The black eyed peas have wrapped up recording their new album, The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies), in London recently but where did it all start and what’s coming up? Elephunk, launched in 2003, was The Black Eyed Peas breakout album. It launched them to worldwide fame with 7.5 million albums sold, four Grammy nominations and a Grammy award. Their sound was refreshing and different which had audiences going wild. Elephunk’s success kept the group on tour for eighteen months and inspired a lot of their next album.

Monkey Business was the Black Eyed Peas fourth album. “In going on the road for so long, we got an idea of what kind of music we wanted to play and make,” explains will.i.am. “Monkey Business is very much about the types of songs we play live. It’s about a party. It’s layered differently and has energy to it that reflects how we tour – from the beats to the types of instruments we used to how we interact with the audience. It’s very much about us and the crowd on this record.”

The group, which was formed in the late 1990s, was born in the vibrant Los Angeles hip-hop underground. Even then, the group possessed a magnetic spirit that helped them establish a worldwide following through their first two albums, 1998′s Behind The Front and 2000′s Bridging The Gap.

“I was in Brazil doing some CD shopping,” will.i.am recalls. “I came across this compilation and I thought it was one thing but it turned out to be something else. The Dick Dale song ‘Miserlou,’ was on it. At first I was angry – this isn’t what I wanted to buy,” he laughs. “But then, really, that song is hot. I said, ‘we should do a song like this.’ I jump-started the computer and made some beats on the train. Then we had to fly to Tokyo and I tightened up the beat on the plane. Then I recorded vocals in this park in Tokyo. And that’s how we recorded the song, ‘Pump It.’”

Before recording that album, the three original members of The Black Eyed Peas – will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo – had been ensnared by personal demons. “I remember that we were each talking about the things that were haunting us and seemed to be crippling us,” recalls will.i.am. Adding the vocal talents of singer, Fergie, the group used music as a therapeutic vehicle. Making music with that near-desperate fervour also is maintained on Monkey Business, says will.i.am. “You’re always challenged not to go back to those bad habits in life,” he says. “When you’re comfortable living, you sometimes think that, well, I beat it once so I can do it again. But you never really escape the things that haunt you.”

After Monkey Business the group members launched hugely successful solo careers, most notably Fergie and Will. On joining forces for their new album Fergie said it had been a lot of fun.

“Just getting in there and being creative, trying to push it forward and do things that are different and futuristic and that’s what we’re doing,” she said.

She wasn’t going to spill all the beans though.

“I can’t really describe the sound, it’s just new,” she said.

will.i.am recently worked with Hans Zimmer on the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa soundtrack, as well as voicing the Moto Moto character – a large Hippo. Reuters interviewed the star, and found out more about his roll in the new X-Men film.

Q: Now you’ve done your first movie score and soundtrack, you’re also branching out as an actor, right?

A: “Yeah, I’m in the new ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine.’ I play John Wraith, a mutant, and I’m very excited about it as I’m a huge ‘X-Men’ fan. We shot it in Australia and all my scenes are with Hugh Jackman. I have a pretty cool role – it’s not big, but it’s not small. I had a great time with Hugh and I definitely want to do more acting, as long as I can contribute to the creative process. That’s what I’m good at — dreaming and imagining.”