When it comes to Fergie, there’s always been an unresolved question in Latinas’ minds—is she, or isn’t she, one of us? The multi-platinum-selling solo artist is frequently said to be of mixed ethnicity, and she explained it this way herself to the The Independent in 2007: “My heritage is a complete mixture that includes Irish, Scottish and Mexican strains, and I don't feel tied to any one culture.” Hmm…can you say confusing? The fact that Fergie gets down with Daddy Yankee and Los Tigres Del Norte and fronts an uber-multicultural hip-pop group hasn’t really helped to sort out the truth.

Finally, we decided to ask The Dutchess ourselves. Coming off the heels of a show-stopping rendition of “Barracuda” with Heart for American Idol’s charity special, Idol Gives Back (“It was one of my dreams come true,” she gushed), Fergie spoke with Latina.com and happily set the record straight on her roots.

“Yes, I have Mexican in my ancestry,” said Fergie. “My Dad's grandmother was born in Guanajuato. I’m very proud of it; that’s probably where I get my fire! I’m mostly Scottish-Irish, though.”

And when she’s not on the road or in the studio—the star most recently released a collaboration with rapper Nelly called “Party People” and recorded a song for the Sex and the City movie soundtrack—she even visits her great-abuela’s homeland. “Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is my spot,” she said. “I love to hang out by the pool, go fishing, shop for furniture, and I’ve taken painting classes over there. It’s beautiful.”

So, why all the ambiguity around her latinidad before, you might ask? “I don’t go around claiming it big time,” the singer explained, “because there are many more full-bred Latinas that are out there to represent.”

There you have it. Even if you have to go back three generations to trace Fergie’s Latina roots, they do exist. More importantly, the songstress isn’t trying to hide them; she just wants other chicas to get their shine! We love her more already.

--Monica Herrera