Gwen Stefani: Difference between revisions
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The release of her solo album has also brought attention to Stefani's entourage of four [[Harajuku Girl]]s. Named Love, Angel, Music, and Baby by Stefani, the Harajuku girls are named for the area around the [[Harajuku Station]] of [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], known as a popular shopping destination and fashion center for teenagers. Following the style of their namesake area, Stefani's Harajuku girls are usually flamboyantly dressed (sometimes in a somewhat "[[Gothic Lolita]]" style). They have been featured in her music videos and press coverage and on the album cover for ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'', and have a song dedicated to them on the album. However, Stefani's adoption of this component of [[Japan]]ese [[culture]] drew criticism from [[Mihi Ahn]] at [[Salon.com]], and others who feel that Stefani has stripped Japanese street fashion of its authenticity and created yet another example of the 'submissive Asian female' stereotype. Wrote Ahn, |
The release of her solo album has also brought attention to Stefani's entourage of four [[Harajuku Girl]]s. Named Love, Angel, Music, and Baby by Stefani, the Harajuku girls are named for the area around the [[Harajuku Station]] of [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], known as a popular shopping destination and fashion center for teenagers. Following the style of their namesake area, Stefani's Harajuku girls are usually flamboyantly dressed (sometimes in a somewhat "[[Gothic Lolita]]" style). They have been featured in her music videos and press coverage and on the album cover for ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'', and have a song dedicated to them on the album. However, Stefani's adoption of this component of [[Japan]]ese [[culture]] drew criticism from [[Mihi Ahn]] at [[Salon.com]], and others who feel that Stefani has stripped Japanese street fashion of its authenticity and created yet another example of the 'submissive Asian female' stereotype. Wrote Ahn, |
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{{cquote|Stefani has taken the idea of Japanese street fashion and turned these women into modern-day geisha, contractually obligated to speak only Japanese in public, even though it's rumored they're just plain old Americans and their English is just fine... she's swallowed a subversive youth culture in Japan and barfed up another image of submissive giggling Asian women.<ref>MiHi Ahn. [http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2005/04/09/geisha/index_np.html Gwenihana Gwen Stefani neuters Japanese street fashion...] Salon.com. 9 April 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2006.</ref>}} |
{{cquote|Stefani has taken the idea of Japanese street fashion and turned these women into modern-day geisha, contractually obligated to speak only Japanese in public, even though it's rumored they're just plain old Americans and their English is just fine... she's swallowed a subversive youth culture in Japan and barfed up another image of submissive giggling Asian women.<ref>MiHi Ahn. [http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2005/04/09/geisha/index_np.html Gwenihana Gwen Stefani neuters Japanese street fashion...] Salon.com. 9 April 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2006.</ref>}} |
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According to the Jan/Feb [[2006]] edition of ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' magazine, [[stand-up comic]] [[Margaret Cho]] has labelled the |
According to the Jan/Feb [[2006]] edition of ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' magazine, [[stand-up comic]] [[Margaret Cho]] has labelled the Mashed Potatoes as a "[[minstrel show]]" that reinforces [[ethnic stereotypes]] of [[Asia]]n women. |
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====Pregnancy==== |
====Pregnancy==== |
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Revision as of 23:37, 17 May 2006
Gwen Stefani | |
|---|---|
| File:Gwen-Stefani.jpg Gwen Stefani in concert. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Anaheim, California |
| Years active | 1986–present (band) 2004–present (solo) |
Gwen Renée Stefani[1] (born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, fashion designer, and occasional actress; and is the frontwoman of the ska/rock band No Doubt.
A native of Anaheim, California, Stefani first experienced mainstream success with the release of No Doubt's 1995 album Tragic Kingdom, which spawned hits such as "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak".
In 2004, Gwen Stefani wrote and recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby., for which she consulted producers The Neptunes, singer-songwriter Linda Perry and OutKast frontman André 3000, among others. The album contained pop music and dance music tracks, including hip hop and slow jam-influences. The third single, "Hollaback Girl", was very successful, and became the first U.S. digital single to exceed sales of one million.
Pharrell has stated he has produced, and is still tweaking new tracks for Stefani's second solo album, which is scheduled for a late 2006 release.[citation needed]
Biography
Early life
Gwen Stefani was born in Fullerton, California, but grew up in Anaheim. Her father, Dennis Stefani, is Italian American, and her mother Patti Flynn is of Irish and Scottish descent. She has a sister, Jill, and two brothers, Eric and Todd. Jill appeared in No Doubt's "Just A Girl" music video. Stefani attended California State University, Fullerton, and Loara High School (class of 1987), where she was on the swim team. Her first job was scrubbing floors at a Dairy Queen, and she once worked at a department store. Her brother Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt, but eventually left the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Other members of the group include Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young.
