Fans are convinced – or seriously hoping – that Nicole Scherzinger has replaced Fergie in the Black Eyed Peas.
The hip-hop group members recently reunited for Master Of The Sun, their first album in eight years, and they will be doing so without Fergie who released a solo album last year.
Rather, they have enlisted former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole and K-pop star CL to sing the vocals on the new project.
But does this mean that either singer has joined the group full-time?
Some fans have noted that only original members will.i.am, Taboo and apl.de.ap have appeared in recent artwork, including the new videos for their latest single Big Love.
When we ask, Taboo also only refers to Nicole as a family member and not an official part of the group.
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Speaking to Metro.co.uk he said: Nicole has been a family member of Black Eyed Peas for many years now and she was actually the first person that we asked to join the band prior to Stacey Ferguson [Fergie]
Next in line was Fergie, he concluded, after explaining that Nicole was busy with other projects during the early-noughties.
But when quizzed on whether there is any truth to the speculation that Nicole is now replacing Fergie, who joined in 2003, he insisted that its just a family thing.
Nicole is part of The Black Eyed Peas family just like Fergie is part of The Black Eyed Peas family. Jess Reynoso [singer], is a part of the family. We have a lot of singers that are a part of the family, he explained.
So who is actually left in the actual band then?
Taboo cleared things up and responded: Black Eyed Peas is me, Will and apl.de.ap. That is who Black Eyed Peas is. We are the sole members.
The rapper also referred to CL as a family member.
Speaking of the singer, he revealed he actually got to meet her girl group, 2NE1 – who have been ranked by Billboard as one of the best K-pop girl groups of the past decade – before admitting that he is a big fan of k-pop and worldwide phenomenon BTS.
Speaking of the boy band – and the growing popularity the genre has had over the last few years – Taboo told us that he is here for the craze.
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The 43-year-old said: We just love international music. We love the climate of that sound, its that pulse that we just have to appreciate.
I am glad to see K-pop really pop off and its cool to see how its become an international craze. Its amazing how people may not be Korean [but] they still take part of the experience and it is kind of cool.
But thats not the only thing this hitmaker has to celebrate, as he successfully beat testicular cancer after a diagnosis in 2014.
The artist, who said he was diagnosed after going to A&E for what he thought was the flu, is super excited to be back with the group.
Taboo said that fans should expect the energy that Black Eyed Peas have been bringing since 1995 when we started the band.
Teasing the future of BEP, he said that the band plans to be around for a very long time.
Even if we are 50 or 60 years old, if we can do it we will continue to create content that pushes the envelope, he said defiantly.
Teasing their new work, Taboo said: We are going back to the roots and creating more hip-hop conscious music people may not really understand right now.
More: Nicole Scherzinger
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New track Big Love has reminded fans of the groups 2003 hit Where Is The Love, because of its political message.
Teasing the new album, Taboo added: We have new material that we have been performing expressing new experiences and new songs and new facial expressions.
Its good to have something new in the market.
Masters of The Sun is coming out 20 October and Black Eyed Peas UK tour kicks off 27th October.
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