Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani (/stəˈfɑːni/ stə-FAH-nee; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums.
Gwen Stefani
- Singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- fashion designer
- actress
1986–present
Tony Kanal (1987–1994)
3
Eric Stefani (brother)
Vocals
During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success.[9][10] It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies.[11] In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007.[12] Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboard's Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with husband Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US.
Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, she has received an American Music Award, a Brit Award, a World Music Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line inspired by Japanese culture and fashion. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–2009 decade.[13][14] VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.[15] Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 60 million records worldwide.[16][17]
Early life and education[edit]
Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California,[18] and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim.[19] She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops' 1968 version of the Left Banke's 1966 song "Walk Away Renée".[20] Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive.[21] Her mother Patti (née Flynn[22]) is Irish American[23] and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker.[21][24] Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris.[19] Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother, Eric.[19][24] Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons.[18]
She went to Loara High School, where she graduated in 1987.[25] After high school, she attended Fullerton College and Cypress College.[26][27] She then transferred to California State University, Fullerton, but dropped out to pursue her music career.[28]
Other ventures[edit]
Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004.[19] The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles.[143] The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself.[144][145] In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments.[146][147] In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album.[148]
In late 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, L, as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose.[149] In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby and G (Gwen).[150] As of January 2011, Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris.[151] In 2016, Urban Decay released a limited edition cosmetic collection in collaboration with Stefani.[152] After needing to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear.[153] In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her fashion label L.A.M.B.[154] She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the label GX, with Tura Inc.[155]
In 2014, Stefani announced the production of an animated series about her and the Harajuku Girls.[156] Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids,[157] Stefani has helped create the show which features herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby as the band, HJ5, who fight evil whilst trying to pursue their music career.[158] Mattel was the global toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku was distributed worldwide by DHX Media.[159]
In 2018, Stefani had reportedly filed to trademark P8NT for a potential line of "make-up, skincare, fragrance and hair dyes",[160] and in March 2022, she launched a makeup brand called GXVE Beauty.[161][162]
Artistry[edit]
AXS called Stefani a "powerhouse" vocalist with an "incredible" range.[163] The New York Times considered Stefani's vocals "mannered" and commended her for "kick[ing] her vibrato addiction".[164] IGN described Stefani as having a "unique vocal prowess".[165] The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "brash alto".[166]
Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. took influence from a variety of 1980s genres,[167] which included electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, soul, and disco music.[168][169][170][171][172] Stefani cited early Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and the Cure as major influences for the album.[170] Several of the album's tracks were designed for clubs, and contained electro beats meant for dancing.[173] Referencing fashion and wealth in the album, the singer name-drops several designers who she considered inspirations in her personal career, such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood.[174] Her second studio album The Sweet Escape resembles musically its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds, dabbling heavily into genres such as dance-pop and rap.[50][168][175][176][177] It carried on the same themes developed in Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and was criticized for doing so.[178]
This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, continued Stefani's endeavors with the pop genre, while incorporating music from a variety of other genres including reggae,[179] disco,[180] and dancehall,[181] as well as the use of guitars.[182] Stefani's lyrics shifted towards events that had recently occurred in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale, and new relationship with Shelton.[183] The singer stated her album was more about forgiveness than revenge.[184]
