (as a solo artist). Is the ‘London Bridge’ beauty simply falling short on the promotional front or are the song’s she’s presenting not enough to keep up with the happenings at pop radio?
In other words: