Gwen Stefani Biography, Photos and Posters

Gwen Stefani

Biography

Born: October 3, 1969
City and Country of Origin: Fullerton, California
Music Training:
Awards: Grammy 2003 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, "Underneath It All;" 2002 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, "Hey Baby;" 2001 Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, "Let Me Blow Ya Mind"
Top Recordings: "South Side," "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," "Can I Have It Like That," "What You Waiting For?," "Rich Girl," "Hollaback Girl," "Cool," "Luxurious," "Crash," "Wind It Up," "The Sweet Escape," "4 in the Morning"
Gwen Stefani Biography: Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and occasional actress. Stefani made her debut in 1992 as the frontwoman of the third wave ska band No Doubt. The group's album Tragic Kingdom (1995) propelled them to stardom and sold more than fifteen 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 Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) introduced reggae production into their music, which was generally well-received.

Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album contains pop and dance tracks and influence from hip hop and R&B. Its third single "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital download to exceed sales of one million and "Cool" was one of 2005's most popular radio singles. The Sweet Escape (2006), Stefani's second solo album, was preceded by the single "Wind It Up."

In the media, Stefani is known as a fashion trendsetter, and she debuted her clothing line, L.A.M.B., in 2003. It includes many accessories as well as jackets and jeans and she is producing new material set for an early 2007 release.

Gwen Stefani was born and grew up in a Roman Catholic householdand in Fullerton, California. She was named Gwen after a stewardess in the best-selling 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from The Left Banke's 1968 song "Walk Away Renée." Her Italian American father, Dennis Stefani, 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. She has a sister, Jill, and two brothers, Eric and Todd. Stefani graduated from Loara High School in 1987 and attended California State University, Fullerton. Her first job was scrubbing floors at a Dairy Queen, and she once worked at the makeup counter of a department store. Her brother Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt, but left the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons.

In 1986, Eric invited Gwen to provide vocals for No Doubt, after the lead singer John Spence committed suicide. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, which was a commercial failure. 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. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and some of the album's songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You", chronicled their relationship and her happiness. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom and "Don't Speak" led 1996's U.S. year-end airplay chart. The album sold more than fifteen million copies worldwide, and received several Grammy Award nominations.

No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn (2000) and the critically mixed Rock Steady (2001), which 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 (2003), which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released to moderate sales.

Outside No Doubt, Stefani has collaborated on the singles "South Side" and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Moby and Eve. In 2002 Eve and Stefani won a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". She also collaborated with The Brian Setzer Orchestra on the track "You're the Boss" on the album The Dirty Boogie, released in 1998.

Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released in November 2004 across the world. The album debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. In early 2005 it peaked at number five in the U.S., number three in Canada and number one in Australia. The first single released from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which only reached number forty-seven in the U.S. but reached the top ten in most other charts. "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.

The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls. They are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo, Japan, known as a popular shopping destination and fashion center for teenagers. Following the style of their namesake area, Stefani's Harajuku Girls are usually flamboyantly dressed (sometimes in a somewhat "Gothic Lolita" style). They were featured in her music videos, press coverage and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and have a song dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005.

To promote her second solo album The Sweet Escape, Stefani served as a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed "The Sweet Escape" with Akon. Stefani embarked on the international Sweet Escape Tour starting in April 2007, along with opening acts Akon and Lady Sovereign. The tour visits North America, Central America, Australia, Asia and Europe.

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