Gwen Stefani

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Gwen Stefani
Background = solo_singer

---

Img_capt =
Birth_name = Gwen Renée Stefani
Born = birth date and age|mf=yes|1969|10|3
Fullerton, California, United States
Origin = Anaheim, California, United States
Instrument = Vocals, guitar
Voice_type = Mezzo-soprano
Genre = Rock, ska punk, pop
Occupation = Singer, songwriter, fashion designer, actress
Years_active = 1986–present
Label = Interscope
Associated_acts = No Doubt
URL = [http://www.gwenstefani.com/ www.GwenStefani.com]

Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) (pronEng|ˈgwɛn stɛˈfɑːni) [See [http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/d1158/Gwen_Stefani inogolo:pronunciation of Gwen Stefani] .] is an American recording artist and fashion designer. Stefani fronts the rock band No Doubt, whose 1995 album "Tragic Kingdom" propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide. It spawned the singles "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak". The band's popularity went into decline with its fourth album, "Return of Saturn" (2000), but "Rock Steady" (2001) introduced reggae production into its music, and 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,Murison, Krissi. [http://www.nme.com/reviews/gwen-stefani/7561 "Gwen Stefani : Love Angel Music Baby"] . "NME". Retrieved May 10, 2007.] and emerged an 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.Hiatt, Brian. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/gwenstefani/articles/story/9161846/stefani_peas_lead_singles_boom "Stefani, Peas Lead Singles Boom"] . "Rolling Stone". January 19, 2006. Retrieved May 13, 2007.] Stefani's second solo album "The Sweet Escape" (2006) yielded "Wind It Up", a moderate worldwide success, and "The Sweet Escape". [http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/billboard_hot_100/2006/46 "Billboard" Hot 100 (46/2006): Charts"] . Music Square. Retrieved April 29, 2007.] Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. [McGibbon, Rob. [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21706422-5006011,00.html "No natural born popstar"] . "The Daily Telegraph". May 13, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2007.] She won the World's Best-Selling New Female Artist at the World Music Awards 2005.

Stefani is known as a fashion trendsetter. ["Back in Love": "Fashionistas". MuchMoreMusic programming. Original airdate: September 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006.] 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 grunge musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002; they have two sons, Kingston James McGregor, who was born May 26, 2006 and Zuma Nesta Rock who was born August 21, 2008.

Early life

Gwen Renée Stefani was born and raised in Fullerton, California,Jeffries, David. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hvfixquhldde~T10 "Gwen Stefani > Biography"] . Allmusic. Retrieved April 14, 2007.] and grew up in a Roman Catholic household.Van Meter, Jonathan. [http://www.style.com/vogue/feature/032204/page2.html "The First Lady of Rock"] . "Vogue" (April 2004). Retrieved from Style.com April 16, 2007.] Her mother named her 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"."Entertainment Weekly", issue 910. Page 94, sidebar. December 8, 2006.] 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. [http://uk.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=8b46d708-c337-4a28-91e6-6063b67fedb0 "Gwen Stefani - Profile"] . E!. Retrieved September 28, 2008.] [http://www.elle.com/coverstory/10142/gwen-stefani.html "Escape Artist"] . "ELLE", issue 258, page 220. February 7, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2007.] Her parents were fans of folk music and presented music by Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris to their daughter. She 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 Stefani'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 to take music lessons to train her "loopy, unpredictable" voice. Stefani is a distant cousin of Madonna. Her great-aunt's mother-in-law shares the last name with Madonna.

Stefani made her onstage debut 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.Collis, Clark. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1562569,00.html "Holla Back"] . "Entertainment Weekly", issue 909. November 22, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] [http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,1402498,00.html "'I'll cry just talking about it'"] . "The Observer". January 30, 2005. Retrieved from "Guardian Unlimited" April 16, 2007.] Stefani was on the Loara swim team in an attempt to lose weight. [Hancock, Noelle. [http://www.usmagazine.com/gwen_stefani_and_elle "Gwen Talks Blobs and Plastic Surgery"] . "Us Weekly". January 30, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2007.] She first worked scrubbing floors at a Dairy Queen and later manning the MAC makeup counter of a department store. ["Gwen Stefani". "It's Good to Be..." E! Entertainment Television. March 28, 2004.] After graduating from high school in 1987, she began attending California State University, Fullerton. [http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/gwenstefani/ "Gwen Stefani"] . Hello!. Retrieved April 16, 2007.]

