Jack Harlow says Fergie was his sexual "awakening" at age eight.
The 28-year-old singer auditioned to perform Fergie and will.i.am's 2006 song Fergalicious in his elementary school talent show because of his early admiration for the 51-year-old pop star.
He told Rolling Stone magazine: "I loved Fergie... I think I was young... I was eight years old, but I was sexually attracted to her.
"Like, she was an awakening for me. But also I loved the music. Probably should have just said attracted, but I was speaking my truth.
"At that age, I was sure it was both."
Jack was a big fan of the song - along with the "tempo" and "her rap verse on it" - but his teachers decided "it was too promiscuous", so he ended up helping behind the scenes at the talent show.
However, his dreams eventually came true after his 2022 track First Class sampled her song Glamorous, and the former Black Eyed Peas star joined him on stage at that year's MTV Video Music Awards.
Earlier that year, Jack opened up about how much it meant to have sampled her song.
He told Entertainment Tonight: “I grew up loving Fergie, like she literally inspired me. When I was in 5th grade, I tried to perform Fergalicious at the talent show.
"I have, like, a strong artistic connection to Fergie. I've been wanting to do that for a while, and it just came together, and I figured it's time.”
Jack dropped his fourth album Monica last month, and the rapper explained at the time how his approach to songwriting has shifted.
He told the New York Times podcast: "As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more concerned with finding my voice. I’m much more averse to mimicry or anything that feels derivative than I was in the past.
"I think I was so determined to achieve a certain thing and land in a certain place, maybe the spot I wanted to land in my head wasn’t as nuanced as it is now.
"I’m looking to carve out my own island and I’m less concerned with how immediately big I can make that island."
