Fergie found making her new album to be a cathartic process.
Fergie
The 42-year-old singer-songwriter's latest release, 'Double Dutchess', was made in the midst of her much-discussed split from her ex-husband Josh Duhamel, and she's confessed the experience proved to be "therapeutic" for her.
Reflecting on the album-making process, Fergie explained: "It's therapeutic and I really want to feel something. Not just a little bit, I like to go big - go big or go home when it comes to emotion. Basically that goes into everything I do."
Fergie also revealed that she has a number of go-to singers she likes to listen to when she's experiencing personal troubles.
The American star, whose eight-year marriage ended earlier in 2017, told PEOPLE: "I have my go-to songs by Fiona Apple, Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige, Alanis Morissette.
"Those are the ones that I go to and I play over and over again if I'm going through a break-up or if I'm going through a hard time and I need those strong, powerful, intense emotions. I need to hear somebody sing those words of exactly how I'm feeling to get through them."
And Fergie hopes she can perform the same role for other women around the world.
She shared: "If I can be that help to get anyone through the tough time they're going through, that's really the most that I can ask for as an artist. That to me is true success.
"For the rest of my life I will have touched somebody with that emotion, and that means so much to me."
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