Bio: 1986 – present: No Doubt
When her brother, Eric Stefani, asked her to join his band No Doubt, she was more than ready. The band’s lead singer was John Spence, who Stefani shared vocals with. In 1987, however, Spence committed suicide. Stefani kept No Doubt together, encouraging them to continue pushing through the difficult times. Finally, in 1991, the band was signed to Interscope. Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and The Selecter, and in 1986 he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry’s combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt’s third album Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. During this time, the band almost split up because of the failed romantic relationship between Stefani and bandmate Tony Kanal. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of the album’s songs, such as “Don’t Speak”, “Sunday Morning”, and “Hey You”, chronicle their relationship and her happiness. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom and “Don’t Speak” led 1996’s U.S. year-end airplay chart. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album sold more than sixteen million copies worldwide, and received several Grammy Award nominations.
Stefani performing with No Doubt in 2002.No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expands upon the New Wave influences of Tragic Kingdom.[24] Most of the lyrical content focuses on Stefani’s often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her overall insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child.[25] The band’s 2001 album Rock Steady explores more reggae and dancehall sounds while maintaining the band’s New Wave influences, generally receiving positive reviews from music critics.[26] The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States,[27] and “Hey Baby” and “Underneath It All” received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992-2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life”, was released in 2003 to moderate sales. The other members of No Doubt have begun work on a new album[28] and plan to complete it after Stefani’s tour is finished.[29]
Outside No Doubt, Stefani has collaborated on the singles “South Side” and “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” with Moby and Eve, respectively. In 2002 Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”.[30] She also collaborated with The Brian Setzer Orchestra on a cover of “You’re the Boss”, originally performed by Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret, for its 1998 album The Dirty Boogie.
Bio: Early life
Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton, California and raised in Anaheim, California, and grew up in a Roman Catholic household. Her mother named her Gwen after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from The Four Tops’ 1968 cover of The Left Banke’s 1966 hit song “Walk Away Renée”. Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian American and works as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother, Patti Flynn, is of Irish and Scottish descent and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Gwen’s parents were fans of folk music and presented music by Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris to her. Gwen is the second oldest of four children; she has a younger sister Jill, a younger brother Todd, and an older brother Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt, but left the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons.
Many of the women in Gwen’s family were seamstresses, and much of her clothing was made by her or her mother. As a child, Stefani’s musical interests consisted of musicals such as The Sound of Music and Evita. After making a demo tape for her father, she was encouraged not to take music lessons to train her “loopy, unpredictable” voice. Stefani’s first on-stage performance came during a talent show at Loara High School, where she sang “I Have Confidence” from The Sound of Music in a self-made tweed dress inspired by one from the film. Stefani was on the swim team at Loara, and she worked scrubbing floors at a Dairy Queen and later at the makeup counter of a department store. After graduating from high school in 1987, she began attending California State University, Fullerton.
Gwen Stefani Bio
Gwen Renée Stefani was born October 3, 1969. Gwen Stefani is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress. Stefani debuted in 1992 as the frontwoman of the third wave ska band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling sixteen million copies worldwide. It spawned the singles “Just a Girl”, “Spiderwebs”, and the airplay number-one “Don’t Speak”. The band’s popularity went into decline with its third album Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) introduced dancehall and reggae production into its music, of which generally received positive reviews.
Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, taking Stefani’s work further into pop, R&B, and dance music, and enjoyed international success with sales of over seven million. The album’s third single “Hollaback Girl” became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani’s second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded “Wind It Up”, a moderate worldwide success. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
In the media, Stefani is known as a fashion trendsetter. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line. Drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and fashion, Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls. She married British indie musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002, and the two have a son, Kingston, who was born in 2006.