Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefaniis an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. She is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band No Doubt. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo career where she pursued an interest in mainstream popular music. The singer has explored a variety of genres throughout her career, including dance, dancehall, electro, hip hop, and reggae. She has been called a "pop princess" by numerous publications and has inspired several musicians over the years...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth3 October 1969
CityFullerton, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I think when I first started discovering I could write songs, I was so naive. And it was after I got broken up with and had my heart sliced up into a bunch of little pieces that I was like, "I'm going to say this." I didn't even know how to play guitar.
We [No Doubt] were making music that was the opposite of grunge and what was popular on the radio, and we were fine with that. And for a garage band, we were massive! We were already successful in our own minds.
I think after doing Push and Shove and having it not be successful, I lost a lot of confidence. Songwriting, for me, has always been traumatic, and I've always made all these excuses. But I've realized that you have to just accept that it was a gift: "I don't know where it came from, I don't know how I did it, but I did write all those songs, and I gotta do it again."
I had done the No Doubt record Push and Shove, and that was a real challenge for me: I think after the giving birth twice, going on multiple tours, all the stuff that I had done, I really got quite burned out after that.
I like the old, vintage Hollywood look.
I remember so vividly the first song I ever wrote. It was called 'Different People.'
It's superfun being a mom, but it's hard too.
My mom always said I was the peacemaker in the family. My older brother, Eric, was the leader, the creative one. I was just his puppet.
I'm in a band, and I know exactly who those girls are. I know exactly what goes on backstage. I wish I had a little leash to walk him around.
I was a different person before I started to write. When I realized I could be a songwriter and that people would listen - that was when I started feeling good in my life.
I had gotten pregnant with Apollo, and I didn't plan on that - it was just such a beautiful miracle. Four weeks later they called me and, like "Do you want to do The Voice?" It was this incredible opportunity to do something different.
Sometimes life is so crazy, you have to go through something to be able to find out what you're supposed to talk about next, and I think that's what happened to me.
It's not about me - it's like, "How can I help you?" And when you give like that, you receive so much. It was an incredible experience, but it also gave me that bug: I wanted new music so badly.
I'm just writing what I feel, and I really don't think I've done anything wrong that I need to hide. The biggest thing, and I don't even like to bring it up, is my children - you know, you've gotta protect them.