Gwen Stefani

Gwen Renée Stefani ( / stəˈfɑːn i/; Fullerton, Calif.; October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. She is the co-founder, vocalist and main songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs" and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life", from later albums.

During the band's hiatus, he embarked on a solo career in 2004 by releasing his debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. inspired by the pop music of the 1980s, with which he had critical and commercial success. This album 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 and also became the first song to sell one million copies digitally. In 2006, she released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles from this album are "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", a song that reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 list at the end of 2007. His third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was his first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. His fourth and first Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas , was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on the Billboard Holiday Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. She has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US.

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. 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. Stefani was ranked by Billboard magazine as the 54th most successful artist and the 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the decade 2000-2009. On VH1 she was ranked 13th in her list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music" in 2012. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.

Early Years

Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969 in Fullerton, California, and raised Catholic. She was given the name of a flight attendant in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from a Four Tops cover of the Left Banke song "Walk Away Renée". Her father, Dennis Stefani, is of Italian descent and worked as a marketing executive at Yamaha. Her mother Patti—née Flynn—is of Irish descent and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Both were fond of folk music and introduced her to such artists as Bob Dylan and Emmylou. Harris. He has two younger brothers, Jill and Todd, and an older brother named Eric, who was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career as an animator on The Simpsons. He attended Loara High School, graduating in 1987. After high school, he went to Fullerton College, before transferring to California State University, Fullerton.

Career

1986-2004: early career and No Doubt

Stefani with No Doubt in Voodoo 2002

Her brother Eric introduced her to the 2 Tone music of Madness and The Selecter and, in 1986, invited her to be the voice of No Doubt, a ska group he was forming. In 1991, the band signed to Interscope Records, and the following year they released their self-titled debut album in 1992, but their ska-pop sound was not very successful due to the popularity of grunge i>. Before the widespread success of No Doubt and Sublime, she contributed as a guest vocalist on "Saw Red", on the album Robbin' the Hood from Sublime's 1994. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists, citing the sex appeal of Blondie singer Debbie Harry as a major influence, saying: “She was sexy, and she wasn't ashamed to rock, and to me, that's having it all. Because we all want to be sexy, even guys". No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), it took them more than three years. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom , including "Don't Speak", which topped the Hot New Year's Eve chart. 100 Airplay in 1997. He dropped out of college for a semester to tour Tragic Kingdom, but did not return, as it lasted two and a half years. Tragic Kingdom was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album, and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide in 2004. In late 2000, Rolling Stone magazine named her "the queen of confessional pop".

During the success of No Doubt, he collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "South Side" with Moby and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Eve. The band released his fourth studio album Return of Saturn in 2000. Most of the lyrics focus on his often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and his insecurities, including indecision about settling down and having a child. On Rock Steady (2001), he explored more sounds such as reggae and dancehall, to the while maintaining the new wave influences. This album was in the highest positions on the Billboard 200 album charts and Top Internet Albums; where it peaked at number 9 and 7 respectively, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards for Best Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992-2003, includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind".

2004-2006: solo debut and other initiatives

Stefani interpreting “What You Waiting For?” during the Harajuku Lovers Tour in 2005

Her debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Released on November 12, 2004, it features various collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, The Neptunes, and New Order, and draws influences from various musical styles, such as electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, i>soul and disco. He created it as a modern take on the music he listened to when he was in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of styles musicals of the 1980s and early 1990s, such as new wave, synthpop, and electro. Stefani's decision to focus her solo career on pop music instead of trying to "convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic value" she has been considered unusual. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was described as "super fun but [...] not exactly full of subversive social commentary". It debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, as well as selling 309. 000 copies in its first week. L.A.M.B. achieved multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

The album's first single, "What You Waiting For?", debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100. most other charts. In the song, she explains why she produced a solo album and discusses her fears of leaving No Doubt to embark on this path, as well as her desire to have children. "Rich Girl" was the second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a version with slightly different lyrics, but closer in melody to "If I Were a Rich Man" from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. It reached the Top 10 in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The third single, "Hollaback Girl", became Stefani's first to reach number one in the United States and second in Australia; it reached the top ten elsewhere. It was also the first to digitally sell over a million copies, and its close-to-metal composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single, "Cool", was released shortly after. of its predecessor's popularity, it reached the Top 20 in the US and UK. The song's lyrics and accompanying music video, filmed on Lake Como, represent his previous relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the fifth single, but was not as successful as its predecessors. Since Stefani was pregnant, she released "Crash" as a sixth single instead of a new album.

In 2004, he wanted to make movie appearances and began auditioning for movies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in The Aviator by Martin Scorsese. The director, whose daughter was a fan of No Doubt, cast Stefani after seeing a photograph of a Marilyn Monroe-inspired shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for acting, he read two biographies and saw eighteen Harlow films. Filming her role took four to five days where she had few lines. She voiced the main character of the video game Malice, but the company opted not to use the voices of the members of the band No Doubt.

2006-2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt

Stefani interpreting “Wind It Up” during The Sweet Escape Tour in 2007

Her second studio album, The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006, and explores more modern sounds, such as dance pop and rap. working with Kanal, Perry and the Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley of the UK rock band Keane. Focusing more on clubbing electronic and dance music than its predecessor, the record coincided with the DVD release of her first tour, Harajuku Lovers Live. Sia Michel commented that it "has a surprisingly moody, slightly autobiographical feel [...] but Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and Rob Sheffield rated The Sweet Escape as a «hurried return» that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy.

On "Wind It Up", the lead single, he used yodeling and an interpolation from The Sound of Music. Sales-wise, it peaked in the top 10 in the US. US and UK. The title track reached the top 10 in over 15 countries, including number two in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote The Sweet Escape, she was featured in the sixth season of American Idol and sang with Akon. She also had a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, they subsequently released three more singles; "4 in the Morning", "Now That You Got It", which featured Damian Marley, and "Early Winter". To promote it, she embarked on a world tour, The Sweet Escape Tour, which included North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and part of Latin America. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, she stated that she had no plans to continue working as a solo artist.

While Stefani was promoting The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began working on a new album without her and planned to finalize it after the Sweet Escape Tour ended. In March 2008, the band began to post about the album's progress on his official fan forum. On March 28, 2008, he stated that songwriting had started, but was slow because Stefani was pregnant with their second child. The Singles 1992-2003 was made available on December 9, 2008 for the video game Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on the album "Happy" in Galoshes by Scott Weiland in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the Bamboozle festival in May 2009, along with Fall Out Boy, and completed their national tour in mid-2009.

No Doubt's new album, Push and Shove, was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "Settle Down", on July 16. Its music video was directed by Sophie Muller, who previously directed several music videos for No Doubt. Also around this time, the members of the group were guests for the UK version of The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, their music video "Looking Hot" was taken down from the internet after receiving complaints that it was aggressive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt made a cameo appearance in a hot air balloon for the third season of Portlandia.

2014-2017: The Voice, This Is What the Truth Feels Like and You Make It Feel Like Christmas

Gwen Stefani in 2014

On April 12, 2014, she made a surprise appearance at the Coachella festival, where she joined Pharrell Williams onstage during his performance to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, they had officially announced that she would be joining. to the seventh season of The Voice as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera. Nine years after the last time, she attended the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appeared as a featured artist on the Maroon 5's song "My Heart Is Open", co-written by Sia, from the band's album V, which was first performed by Adam Levine and an orchestra at the 2015 Grammy Awards. with Calvin Harris on the song "Together" from his album Motion.

On September 8, 2014, Stefani told MTV News during New York Fashion Week that she was recording both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that was working with Williams. He released his comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco and Noel Zancanella. Billboard announced that their third studio album would be released in December with Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "Spark the Fire", a new track from the record, produced by Pharrell Williams, was released. On November 23, the song complete was released online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later cut from the third album. On 13 January 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia worked together on a ballad called "Start a War", which was also expected to be released on the third studio album, but did not make the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem and Stefani collaborated on the single "Kings Never Die", from the soundtrack of the movie Southpaw. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, matching first-week digital download sales at 35,000 copies.

