Stacey Ann Ferguson was a straight-A Catholic school spelling bee champion, a Girl Scout, and the voice of Sally Brown in the Peanuts cartoons. Reconciling that image of 1980s innocence with the barrier-breaking hip-hop and pop royalty of the 2000s reveals a masterclass in resilience and reinvention through the pressures of child stardom, addiction, and a ruthless music industry.

We examine how a hyper-managed childhood led to emotional suppression, a severe crystal meth addiction she overcame through hypnotherapy, and a blank-slate rebirth that transformed the Black Eyed Peas from underground hip-hop into global pop. The spelling bee champion reached the top by intentionally spelling things wrong in Fergalicious.

• How child acting forced emotional suppression that set the stage for later struggles
• Overcoming the hardest b ...