Music career

1986–2003: No Doubt

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. Finally, in 1991, the band was signed to Interscope Records. She also did backup vocals for Sublime on the song "Saw Red".

The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. [Bush, John. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jpfqxqw5ld6e~T10 "No Doubt > Biography"] . Allmusic. Retrieved April 14, 2007.] 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.Strauss, Neil. [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939747/no_doubts_anniversary_party/ "No Doubt's Anniversary Party"] . "Rolling Stone". January 31, 2002. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] 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. [Ali, Lorraine. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5783821/site/newsweek/ "It's My Life"] . "Newsweek". 2004. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] 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. [ [http://www.muchmusic.com/insidemuch/stuff/gwen_and_tony_still_cool.asp "Gwen & Tony: Still Cool"] . CHUM Limited. July 19, 2005. Retrieved January 25, 2007.] Five singles were released from "Tragic Kingdom" and "Don't Speak" led 1996's U.S. year-end airplay chart. [ [http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1997/bbyearend.htm "Billboard Year-End Chart-Toppers: 1997"] . Rock on the Net. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] 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 16 million copies worldwide, and received several Grammy Award nominations. [ [http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9801/06/grammys.list/index.html "List of Grammy award nominations"] . CNN. January 6, 1998. Retrieved April 30, 2007.]

No Doubt released the less popular "Return of Saturn" in 2000, which expands upon the New Wave influences of "Tragic Kingdom". [Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wbfixqlkld6e~T10 "Return of Saturn > Review"] . Allmusic. Retrieved April 27, 2007.] 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. [Willman, Chris. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,276102,00.html "Future Tense?"] . "Entertainment Weekly", issue 539. May 12, 2000. Retrieved April 27, 2007.] 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. [Cinquemani, Sal. [http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=146 "Music Review: No Doubt: "Rock Steady"] . "Slant Magazine". 2004. Retrieved April 30, 2007.] The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jpfqxqw5ld6e~T51 "No Doubt > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"] . Allmusic. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] 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 [Vineyard, Jennifer and Richard, Yasmine. [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/no_doubt/artist.jhtml#/news/articles/1531578/20060511/no_doubt.jhtml "No Doubt — Minus Gwen — In Early Stages Of New Album"] . MTV News. May 12, 2006. Retrieved December 19, 2006.] and plan to complete it after Stefani's tour is finished. [Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003496213 "Stefani: No Timetable For No Doubt Reunion"] . "Billboard". December 12, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2006.]

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". [Armor, Jerry. [http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12026252 "Alicia Keys, U2 Big Winners At 44th Annual Grammy Awards"] . Yahoo! Music News. February 28, 2002. Retrieved April 30, 2007.] 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".

2004-2008: Solo career

Following No Doubt's hiatus, Stefani sought out her former bandmate Tony Kanal to discuss the possibility of a solo career. The idea was to make a quick dance record, but this became a large collaboration with other artists, producers and various non-ska influences. The result was a successful first album. Currently, Stefani has two solo albums, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004)," and "The Sweet Escape (2006)." [Jeffries, David. [http://music.aol.com/artist/gwen-stefani/biography/1238915/ "Gwen Stefani Biography"] . AOL Music Retrieved January 22, 2008.]

2004–2006: "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."