On October 17, 2015, she performed a concert as part of her MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled " Used to Love You". It was released as a digital download on October 20, 2015, along with the music video. It was also released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The song is the first official single from his third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, on which he began working on in mid-2015. He said that much of the earlier material he worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what he had originally intended. The second single, "Make Me Like You », was released on February 12, 2016. This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning him his first number-one album on the US chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, he embarked on his tour. This Is What the Truth Feels Like with rapper Eve in the United States. She provided the voice of DJ Suki in the animated film Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. He was also featured on five songs on the film's official soundtrack. He performed twice as part of the "Final Shows" at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater from October 29 to 30, before its closure due to The Irvine Company not renewed the lease on the site's land.

She was interviewed for the documentary series The Defiant Ones, which premiered in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music later in the year. various song titles from the singer's sessions on the official GEMA website, suggesting that she may have been recording a Christmas album. Songwriting credits for the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with busbee, Blake Shelton and Justin Tranter. The album, titled You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was released digitally on September 22, 2017. 2017 as the lead single. To promote the record, she hosted Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, a Christmas television special on NBC that aired on December 12, 2017.

2018-present: Las Vegas residency show and The Voice

Gwen Stefani in the residency show from Las Vegas in 2019

Stefani's first residency show, titled Just a Girl: Las Vegas, kicked off on June 27, 2018 at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It concluded on May 16, 2020. It is named after the No Doubt song "Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show—$1 per ticket—were donated to the Cure4Kids organization. An edition of the show was released in October 2018. luxury of You Make It Feel Like Christmas and was promoted through the single "Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, he performed at the Machaca Fest in Parque Fundidora. That same month, The New York Times Magazine listed Stefani among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

She replaced Adam Levine as coach for season 17 of The Voice after the singer left the show. She was replaced by Nick Jonas for season 18, and returned for its fifth season from The Voice 19 as a replacement for Jonas. Their finalist Carter Rubin won, marking her first win as a coach after her fifth try; she was the ninth coach—and fourth woman after Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson—to do so. In November 2020, while season 19 was still airing, it was announced that Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge on season 20.

On December 13, 2019, he was featured on Shelton's single "Nobody but You" from his compilation album Fully Loaded: God's Country. the Billboard Hot 100 and 49 on the Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "Happy Anywhere", inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, he was on the schedule for Lollapalooza 2020, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. The festival eventually took place as a four-day live broadcast in July and August 2020, but he did not participate.

Stefani was featured on a Mark Ronson remix of "Physical", a song by British singer Dua Lipa, which is included on the remixes album Lipa Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clean up a sample of "Hollaback Girl" for Mr Fingers' remix of "Hallucinate", and was later asked to be a part of the remix of "Physical". To promote the reissued 2020 edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, he released a cover of " Sleigh Ride" as a single.

On December 7, 2020, he released "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" as the lead single from his upcoming fifth solo studio album. He followed this with a second single "Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix with Saweetie the following month. He also revealed more new music via his Instagram account, announcing that he recorded two new tracks titled "When Loving Gets Old" and "Cry Happy". In 2022, she contributed as a featured artist to Sean Paul's single "Light My Fire", alongside Shenseea, and appeared in its music video.

Other ventures

Stefani in September 2009

Stefani made most of her stage clothes with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to couture clothing, and Stefani launched a fashion line called L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line draws influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. It became popular among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In 2005, he expanded his brand with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers Collection, which he referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", featuring assorted products including a camera, cell phone charms, and underwear. In late 2006, released limited edition dolls, called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion Dolls». The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore during the album tour.

In late 2007, she launched a perfume, L, as part of her clothing and accessories collection, and it has top notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, she launched a fragrance line as part of Harajuku Lovers. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby, and G—Gwen—Since January 2011, she has been the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. In 2016, Urban Decay launched a limited-edition cosmetics collection in collaboration with Stefani. Having to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear. In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her L.A.M.B brand. She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the GX label, with Tura Inc.