1986-present: No Doubt
The band's third album, following their eponymous debut No Doubt (1992) and The Beacon Street Collection (1995), Tragic Kingdom, took three years to make. During this time, the band almost split up due to the break up of Kanal and Stefani. However, this was to become a major inspiration for Stefani lyrically. The album was released in 1995 and spawned several hits, beginning with "Just a Girl". Following the success of Tragic Kingdom, Stefani became highly popular and recognizable. The tension this produced with the other members of the band was touched upon in their video for the song "Don't Speak". Stefani met Bush and now Institute frontman Gavin Rossdale in 1995 at a concert in which she was performing to promote Tragic Kingdom. The release of The Singles 1992-2003, a CD with the band's best hits, and Everything in Time: B-sides, Remixes and Rarities prompted media speculation about a break-up, which the band denied in later interviews.
Outside of No Doubt Stefani has collaborated with other artists, most notably for the singles "Southside" and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Moby and Eve respectively. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."
2004-present: Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Stefani's debut solo album, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.," was released on November 22 2004 in Europe and Asia and on November 23, 2004 in North America. Stefani's debut sold more copies in its first week (310,000) than any No Doubt album ever had in the United States. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and at number five on the Canadian albums chart; it reached number four in the UK and number one in Australia. Stefani had collaborated with singer-songwriter Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes on the album, along with Pharrell Williams and André 3000, Wendy & Lisa among others.
"Rich Girl" was released as the second single from the album; it is a duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre. "Rich Girl" is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British reggae musicians Louchie Lou and Michie, which itself is partly a cover of the song "If I Were A Rich Man" from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.
The third single taken from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first North American and second Australian number-one single; it peaked at number eight in the United Kingdom. The song became the first U.S. digital download to surpass sales of one million. The fourth single "Cool" was released on July 5 2005 in North America and August 22 2005 elsewhere in the world, becoming a substantial hit but did not match the chart success of its predecessor. It reached the top twenty in the U.S. and UK, the top ten in Australia and number one in Canada. The music video for "Cool," filmed in Lake Como, Italy, shows Stefani paying homage to her Italian heritage as well as 1950s bombshells Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Sophia Loren, and Brigitte Bardot.
"Luxurious" became the fifth single release from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and her sixth single "Crash" was released in early 2006 in lieu of the production of L.A.M.B.'s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy.
Gwen Stefani received five Grammy award nominations on December 8, 2005. She was nominated in the following categories: Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Stefani did not receive any awards at the Grammys on February 8, 2006.
Though Stefani has had an extremely successful solo career with her album Love.Angel.Music.Baby., she plans on recording with No Doubt in 2006, although recording may be halted due to her pregnancy.
It's been reported that the remaining members of No Doubt have gone back into the studio in mid-March and that bandmate Tony Kanal has already penned some new songs.
Harajuku Girls
The release of her solo album has also brought attention to Stefani's entourage of four Harajuku Girls. Named Love, Angel, Music, and Baby by Stefani, the Harajuku girls are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo, Japan, known as a popular shopping destination and fashion center for teenagers. Following the style of their namesake area, Stefani's Harajuku girls are usually flamboyantly dressed (sometimes in a somewhat "Gothic Lolita" style). They have been featured in her music videos and press coverage and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and have a song dedicated to them on the album. However, Stefani's adoption of this component of Japanese culture drew criticism from Mihi Ahn at Salon.com, and others who feel that Stefani has stripped Japanese street fashion of its authenticity and created yet another example of the 'submissive Asian female' stereotype. Wrote Ahn,
Stefani has taken the idea of Japanese street fashion and turned these women into modern-day geisha, contractually obligated to speak only Japanese in public, even though it's rumored they're just plain old Americans and their English is just fine... she's swallowed a subversive youth culture in Japan and barfed up another image of submissive giggling Asian women.[2]
According to the Jan/Feb 2006 edition of Blender magazine, stand-up comic Margaret Cho has labelled the Mashed Potatoes as a "minstrel show" that reinforces ethnic stereotypes of Asian women.
