Anaheim, CA · pop

Gwen Stefani

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No Doubt's voice and a solo-pop era of her own — 'Hollaback Girl' on a boardwalk, as intended, with ska-era deep cuts if you're lucky.

Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton, California and raised in nearby Anaheim, one of four children in an Italian-Irish Catholic household where her parents played her Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris records. Her older brother Eric introduced her to ska and 2 Tone bands like Madness, and in 1986 invited her to sing in No Doubt, the group he was starting.

No Doubt's 1995 album Tragic Kingdom, and singles including "Just a Girl" and "Don't Speak", made the band one of the most widely heard of the decade, alongside later hits "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life". Eric left the band before its breakthrough to work as an animator on The Simpsons.

Stefani's solo career began during a No Doubt hiatus with Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004, drawing on 1980s pop and hip-hop production for "Hollaback Girl" and "Rich Girl"; "Hollaback Girl" became the first US single to sell a million downloads. The Sweet Escape followed in 2006, and This Is What the Truth Feels Like in 2016 became her first solo album to top the Billboard 200.

She released a Christmas album in 2017 and a fifth solo album, Bouquet, in 2024, and has recorded duets with her husband Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You". Alongside music she has worked as a television talent-show coach, launched the L.A.M.B. clothing line in 2003 and the Harajuku Lovers collection in 2005, and won three Grammy Awards. No Doubt has reunited periodically.

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