No Doubt front woman Gwen Stefani may have been around longer than many of her younger pop star contemporaries, but she shows no signs of fading anytime soon. Born Gwen Renee Stefani on October 3, 1969 in Orange Country California, the platinum blond style queen has made a very smooth transition from the leader of the Grammy winning band, No Doubt, to Grammy winning solo artist. The change has made her one of the most popular acts in the world.
At the urging of her brother and the band’s founder, Eric, in 1987 Stefani joined the ska/punk band, No Doubt. No Doubt released two albums in the early 1990s. Their first, which was self-titled and produced by Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea, attracted Interscope records, who eventually released their third and hugely popular album, Tragic Kingdom. The band went on to put out two more albums, picking up two Grammy Awards in 2001 for Rock Steady. In 2004 Gwen struck out on her own with the release of Love. Angel. Music. Baby., a title that takes it name from the four corners of the Hayajuku shopping and fashion district in Tokyo.
Since her solo debut, Stefani has rocketed to the forefront of what’s cool by relentlessly touring the world and creating a highly personalized look that has made her a style icon. Whether it is through her fashion design company L.A.M.B. or her high energy glam-goth-pop stage extravaganzas, Gwen Stefani is proving to the world that she is not scared to be the queen of everything hip.