Stefani's debut solo album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." was released in November 2004. The album features a large number of collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper and The Neptunes. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and "L.A.M.B." takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as New Wave and electro. [Vineyard, Jennifer. [http://www.mtv.com/bands/s/stefani_gwen/news_feature_112204/ "Gwen Stefani: Scared Solo"] . MTV News. Retrieved April 23, 2007.] Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. As a result, reviews of the album were mixed, and it was described as "fun as hell but…not exactly rife with subversive social commentary." [Cinquemani, Sal. [http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=530 "Gwen Stefani: Love. Angel. Music. Baby."] "Slant Magazine". 2004. Retrieved June 4, 2007.] The album debuted on the U.S. "Billboard" 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. [Whitmire, Margo. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000728821 "U2's 'Bomb' Explodes At No. 1"] . "Billboard". December 1, 2004. Retrieved March 13, 2007.] It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, [ [http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=32308 "Platinum Awards Content"] . British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 23, 2007.] Australia, [ [http://aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-accreditations-albums-2005.htm "Accreditations - 2005 Albums"] . Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 23, 2007.] and Canada. [ [http://www.cria.ca/gold/0406_g.php "Gold & Platinum Certification"] . Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 23, 2007.] At the 2005 Grammy Awards, Stefani was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/awards_festivals/grammys/nominations/2005.jsp "47th Grammy winners and nominations"] . "The Hollywood Reporter". Retrieved February 27, 2007.] and at the next year's awards, Stefani received five nominations for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. [ [http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/grammys/2006/nominees.html "ASCAP Members Receive Multiple Nominations for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards] . American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Retrieved February 27, 2007.]

The first single released from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which charted outside the U.S. Top 40, but reached the Top 10 on most other charts. [ [http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/song/603 "Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For?: Charts"] . Music Square. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career [Vineyard, Jennifer. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1493633/20041110/stefani_gwen.jhtml "Gwen Stefani's Debut Solo LP Inspired By Insecurity And Japan"] . MTV News. November 10, 2004. Retrieved May 9, 2007.] as well as her desire to have a baby.Salmon, Chris. [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2024019,00.html "'I just want to make music and babies'"] . "The Guardian". March 2, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2007.] "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou and Michie One, which itself is a cover of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". "Rich Girl" proved successful on several formats, and reached the UK and U.S. top ten. [ [http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/song/663 "Gwen Stefani and Eve - Rich Girl: Charts"] . Music Square. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] "L.A.M.B."'s third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first U.S. and second Australian number-one single; it was less successful elsewhere. [ [http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/song/760 "Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl: Charts"] . Music Square. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] The song was the first U.S. digital download to sell more than one million copies legally, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. [Hiatt, Brian. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/gwenstefani/articles/story/9161846/stefani_peas_lead_singles_boom "Stefani, Peas Lead Singles Boom"] . "Rolling Stone". January 19, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2007.]

The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, but failed to match its chart success, reaching the top twenty in UK and U.S. [ [http://www.musicsquare.net/charts/song/851 "Gwen Stefani - Cool: Charts"] . Music Square. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed in Lake Como, Italy, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. [Vineyard, Jennifer. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504440/20050621/stefani_gwen.jhtml "Gwen Stefani's Song About Tony Kanal To Be Her Next Single"] . MTV News. June 21, 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2007.] "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in early 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."'s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy.Vineyard, Jennifer. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1519189/20051222/stefani_gwen.jhtml "Gwen Stefani Confirms Pregnancy While Onstage In Florida"] . MTV News. December 24, 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2005.]

2006–2008: "The Sweet Escape"

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 from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electro/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." [Swift, Jacqui. [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006140003-2007080743,00.html "Has Gwen really got it all?"] . "The Sun". February 23, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2007.] 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... [but] Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1564580,00.html "The Sweet Escape"] . "Entertainment Weekly". December 1, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2007.] and called the album a "hasty return" that repeats "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." with less energy. [Sheffield, Rob. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/gwenstefani/albums/album/12640869/review/12811225/the_sweet_escape "Album Reviews"] . "Rolling Stone". December 12, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 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" [Macia, Peter. [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/track_review/39343-wind-it-up "Gwen Stefani: 'Wind It Up' [Track Review"] . Pitchfork Media. October 25, 2006. Retrieved April 29, 2007.] but was moderately successful, reaching the Top 20 in most markets. The title track was well-received. To promote "The Sweet Escape", Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of "American Idol" and performed the song with Akon. It was an international success and earned Stefani a Grammy nomination. The song is Stefani's most successful song of her solo career. In November 2006, the club single "Yummy" was released as a 3-track maxi promo single and as a 12" vinyl single [ [http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=385929 Gwen Stefani Yummy USA Promo 12" RECORD/MAXI SINGLE (385929) ] ] [ [http://991.com/Buy/ProductInformation.aspx?StockNumber=385929 Gwen Stefani Yummy USA Promo 12" Vinyl Record/Maxi Single 991385929 ] ] , both featuring a radio edit, an instrumental and an accapella version of the song. "4 In The Morning" was released as the album's third single with mediocre success. The album's fourth single was a hybird version of Now That You Got It which featured Damian Marley. The song was a commercial failure and became her first solo single to fail to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Early Winter was released in February 2008 worldwide with initial success on European Charts. To promote the album, Stefani embarked a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour. The tour covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America.