In 2014, she announced the production of an animated series about herself and the Harajuku Girls. Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, she has helped create the show featuring herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby like the band, HJ5, who fight evil while trying to pursue their music career. Mattel was the worldwide toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku, was distributed worldwide by DHX Media.

In March 2022, she launched a makeup brand called GXVE—pronounced "Give"—Beauty. She patented P8NT makeup in 2018 for the L.A.M.B. line, but launched under her own separate brand. His products are sold at Sephora.

Personal life

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton at the US-Italy State Dinner 2019

Stefani began dating her bandmate Tony Kanal shortly after he joined. She said that she was very interested in that relationship, commenting that "...all I did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." The band almost broke up when Kanal ended the relationship. Their breakup inspired her to compose lyrics, and many of the songs on Tragic Kingdom, including "Don't Speak," "Sunday Morning," and "Hey You!", chronicle the ups and downs of their relationship. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

She met Bush singer/guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995 when No Doubt and the main band Bush performed at a Christmas concert for radio station KROQ. They were married on September 14, 2002, to a wedding at St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. She has three children with Rossdale, born in May 2006, August 2008, and February 2014. On August 3, 2015, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale, citing "irreconcilable differences". Their divorce was finalized on April 8, 2016, in which Rossdale agreed to the "unequal division" of their assets.

Stefani announced her relationship with Blake Shelton, a country music artist and The Voice co-star, in November 2015. The couple announced their engagement on October 27, 2020 and were married in a chapel on July 3, 2021 at Shelton's ranch in Oklahoma.

Stefani and Shelton have collaborated numerous times since they became a couple. In 2015, the musicians co-wrote the song "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" at the beginning of their relationship. The duet appeared on Shelton's 2016 album If I'm Honest. In 2020, their duets "Nobody But You" and "Happy Anywhere" reached number 1 on the Billboard US Country Airplay chart. They also collaborated on the song "You Make It Feel Like Christmas", included on their self-titled 2017 Christmas album.

Stefani was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2020.

In a 2023 interview with Allure magazine, Stefani stated that her father's job had him traveling frequently between California and Japan for 18 years. Speaking about his relationship with Japanese culture, he explained that "that was my Japanese influence and that it was a culture so rich in tradition, yet so futuristic [with] such attention to artistry, detail and discipline, and it was fascinating to me.". She had visited Harajuku as an adult and referred to herself as a "super fan" of Japanese culture. In the same interview, Stefani commented that she was Japanese and that she "not only identifies with Japanese culture, but also with the Hispanic and Latinx communities of Anaheim, California." Her comments have drawn criticism of cultural appropriation, with interviewers and writers. clarifying that Stefani is Irish-American and Italian-American, and not Japanese.

Art

AXS called Stefani a "powerful" vocalist with an "incredible" range. The New York Times found her voice "polite" and praised her for "kicking her addiction to vibrato". IGN described Stefani as possessing "unique vocal prowess". The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "reckless high".

Their debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. drew influence from a variety of 1980s genres, including electropop, new wave, dance-rock i>, hip hop, R&B, soul and disco. He cited Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and The Cure as main influences. Stefani composed several of the songs for clubbing, with electronic rhythms intended for dancing. Referencing fashion and wealth on the album, the singer named several designers she considered inspirations in her personal career., such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. Their second studio album, The Sweet Escape, musically resembles its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds and dabbling heavily in genres such as dance pop and rap. He continued with the same themes developed in Love Angel Music Baby, but received criticism for doing so.

This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, was also pop, although it also incorporated music from other genres, including reggae, disco, and dancehall, as well as the use of guitars. Her lyrics changed due to events in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale and her new relationship with Shelton. The singer said that he spoke in them more about forgiveness than revenge.

