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| Birth Name(s) : Gwen Stefani |
Date of Birth: October 3, 1969 |
| Status:
N/A
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Musician |
Official Site
Go to the Gwen Stefani Official Homepage |
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Full Gwen Stefani Biography
| Lead singer of the popular band No Doubt, formed by her brother Eric and John Spence in 1987, Gwen Stefani is not "just a girl in the world". She is admittedly a thrift store junkie and her unique sense of style plays as much a part of her personal statement as any sensational lyrics she may sing. |
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Additional Gwen Stefani Biography
Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) (IPA pronunciation: ), 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.
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.
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.
No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expands upon the New Wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. 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. 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. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, 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 and plan to complete it after Stefani's tour is finished.
The song's beats and composition are based around a drum machine, piano and saxophone. It became Stefani's first U.S. number-one single.
The doowop-inspired title track performed well and reached number one on the world chart.
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Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape was released in December 2006. Stefani recollaborated with Kanal, Perry, and the Neptunes along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley. The album focuses more heavily on dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Stefani commented that it differed from L.A.M.B. because "I just wasn't inspired to do another album and…I was a lot more relaxed making it." Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. The album received mixed reviews by critics, who found that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel... Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy.Stefani performaing "Wind It Up" in May 2007.
"Wind It Up", the album's lead single, was panned by critics for its use of yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music but was moderately successful, reaching the top twenty in most markets. The title track was well-received and topped the United World Chart. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. Stefani embarked on the international Sweet Escape Tour in April 2007, with opening acts Akon and Lady Sovereign. The tour will visit North America, Central America, Australia, Asia and Europe. After "4 in the Morning" failed to match the success of Stefani's previous singles, "Now That You Got It" was released as the album's fourth single.
Solo singles: "What You Waiting For?" · "Rich Girl" · "Hollaback Girl" · "Cool" · "Luxurious" · "Crash" · "Wind It Up" · "The Sweet Escape" · "4 in the Morning" ·"Now That You Got It" · "Early Winter"
Guest singles: "What's Going On" · "South Side" · "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" · "Can I Have It like That"
Albums: No Doubt · The Beacon Street Collection · Tragic Kingdom · Return of Saturn · Rock Steady |
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Gwen Stefani Quote(s)
| I can honestly respect so many different ways of playing music and expressing what you're trying to say. |
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