Stefani contributed vocals to her husband Gavin Rossdale's highly anticipated first solo record entitled "Wanderlust", however, the track "Some Days" [ [http://www.buzznet.com/web/music/journals/entry/2079511/ Gwen Stefani Contributes Vocals to Upcoming Gavin Rossdale LP] ] on which Gwen sings was not included on the album.

2008–present: Reunion with No Doubt

With Stefani promoting her second solo album, No Doubt began initial work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's tour is finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008 stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was, at the time, pregnant with her second child.

Manager Jim Guerinot said the yet-untitled album is being produced by Mark "Spike" Stent, who helped produce and mix Rock Steady. The album is penciled in for the first half of 2009. Between the babies and recording, No Doubt is not expected to do any touring in 2008 but, Guerinot promised, they plan to hit the road hard in 2009 for their first full-fledged band tour in nearly five years.

It has been announced that a downloadable Best Of No Doubt album specially compiled for the Rock Band video game series on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 will be available in the coming months. All members of No Doubt except for Stefani are appearing as Scott Weiland's band on the upcoming album Happy In Galoshes.

Non-musical projects

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 lead to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. [Maxwell, Alison; Freydkin, Donna; and Barker, Olivia. [http://blogs.usatoday.com/fashion/2006/09/stefani_tends_t.html "Stefani tends to her L.A.M.B."] "USA Today". September 15, 2006. May 30, 2007.] The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. [McGibbon, Rob. [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21706422-5006011,00.html "No natural born popstar"] . "The Daily Telegraph". May 13, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2007.] [Eliscu, Jenny. [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/gwen_cuts_loose "Gwen Cuts Loose"] . "Rolling Stone", issue 966. January 27, 2005. Retrieved April 17, 2005.] 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. [Freydkin, Donna. [http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-05-16-stefani_x.htm "Designing is a snap"] . "USA Today". May 16, 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2007.] Canadian Press. [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061201/gwen_stefani_061101/20061201 "Gwen Stefani shrugs off radiation scare"] . December 1, 2006. Retrieved from CTV May 8, 2007.] In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the various costumes that Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. [Associated Press. [http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=2400660 "Gwen Stefani Brings Style to Doll World"] . September 6, 2006. Retrieved from ABC News April 17, 2007.] In late summer 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. [" [http://www.zimbio.com/Gwen+Stefani/articles/42/Gwen+Stefani+s+L+Perfume Gwen Stefani's "L" Perfume] ". "Zimbio". June 14, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2007.] 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). [http://hlfragrance.com/#/about]

In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances [ [http://www.mtve.com/article.php?ArticleId=5126 "News Uncut: Short stories on P. Diddy, Gwen Stefani, Erasure, The Raveonettes, Eminem & more"] . MTV News. November 4, 2004. Retrieved March 21, 2007.] and began auditioning for films such as "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". [ [http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2007/01/gwen_stefani_bares_all_in_elle.html "Gwen Stefani Bares All in Elle Tell-All"] . ExtraTV. January 30, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2007.] She made her acting debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" in 2004 and was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by Cast in Motion Picture. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005461/awards Gwen Stefani - Awards ] ] Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for "Teen Vogue" in 2003. [Vineyard, Jennifer. [http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1485069/20040213/story.jhtml "Gwen Stefani Feeling Hella Good About Role In Scorsese Flick"] . MTV News. February 13, 2004. Retrieved May 9, 2007.] [Vineyard, Jennifer. [http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1494427/20041202/story.jhtml "Gwen Stefani Says Acting Is A Lot Harder Than Singing"] . MTV News. December 2, 2004. Retrieved May 9, 2007.] To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. [Associated Press. [http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-05-04-no-doubt_x.htm "Have no fear, No Doubt still here"] . May 4, 2004. Retrieved from "USA Today" April 17, 2007.] Stefani lent her voice to the title character of "Malice", a PS2 and Xbox video game in 2004; before completion, however, the company opted not to use No Doubt bandmembers' voices. [Hwang, Kaiser. [http://ps2.ign.com/articles/474/474899p1.html "Remember Malice?"] . IGN. January 23, 2004. Retrieved March 16, 2007.]