Public Image

Stefani interpreting "The Real Thing" during the Harajuku Lovers Tour in 2005

Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid-1990s after attending several family gatherings with Tony Kanal, who is of Indian descent. During the success of No Doubt, Stefani wore the decoration on her forehead at several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. Since the music video for "Just a Girl", she has been known for exposing her midriff in cropped tops. Stefani's makeup design typically includes light face powder., bright red lipstick and arched eyebrows; wrote about it in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's Return of Saturn, asking, "If the magic's in the makeup/Then, who I am?". Stefani is a natural brunette, but has dyed her hair since the ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has usually had platinum blonde hair. She mentioned this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on Rock Steady and played actress Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic The Aviator. She dyed her hair blue. in 1998 and in pink in 1999, when she appeared on the cover of Return of Saturn with pink hair.

In 2006, she modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character Elvira Hancock in the 1983 film Scarface. She began using a symbol consisting of two consecutive "G's", which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of The Sweet Escape. She also expressed concern in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss after pregnancy She later claimed that she had been on a diet since sixth grade to get into a clothing size 4. At Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas, at The Venetian there is a wax figure of her since September 22, 2010.

The release of Stefani's first solo album drew attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, and are named after the area around Tokyo's Harajuku Station. Her clothing was also influenced by Japanese fashion, in a style described as a cross between Christian Dior and Japan.The dancers appear in her music videos, press coverage and on the album cover Love. Angel. Music. Baby., with a song named and dedicated to them on the album. They also performed on Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour, under the same name. Forbes magazine reported that the singer earned $27 million between June 2007 and 2008 from her tour, fashion line and commercials, which made her the 10th highest-paid music personality in the world at the time.

Acknowledgments and influence

Throughout her solo career, Stefani has won several music awards, including a Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, an American Music Award, a Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the cover of the magazine. She received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. In 2016, the singer received a Hero Award at the Radio Disney Music Awards, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charities.

Various contemporary music critics have referred to Stefani as a "pop princess". In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at number thirteen on their list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. His musical work has influenced artists and musicians such as Paramore's Hayley Williams, Best Coast, Kim Petras, Teddy Sinclair, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, Ava Max, Marina Diamandis, Rita Ora, Keke Palmer, Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, The Stunners, Kelly Clarkson, Sky Ferreira, Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cover Drive. Cover Drive, a musical quartet from Barbados, he claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence his music, to which the group's lead singer, Amanda Reifer, said that she would "swoon" if she ever met Stefani.

The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", has been considered by Pitchfork as one of their best singles, placing it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. ». “Hollaback Girl” by Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was the first song to digitally sell over one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peaked at number 41 on the charts. Billboard end-of-decade charts for 2000-09. Since its release in 2005, Rolling Stone has called "Hollaback Girl" Stefani's "signature song".

Philanthropy

Barack Obama and Gwen Stefani in 2016

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Stefani donated US$1 million to Save's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Children's Fund the Children. She also held an eBay auction from April 11 to April 25, 2011, for participants to bid on vintage clothing items from her personal wardrobe and custom t-shirts designed and signed by her, as well as like the entrance to a Harajuku-themed private tea. This party was organized for June 7, 2011, at Los Angeles' first maid cafe and Japanese-style pop art space, Royal/T, with proceeds from the auction going to Save the Children.

At the amfAR gala during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, she auctioned off the black lace dress she wore to the event for charity, raising more than US $125,000. A representative for designer Michael Angel, who helped Stefani with the design and worked as a stylist, said Angel created the dress, not her. In response, Angel released a statement confirming that the dress was designed by Stefani for L.A.M.B. and to be worn and auctioned at the amfAR gala. Stefani hosted a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama in August 2012 at the singer's home in Beverly Hills.

The singer-songwriter supports the LGBT community. When she was asked in a Pride Source interview in 2019 about how she would react if one of her sons came out as gay, she said: “She would be blessed with a gay son; [...] I just want my children to be healthy and happy. And I only ask God to guide me to be a good mother, which is not easy at all."

Discography

As a solo artist

• 2004: Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
• 2006: The Sweet Escape
• 2016: This Is What the Truth Feels Like
• 2017: You Make It Like Christmas

With No Doubt

• 1992: No Doubt
• 1995: Tragic Kingdom
• 2000: Return of Saturn
• 2001: Rock Steady
• 2012: Push and Shove

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Note

1. ↑ Translated to Spanish: "If magic is in makeup, then who am I?"