The Dutchess is the debut solo studio album by American singer and songwriter Fergie. It was released through A&M Records and the will.i.am Music Group on September 13, 2006. The album was recorded between the Black Eyed Peas' tour in 2005, and the songs were written in the eight years preceding its release. Fergie wanted to create an autobiographical album that would be more intimate between her and the listener. Musically, it experiments with different music genres, including pop, hip hop, R&B, reggae, punk rock and soul.