Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani

Born on 3rd October 1969, Gwen Renée Stefani is an actress, songwriter/singer, and fashion designer from the United States. She is the lead vocalist and co-founder of No Doubt, a rock band. In 2004, she recorded her first successful unaccompanied album – Love, Angel, Music, Baby. In 2005, Gwen won an award for being the best-selling fresh female artist of the world at World Music Awards. Prior to this in 2003, she opened her first clothing collection L.A.M.B.

Stefani was born and raised in a Roman Catholic family residing in California. She studied at Loara High School in Anaheim. Her father worked as a marketing executive in Yamaha, and her mother was an accountant before becoming a housewife. Her parents were fond of folk music and exposed Gwen to music by musicians like Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan. Many women in her family were seamstresses and most of Gwen’s outfits were produced at home. At school, it was discovered that Gwen is dyslexic but that didn’t become a barrier between her and her interest in music. In 1987 after finishing high school, she attended Fullerton College before switching to California State University.

Apart from music, Gwen was involved in other activities as well. In 2007 she introduced a fragrance as part of her accessories and clothing L.A.M.B collection. The perfume has essence of rose and sweet pea. In 2008 she launched a line of fragrances for her Harajuku Lovers collection. From 2011, Gwen became L’Oreal Paris’s spokesperson.

Moving on, Gwen Stefani designed most of her clothes that she wore being with No Doubt on stage. Gwen was introduced to haute couture apparel by Andrea Lieberman and this led Gwen to launch of L.A.M.B in 2004 while she began auditioning for movies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith and in the same year her first appearance in The Aviator by Martin Scorsese and she received an award for her performance. The fashion line takes inspiration from Japanese, Guatemalan and Jamaican styles. The line is popular among personalities like Nicole Kidman, Teri Hatcher among others.

After joining No Doubt, Gwen and Tony Kanal, from her band, started dating each other. Although Gwen was very much involved in this relationship but Kanal broke up with her. This separation became an inspiration for Gwen to produce songs – Sunday Morning, Don’t Speak, and Hey You – chronicling the fluctuations in their relation. While on a tour in 1995, she met Gavin Rossdale, the lead singer and guitarist of the band Bush. In 2002, they married each other in London. Two years later, through a paternity test she discovered that Rossdale had a daughter and this devastated Gwen so much so that it affected their relation negatively. However, in 2005 the two announced in the media that they were expecting a child and a year late their son was born. In 2008, they gave birth to another son. In September 2013, it was reported that the couple were expecting their third kid.

Apart from all the personal and professional ventures, Gwen Stefani is a philanthropist. After the Tōhoku tsunami and earthquake in 2011, she donated a million dollar to an emergency fund, Save the Children. She did other activities as well to raise funds. She auctioned her clothes and  signed t-shirts to sell. In 2012, she organized a fundraiser at her place in Beverly Hills with Michelle Obama.