Gwen Stefani
Since bursting onto the
American rock scene with No Doubt in the mid ‘90s, Gwen Stefani’s career has gone
from strength to strength. After the band, famous for their hit single ‘Don’t
Speak’, took a long sabbatical from recording and performing early in the 21st
century, Stefani launched a successful solo career. So far, it has yielded two
albums and a string of hit singles. Keen to explore other creative avenues, she
also began experimenting with fashion design, and has tried her hand acting,
with her performance in Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Aviator’ receiving a nomination
for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Although her musical output has slowed over
the past few years as her family has grown – she now has two children with
husband Gavin Rossdale – Stefani has nevertheless kept herself busy. Indeed,
after much popular demand, No Doubt embarked on a reunion tour in 2009, and are
currently working on a new album.
Born in California in 1969 to Dennis and Patti Stefani, Gwen Renée is the second oldest of four children. Her parents, both fans of folk music, had the young Gwen listening to Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris as a child, stoking her interest in music. As she grew older, this developed into a great love for epic musicals such as ‘Evita’ and ‘The Sound of Music’. When making her stage debut at a high school talent show, she sang “I Have Confidence” from the latter show, wearing a tweed dress inspired by the movie that she made herself. Indeed, a large number of women in her family were seamstresses by trade, which provided a platform for Stefani to explore fashion design later in her life. That said, it’s unlikely that any of her ancestors were quite as unusual in their tastes as Stefani: whilst with No Doubt, her clothing had a distinct Indian theme, and her 2005 clothing line ‘Harajuku Lovers’ took it’s inspiration from the culture and fashion of Japan.
Musically, Gwen admits to having been inspired by the queen of eighties pop, Madonna. In 2007, she told Elle magazine that, “A lot of my influence came from her early work, like directly, like a Xerox”. Madonna responded by accusing Stefani of “ripping her off”, an accusation against which Stefani defended herself: “Some people say that I copy her. But show me one girl my age who was not influenced by her”. Media critics fell on both sides of the fence. Some saw the style of her debut solo album, ‘Love. Angel. Music. Baby.’ as being a direct imitation of Madonna’s early work. However, others took the view that Stefani’s music and visual styles were much more genuine that Madonna’s, who is often seen as being very deliberate and commercially conscious in her career choices. Whatever the truth, Stefani has an infectious enthusiasm for both music and fashion that has made her incredibly popular. No Doubt’s new album is due for release later this year: expect big things.
