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Gwendolyn Renée Stefani was born on
October 3, 1969, in Orange County, California. Growing up with her
brothers Todd and Eric in Southern California, where they were raised by
parents Dennis and Patti, Gwen was highly influenced by the rising
popularity of ska and punk, which were making their presence felt in the
So Cal area.
Gwen's brother Eric started the band No Doubt with his friend John Spence
in 1987 and asked the always effervescent Gwen to join in as co-vocalist
with Spence. Tony Kanal joined the group a little later, and they began to
gain popularity by playing at local parties. Spence committed suicide in
1987, which led to Gwen becoming the lead vocalist, and No Doubt continued
to perform at local gigs. During this time, Gwen graduated high school and
followed up her studies at Cal State Fullerton College.
Gwen was forced to juggle the band, her studies, as well as what turned
out to be a seven-year romance with fellow band member, Tony Kanal. In
1989, two new members joined the No Doubt team: guitarist Tom Dumont and
drummer Adrian Young. Once No Doubt really began attracting a fan base
(thanks mostly to their energetic live performances), Flea, the Red Hot
Chili Peppers' bassist, recorded a demo for the band in 1990, which led to
a deal with Interscope Records.
In 1992, the band released their self-titled debut, but despite the
substantial following the band had garnered, the album was far from a
commercial success. Interscope was losing faith in their potential, but No
Doubt's persistence did not waver. No Doubt went back into the studio with
their own money and recorded a collection of "extra" songs they had
written. Their sophomore effort, Beacon Street Collection, was released in
1995, and not only struck a chord with their devout fans, but also
re-sparked Interscope's confidence in the band. No Doubt was back in
business and returned to the recording studio with the support of their
record company. The fruit of their effort was the hugely successful Tragic
Kingdom, only this one was sans Eric Stefani, who left to become an
animator on The Simpsons.
1995's Tragic Kingdom broke through the charts with its debut single "Just
A Girl," with the help of the punk-tinged catchy lyrics and an
accompanying colorful video. The album went on to spawn hits such as
"Spiderwebs" and the super smash hit, "Don't Speak." The latter was
written as an ode to Gwen and Tony's former relationship, and became the
band's biggest hit to date. The album went on to become a Billboard No. 1,
and garnered two Grammy nominations for the group.
No Doubt's 2000 release, Return of Saturn, spawned the hits
"Ex-Girlfriend" and "Simple Kind of Life." The spunky singer also paired
up with Moby to add her infectious voice to his single, "South Side."
In 2001, No Doubt released Rock Steady and enjoyed some time on the charts
with "Hey Baby" and "Hella Good." They picked up two Grammy Awards, both
in the category of "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal,"
for "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All."
After the "best of" compilation The Singles 1992-2003 was released in
2003, Gwen proved that she could make it on her own with her solo debut,
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. The album included hits like "What You Waiting
For?" and "Rich Girl" (featuring Eve, with whom Gwen had already paired up
on the single "Let Me Blow Ya Mind").
Dipping her toes into other industries like fashion, with her clothing and
accessory line called L.A.M.B., and movies, with a bit part in 2004's The
Aviator, the future is only bright for Gwen Stefani.
Gwen married her boyfriend of more than five years, Bush frontman Gavin
Rossdale, on September 14, 2002, in London. |
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"I think everyone has gifts
and everyone has talents. If you are successful at it, it feels
really good but it never really penetrates completely. There are
moments where I think that we made an amazing record and I'm so
proud of it, but I don't wake up and go, "Wow, I'm amazing."
It's always odd to talk about my fashion. It's something you look
at-you don't need to talk about it.
I don't know what I'm going to do, but I've always wanted to do the
family thing
At a certain point I'm going to want to have a family and I'm not
going to have time to be running around the world doing this shit
and being greedy. I can always write songs. But can I always wear an
Alice-in-Wonderland costume? I probably shouldn't. I can at home. I
was thinking that when I have children, that I should always dress
as a character for them, so they think their mom is Alice in
Wonderland or Cinderella. It would be totally messed up!
As a famous person you think how you're gonna end it, get away and
have a normal life. I imagine my children are going to save me from
my vanity and be my passion and fill whatever fears I have of the
amazing time I'm having right now being gone. I don't want to drop
off and not be on the radio or not be able to talk about myself for
hours. I don't want it to go away. But at the same time, I never
expected to be here in the first place.
I'm really emotional. I don't fight with people - like, I can barely
fight with my husband because I'll just start crying instead. I've
learnt not to do that.
I've been making a conscious effort not to think about the future.
I'm lucky to not have a real job, to be able to express myself, be
creative and be relevant. I don't know what I will be doing in 10
years. How old will I be? Forty-five. I don't want to think about it
to be honest, because it's a waste of time. Tomorrow night I'll be
in bed with my husband again and it will be really great. It's all
about right now.
"I'm like a peanut butter sandwich."
"The one thing that makes me feel super lucky about my financial
success is that I have a housekeeper."
"My songs are basically my diaries. Some of my best songwriting has
come out of time when I've been going through a personal nightmare."
"I really want to take some more time out and be with my husband. I
guess what I really want is to have a baby. Life is short and you've
got to get the most out of it."
"I'd like to stress that I only have a small role. Oh, who am I
kidding? There are no small roles in a Scorsese film" (Regarding her
role in The Aviator (2004)).
"For me, acting comes from the same place as performing music. I
just have to perform. I wanted to get it right and I did. Sometimes
you just have to go for it."
"They are my best friends, so when I told them that I wanted to try
something solo they responded in the way that best friends do. It
was a matter of timing. We've all been growing up and our priorities
have changed. Then I went and got married and my priorities
certainly changed." (regarding pursuing a solo music career away
from her rock group, No Doubt)
"This album is just about me. Although at times I think there's less
of me on this than anything I've done because of all the people
involved." (regarding her first solo album, Love Angel Music Baby)
"I imagine having children will save me from my vanity and fill
whatever fears I have." [on easing up on her career to consider a
family, in Rolling Stone]
"I really don't care what people say. It's not like it discourage me
from doing something I want to do".
"One time, a guy said he worked for Hugh Hefner and gave me a card.
I thought it was funny."
I have a dream about spending time in my house with my kids. Being a
mom was all I ever dreamed about. Now that it's come true it makes
me feel like my life has come together. Nothing else matters. |
