Gwen Renée Stefani (born October 3, 1969) ( ), is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and occasional actress. Stefani debuted in 1992 as the frontwoman of the rock band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide. It spawned the singles "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak". The band's popularity went into decline with its fourth album, Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) introduced dancehall and reggae production into its music, and generally received positive reviews.
Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, taking Stefani's work further into pop and dance music, Murison, Krissi. blank">"Gwen Stefani : Love Angel Music Baby". _NME. Retrieved May 10, 2007. and enjoyed international success with sales of over seven million. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies. Hiatt, Brian. peas_lead_singles_boom" target="_blank">"Stefani, Peas Lead Singles Boom". _Rolling Stone. January 19, 2006. Retrieved May 13 2007. Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded "Wind It Up", a moderate worldwide success, and the United World Chart number one "The Sweet Escape". hot_100/2006/46" target="_blank">"Billboard Hot 100 (46/2006): Charts". Music Square. Retrieved April 29 2007. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
In the media, Stefani is known as a fashion trendsetter. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line _L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line. Drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and fashion, Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls. She married British alternative rock musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002; they have a son, Kingston James McGregor, who was born in 2006 and are expecting their second child in 2008.
