The album was recorded between the Black Eyed Peas' tour in 2005, and the songs were written in the eight years preceding its release.

[7] Fergie's debut album with the band, Elephunk, was the group's breakthrough, spawning the worldwide hit singles "Where Is the Love?"

[8] Later, while releasing her second effort with the group, the even more successful Monkey Business (2005), which features the hit singles "Don't Phunk with My Heart" and "My Humps" (with both receiving a Grammy award) and sold 10 million copies worldwide,[9] the singer announced that she and the other members of the group were working on solo projects, with her debut album being announced for a 2006 release.

According to Fergie, the songs on the album are "from a seven-year period, but [Interscope CEO] Jimmy Iovine heard some [tracks] and was like, 'This is great, let's put it out'.

[10] One of the album's executive producers and fellow Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am stated that she was "writing about her personal struggles and casting her demons away and feminine power.

The album's title garnered media attention, with Sarah Ferguson commenting, "Automatically, everybody in America thinks I'm Fergie, the most beautiful woman in the world, from Black Eyed Peas.

"[14] Fergie then commented about its title, "If you notice, on the album cover it says 'Fergie as the Dutchess' because I wanted each song to be a movie poster.

"[10] According to The Age newspaper's website, "'The Dutchess' offers a more introspective Fergie, a woman willing to talk about her loves, her critics and her former meth (Methamphetamine) addiction.

"[16] According to The Age, the album contains "everything from torch songs to bouncy pop, reggae and even techno," representing her wide musical influences.

[20] "Clumsy" follows, with will.i.am comparing the song to Shangri-Las "Leader of the Pack" with a ghetto-ass beat, guitars and background singers.

"[13] "London Bridge" was co-written by Sean Garrett and produced by Polow da Don[11] and includes sexual innuendo.

[20] It was described as "a club track that only lightly touches on personal lyrics about fame and celebrity" ('It's like every time I get up on the dude/ Paparazzi put my business in the news,' she sings),[11] with the singer also threatening to mace pushy photographers and boasts.

"[12] "Pedestal" lashes out at gossip bloggers like Perez Hilton who "hide behind computer screens", as noted by Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine,[21] while "Voodoo Doll" is a reggae song,[21] with dub influences,[13] where Fergie talks about her past and getting over those demons.

[32] In April 2008, it was announced that The Dutchess was going to be re-released, with the inclusion of "Labels or Love," which first appeared on the soundtrack for the film Sex and the City (2008), Nelly's "Party People", "Barracuda" (a Heart cover) and a remix of "Clumsy" with Soulja Boy.

[33] Along with the four bonus tracks, the new package features an exclusive fold-out poster illustration of Fergie, an insert coupon discount to merchandise and a connect CD option providing video content.

[35] "London Bridge" was released as the album's lead single on July 18, 2006, to radio stations[36] and on August 7, 2006, on the iTunes Store.

[37] The urban pop track caused controversy due to its double entendre lyrics,[38] topping the Billboard Hot 100 (for three weeks) and New Zealand charts, while also reaching the top-ten in over twelve countries.

[39] The music video for the song features The Black Eyed Peas members as well as Fergie on the Tower Bridge, among other scenes.

[40] The track, which features will.i.am, managed to reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100, the top-five in Australia and New Zealand, although it peaked lower than "London Bridge" in Europe.

Leah Greenblatt wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "Though not every track is a gem, The Dutchess reaches further than most albums by contemporary divas," prov[ing] that she's earned her Black Eyed independence – and perhaps even her new royal title.

"[23] Bill Lamb of About.com agreed, writing that it "is one of the top debuts of the year, [which] is good enough to pull into question the wisdom of Fergie sticking with the Black Eyed Peas or considering striking out on her own.

"[22] Uncut called it "one of the most rambunctiously entertaining and high-spirited records of 2006,"[56] while Robert Christgau gave the album a "choice cut", praising the tracks "Fergalicious" and "London Bridge".

[58] Kathryn Perry of The Boston Phoenix named the album "an eclectic, danceable collection of hip-hop, R&B, and pop confections,"[3] while Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called it "a shameless solo debut full of Eighties-style electro bangers.

Music saw the album as "an exceptionally random R&B mixtape," but perceived that while "be[ing] loaded with future hits and staggering imagination, it's also fundamentally flawed.

"[17] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine analyzed that "the album too often seems to be striving to display diversity at the expense of artistry," also criticizing the song's lyrics, writing that they "don't delve very deep.

"[59] Although expressing that "Fergie is talented enough to compete with the likes of Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera," Norman Mayers of Prefix Magazine noted that "the material on 'The Dutchess' won't take her to those heights,"[62] while Benjamin Boles of Now pointed out that it "would've been better if they cut the 'serious' songs.

"[57] While analyzing the album after eight years of its release, Jason Lipshutz of Billboard commented: "A monster hit by any metric, as well as an underrated pop pastiche that introduced the world to a fearlessly individual female artist that had been hiding in plain sight.

[70][71] After the Concert for Diana, in which Fergie performed, the album reached number eleven, becoming for the third time the week's "greatest gainer".

It entered the top-ten once again with the success of "Big Girls Don't Cry", which brought the album to rise until reach a peak of number-one for four consecutive weeks.

[5] Fergie held this record until 2012, when Katy Perry surpassed her again, achieving six multi-platinum singles with her album Teenage Dream (2010).