Noughties music fans shocked when legendary band spotted in Essex restaurant

A LEGENDARY 2000s pop group left their fans stunned when they stopped at an Essex restaurant for a bite to eat.

The Black-Eyed Peas and their entourage visited the Hokkaido Teppanyaki restaurant in Chelmsford and seemed to be having a good, good night.

The group occupied the best seats in the house and seemed relaxed as the chef got to work on his sizzling iron griddle.

They even did a bit of additional promotion for the restaurant in the form of a Tic Tac video.

Group member Taboo introduced himself, followed by his partner apl.de.ap, who took care of his phone.

Their current singer J Rey Soul (Jessica Reynoso) was with them, as was their musical director, social media guru and tour manager.

Taboo said, “We’re honored to be in your family’s restaurant. We appreciate your love and support, man. Thanks.”

The restaurant captioned the clip: “It was a huge honor to host music giants @Black Eyed Peas and we hope to see them again soon, maybe even at one of your concerts!”

However, one question was on fans’ lips: where was Will.i.Am?

Eccentric Will is the most famous member of the group. Not only has he had numerous solo hits and production credits, but he is also a part of The Voice in the UK.

The Black-Eyed Peas are best known for songs such as I Gotta Feeling, Boom Boom Pow and Where is the Love?

Their greatest successes came as a quartet when led by a female singer. FergieHowever, they now operate as a trio, albeit with the help of J Rey.

After a four-year hiatus, the group reunited in 2015 without Fergie.

Will recently suggested the decision was his when asked about the Peas’ current dynamic.

He told the Daily Star: “We are now a trio. I don’t know why Fergie isn’t on the project. You’ll have to ask Fergie that.

“You know we’re actually capable of doing this without Fergie.”

Surprisingly, the group has a WhatsApp panel featuring another great pop singer, Nicole Scherzinger.

While there’s no suggestion she’ll be the group’s new singer – a gig Nicole almost got in the early 2000s before Fergie joined – she’s considered part of the group’s family.

Explaining their connection, Will said: “We have a chat group called the Black Eyed Peas family. It has nothing to do with creating music or money. It’s a question of friendship.

“It’s the three of us and Nicole. It’s about family. Nicole is the Black Eyed Peas. She’s family.”

In 2018, Will claimed that the reason Nicole didn’t join the Peas was because her then-boyfriend stopped her.

Ultimately, this didn’t hinder her success and she became a superstar as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, before also scoring solo hits.