• October 3, 1969
• Before becoming a popular solo artist, Gwen Stefani was known as the lead singer of No Doubt, based in her native Anaheim, California. Her older brother, Eric, was the band's keyboardist before becoming an animator for The Simpsons.
• Her solo debut came in 2004 with Love. Angel. Music. Baby., featuring the hit singles "What You Waiting For?," "Hollaback Girl," and "Rich Girl."
• She won her first Grammy Award (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration) for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," a 2001 duet with rapper Eve.
• Her divorce from Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale was finalized in 2016. The pair married in 2002 and had three sons.
• She began dating country artist Blake Shelton, her co-star on The Voice, in 2015. Stefani became a judge on the NBC singing competition a year earlier. The couple married in a small intimate ceremony in front of close family and friends on July 3, 2021. The nuptials took place at an outdoor chapel built for the special day on Shelton's Oklahoma ranch.
• She played blonde bombshell Jean Harlow, a classic movie actress of the 1930s, in The Aviator, a 2004 biopic about billionaire entrepreneur Howard Hughes.
• She's known for her platinum-blonde hair, but she's naturally a brunette.
• She has an affinity for Japanese street culture and first adopted the style of Tokyo's Harajuku district on her debut album, which features the track "Harajuku Girls." She also dubbed her four backup dancers Harajuku Girls and launched fashion and perfume lines inspired by the culture. She even developed an animated series for Nickelodeon called Kuu Kuu Harajuku in 2016.
• Gwen Stefani made her in-person Grand Ole Opry debut on September 10, 2022 when she joined Blake Shelton onstage to perform their two hit duets, "Nobody But You" and "Happy Anywhere." The pop star and her husband previously appeared virtually at the hallowed venue from their Oklahoma ranch in May 2020.
• During a 2024 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Gwen Stefani shared a fun story about how she and her mom made a dress inspired by The Sound of Music when she was younger. The dress was modeled after the one Maria wears when she first meets the von Trapp children - a look that's called "the ugliest dress ever seen" in the film. But to Stefani, it was the coolest dress ever, and she proudly recreated it with her mother. This early DIY fashion moment is just one of many that shaped Stefani's lifelong passion for unique style.

Comments

More Songfacts:

I SwearAll-4-One

"I Swear" was a #1 country hit for John Michael Montgomery before All-4-One made it a #1 pop hit.

I Won't Back DownTom Petty

"I Won't Back Down" is a very personal song for Tom Petty. "I thought it wasn't that good because it was so naked," he said.

MargaritavilleJimmy Buffett

"Margaritaville" is a state of mind, but it's most associated with Key West, Florida, where Jimmy Buffett moved when he was 24.

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On MeElton John

Recording "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," Elton John was frustrated and sang the line "don't discard me" with an exaggerated American accent, which is why is sounds strange.

Cult of PersonalityLiving Colour

"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour incorporates speeches by John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Street HassleLou Reed

Lou Reed's 11-minute "Street Hassle" features a spoken part by Bruce Springsteen.

Editor's Picks

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.