Personal life

Soon after Stefani joined No Doubt, she and bandmate Tony Kanal began dating. Stefani stated that she was heavily invested in the relationship, commenting that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." Kanal ended the relationship. ["Born to Be". MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: March 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006.]

During her time with No Doubt, the band toured with fellow ska punk band Reel Big Fish, whose frontman, Aaron Barrett, later wrote the song "She's Famous Now" for their 1998 album "Why Do They Rock So Hard?". The song is commonly interpreted to be about a relationship between the two and Stefani's subsequent success with No Doubt. [Kamps, Garrett. [http://play.rhapsody.com/reelbigfish/ourlivealbumisbetterthanyourlivealbum "Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album"] . Rhapsody. 2006. Retrieved December 25, 2006.] Barrett later stated that he "was just trying to start a rumor". [Backus, Paul. [http://www.newu.uci.edu/showArticle.php?id=5084 "Reel Big Fish Show Ska is Still Rockin'"] . "New University". Volume 40, Issue 8. November 6, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2006.]

In December 1995, No Doubt and rock band Goo Goo Dolls went on tour opening for alternative rock band Bush. Stefani met Bush guitarist and lead singer Gavin Rossdale They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's Church in Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. [Springer, Debra. [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1142645,00.html "Gwen Stefani: I'm Pregnant"] . "People". December 21, 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2007.] According to Stefani, it was held so that she could wear a custom-designed wedding dress by British-Gibraltarian fashion designer John Galliano twice. [Levy, Ariel. [http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=1329 "The Coronation of Gwen Stefani"] . "Blender". December 2004. Retrieved April 16, 2007.]

The couple discovered in 2004 that Rossdale had a daughter, Daisy Lowe (b. 1989) from a previous fling with model and designer Pearl Lowe when Rossdale took a paternity test. Stefani was "devastated and infuriated" at the discovery, leading to a rocky patch in her relationship with Rossdale. [Amter, Charlie. [http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=21e8ea98-4888-4037-b932-43593b08221f "Gwen Stefani's Surprise Stepkid"] . E!. October 22, 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2007.] Though Rossdale remains Daisy's godfather, he has severed all ties with the Lowes. [ [http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/rossdales%20daughter%20stefani%20is%20not%20my%20stepmother_1004425 "Rossdale's Daughter: 'Stefani Is Not My Stepmother'"] . Contactmusic. April 8, 2006. Retrieved May 24, 2007.] [Freeman, Hadley, [http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/biography/story/0,,2121933,00.html "My Wasted Years"] , "The Guardian", July 9, 2007.] Stefani's song "Danger Zone" was widely believed to be about the discovery and its aftermath. [Browne, David. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,831435,00.html "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."] "Entertainment Weekly". November 23, 2004. Retrieved January 25, 2007.] However, the song was written prior to the incident.

