First up, welcome to India. But what took you so long?

Well, it’s not that we haven’t been touring, it’s just that India was not at the top of the list. We did a tour of some Asian cities in 2003 following the release of our breakout album Elephunk. We took a bit of a break from touring after that, focused on making music and spent a lot of time in the studio. We hit the road again in 2006 and went to Ireland, UK, Italy, Israel and Germany; our final tour stop was Thailand. However, 2007 has been a crazy year with a whirlwind tour beginning in Wembley Stadium, London, for Live Earth, Osaka and Tokyo in Japan and then embarking on a crazy tour — Macau, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Hungary, South Korea, Malaysia, India (Bangalore on October 16), Indonesia, Singapore, China, Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, Thailand, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Brazil.

Do you know how popular you are in India?

We have a lot of fans in India who keep writing to us and who are active on www.blackeyedpeas.com and who keep telling us how excited they are that we will be playing in Bangalore... We cannot wait to perform there.

BEP has sold an estimated 27 million albums and singles worldwide. What’s the secret of success?

We try to keep our sounds and rhythms fresh and keep giving our fans new beats and sounds. Our roots are from all over and we try and incorporate so many types of things in our music, which is what has made it a success worldwide.

What’s next on the album agenda?

We are currently working on an album that will hit the stores by November 2008. We haven’t decided on a title for the album yet but stay tuned!

Will we be seeing a collaborative album with Michael Jackson?

We have been recording together in Las Vegas and Ireland. We are currently working on trying to create the melodies and progressions for his next project. No plans to drop an album anytime soon, but that would be cool.

Over the last two albums, there have been quite a few collaborations. Any Indian musicians/bands you want to work with?

India has some extremely talented musicians with some unique, funky sounds. We would love to jam with Asha Bhonsle.

Where Is The Love was the first single featuring Fergie. How do you react to critics who point out that your sound has taken a ‘mainstream’ direction because of the Fergie effect?

It’s the critic’s job to criticise our music. It’s our job to create those sounds and rhythms. Let them do their jobs and we’ll get on with ours. The fans love BEP and Fergie. Personally I don’t think the Fergie effect has diluted our music in any way at all. If anything, it has enhanced the creativity of the band and has widened our appeal.

You’re gearing up for your third solo album, Songs About Girls. How does your sound differ from BEP?

It’s laid-back and more mellow and melodic from what I usually do with Black Eyed Peas, but it’s cool. I’m really happy and proud of the record and, most importantly, my mum likes it!

Arka Das

Which is your favourite Black Eyed Peas song? Tell t2@abpmail.com