Gwen Stefani
Feb 21, 2016
Gwen Stefani is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. She is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the ska band No Doubt. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music of the 1980s, the album was met with both critical and commercial success. It spawned three major worldwide hit singles: "What You Waiting For?," "Rich Girl," and "Hollaback Girl," the latter becoming the first US digital download to sell one million copies. In 2006 Stefani released her second studio album The Sweet Escape. The album produced two successful singles: "Wind It Up" and the album's title track "The Sweet Escape." Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
As a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including a Grammy Award, a World Music Award, an American Music Award, a Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000-09 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.
In late October, a sneak peek of a new track from Stefani's third album, named "Spark the Fire", was premiered. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song was uploaded online and was made available for digital download on December 1. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia Furler worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" that is expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem featured Stefani on his single "Kings Never Die", from the Southpaw soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a one-night concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song, reportedly about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "Used to Love You". It was released as a digital download on October 20, 2015. The video was released later that same day. The song was released to Mainstream radio in the U.S. on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her upcoming third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she has been working on since June. Neither "Baby Don't Lie" or "Spark the Fire" will be included on the album. Stefani said much of the previous material felt forced and inauthentic, while the songs written since she returned to the studio are more natural and better describe where she is in her life. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016.