In December 2005, Stefani and Rossdale announced that they were expecting their first child together. The pregnancy was first reported by "Us Weekly", and Stefani confirmed the pregnancy by shouting "I want you to sing so loud that the baby hears it" during a concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after her press agent stated that it was untrue. On May 26, 2006, their son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, was born via caesarean section at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. [ [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/gwenstefani/articles/story/10432566/latest_news_gwen_stefanis_baby_no_charge_for_proofs_killer "Latest News: Gwen Stefani's Baby, No Charge for Proof's Killer"] . "Rolling Stone". May 30, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2007.] Kingston weighed 3.4 kilograms (7 pounds, 5 ounces). [ [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/05/27/1148524919261.html "Baby boy for Stefani"] . Associated Press. May 27, 2006. Retrieved from "The Sydney Morning Herald" April 16, 2007.] In January 2008, it was confirmed by her father-in-law that Stefani would be expecting her second child. As of the date of announcement, she was 13 weeks along. [Norman, Pete. [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20174534,00.html "Gwen Stefani Pregnant with Second Child"] . "People". January 29, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2008.] Reports from In Touch magazine came in on August 21, 2008, reporting that Stefani had checked in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and was scheduled to give birth via C-section around 10:00 a.m. "People" confirmed that Stefani gave birth to a baby boy, Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, who was born at 12:46 PST on August 21, 2008 weighing 8.5 lbs. A representative for Stefani said "Mother, baby and family are all happy and healthy." [cite news | last = Adler | first= Shawn | url =http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1593321/20080821/id_0.jhtml | title = Gwen Stefani Gives Birth to second son | publisher= MTV News | date = August 21 2008 | accessdate = 2008-10-10]

=Public

Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid 1990s after attending several family gatherings for Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. [Stevenson, Jane. [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/N/No_Doubt/1997/05/12/748242.html "Pop stars, No Doubt"] . "Jam!". May 12, 1997. Retrieved May 21, 2007.] During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997.Laine, Tricia. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,285322,00.html "Gwen Vogue"] . "Entertainment Weekly", issue 454. October 16, 1998. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] First attracting attention in the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani is known for her midriff and frequently wears shirts that expose it. [ [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/i-love-1996.htm "I Love 1996"] . "Stylus Magazine". September 8, 2004. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject 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 am I?".

Stefani is a natural brunette, though her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. [Toht, Betony. [http://www.instyle.com/instyle/celebrities/transformation/0,23460,1048009_1,00.html "Transformation"] . "In Style". Retrieved April 28, 2007.] Since late 1994, she has had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on "Rock Steady" and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic "The Aviator". [Wloszczyna, Susan. [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-04-26-beckinsale_x.htm "Beckinsale, a beauty who battles beasts"] . "USA Today". April 26, 2004. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] Stefani also dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 2000, [Greenblatt, Leah. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20015170,00.html "La Vie en Rose"] . "Entertainment Weekly". March 16, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2007.] appearing on the cover of "Return of Saturn" with pink hair.

In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character in the 1983 film "Scarface". The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back 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". Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She stated she lost the weight through diet and exercise but admitted to obsessing over her weight due to the size zero trend. [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=432513&in_page_id=1773 "Gwen Stefani admits to her 'obsession with weight'"] . "Daily Mail". January 30, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2007.] She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing, commenting, "It's an ongoing battle and it's a nightmare. But I like clothes too much, and I always wanted to wear the outfits I would make." [Corcoran, Liz. [http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20034601,00.html "Gwen Stefani: 'I've Always Been on a Diet'"] . "People". April 12, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2007.]

Harajuku Girls

The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo, Japan. Stefani treats the back-up dancers, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, [Holson, Laura M. [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/13/fashion/13GOTH.html "Gothic Lolitas: Demure vs. Dominatrix"] . "The New York Times". March 13, 2005. Retrieved May 6, 2007.] as a figment of her imagination. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.", with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005.

Discography

* 2004: "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."
* 2006: "The Sweet Escape"

Tours

* 2005: "Harajuku Lovers Tour"
* 2007: "The Sweet Escape Tour"

References

External links

* [http://www.gwenstefani.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.nodoubt.com/ No Doubt official website]
*AMG Artist|sql=11:hvfixquhldde|artist=Gwen Stefani
*imdb name|0005461|Gwen Stefani
*MusicBrainz artist|id=2e41ae9c-afd2-4f20-8f1e-17281ce9b472|name=Gwen Stefani
*myspace|gwenstefani
* [http://www.wix.com/sleepydork/Gwen%20Stefani%20Fansite/ MultiMedia Fansite]

Persondata
NAME=Stefani, Gwen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Singer, Home-wrecker
DATE OF BIRTH=October 3, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH=Fullerton, California, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=