Pregnancy
Stefani and her husband Gavin Rossdale announced in December 2005 they are expecting their first child together. The baby is said to be due in late May or early June of 2006.[3] She had been seen shopping for baby clothes in neutral colors, because she and Rossdale didn't want to know the sex of their baby until he or she is born in June. Despite this, Stefani and Rossdale announced in April, 2006 that their baby will be a girl - further substantiated by Stefani's pink-themed baby shower.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | World Sales | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | CAN | AUS | GER | AT | CH | NL | EU | |||
| 2004 | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 5 | 7 million |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | World Sales | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | CAN | AUS | GER | AT | CH | ||||
| 2000 | "South Side" (with Moby) | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Play | |
| 2001 | "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (with Eve) | 29 | - | 2x platinum | Scorpion | |||||
| 2004 | "What You Waiting For?" | 47 | 24 | 22 | 17 | Platinum | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | |||
| 2005 | "Rich Girl" (featuring Eve) | 12 | 14 | 10 | 2x platinum | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | ||||
| 2005 | "Hollaback Girl" | 12 | 5x platinum | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. | ||||||
| 2005 | "Cool" | 13 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 20 | 15 | 3 | Gold | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. |
| 2005 | "Can I Have It Like That" (with Pharrell Williams) | 48 | 3 | 99 | 22 | 37 | 47 | 67 | - | In My Mind |
| 2005 | "Luxurious" (featuring Slim Thug) | 21 | 44 | 10 | 25 | 67 | 66 | 39 | Gold | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. |
| 2006 | "Crash" | 49 | - | 87 | - | - | - | - | - | Love. Angel. Music. Baby. |
Grammy Award history
| Category | Genre | Song | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Pop | "Hollaback Girl" | 2006 | Nominated |
| Record of the Year | General | "Hollaback Girl" | 2006 | Nominated |
| Best Pop Vocal Album | Pop | Love.Angel.Music.Baby | 2006 | Nominated |
| Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Rap | "Rich Girl" | 2006 | Nominated |
| Album of the Year | General | Love.Angel.Music.Baby | 2006 | Nominated |
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Pop | "What You Waiting For?" | 2005 | Nominated |
| Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Rap | "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" | 2002 | Won |
Trivia
- Stefani has created a successful fashion line, named L.A.M.B., which showcases clothing that Stefani is often seen wearing herself. She reportedly received an $8 million advance for associating her name with the line. The line also includes handbags and purses. Celebrities such as Nicky Hilton, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Nicole Richie, Jenny McCarthy, Alicia Keys and Halle Berry have been seen sporting her fashion line and LeSportsac bags.
- Although Stefani's natural hair color is brown and she has previously colored it blue and pink, she is known for her famously platinum blond hair and bright red lipstick. She has dark brown eyes.
- Stefani claims to be a "female shooter."
- Stefani's nicknames are Sunshine and G-loc.
- She designed and promoted a camera for Hewlett-Packard.
- Stefani's favourite bands include Sublime, 311, Blur, Radiohead, Madness and Jamiroquai.
- Stefani is close friends with Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage.
- Stefani lent her voice to the title character of Malice, a PS2 and Xbox video game; before completion, however, the company opted not to use No Doubt band-members' voices.
- Stefani made her acting debut playing Jean Harlow in the 2004 Martin Scorsese movie The Aviator, but made a quick cameo appearance in the movie Zoolander.
- When not touring, or working on her other projects, she shares two homes with her husband, Gavin Rossdale. One in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles and the other in London.
- Her vinyl red gown that she wore on the cover of No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom was stolen from the Fullerton Museum Centre in Orange County, United States. Speculation circulates that the dress might have been sold.
- Stefani has been quoted as saying: "I think I've been able to fool a lot of people because I know I'm a dork. I'm a geek."[4]
- Stefani had two weddings; one in London and one in California.
- Stefani has been quoted in saying that she and Madonna share a common Italian relative. Stefani has claimed that her great aunt married a man from Detroit, Michigan (the area of Michigan that Madonna is from) with the last name "Ciccone."
- As a friend to Bradley Nowell, of the ska/punk band Sublime, Stefani staged a benefit concert in Southern California following his death.
- She still keeps close friendly ties with all members of No Doubt.
- The original Italian pronunciation of her surname Stefani is Stèfani (first syllable stressed)
- The name of her debut solo album, Love.Angel.Music.Baby. shares the name with her clothing line, L.A.M.B. (L. for Love, A. for Angel, M. for Music, B. for Baby)
See also
- Harajuku Girls
- Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
- List of artists who reached number one in Ireland
- List of musical artists from California
Notes
- ^ Some sources give Stefani's first name as Gwendolyn, but her first name is simply Gwen. Her listing on the California Birth Index from the Center for Health Statistics gives a birth name of Gwen Renée Stefani.
- ^ MiHi Ahn. Gwenihana Gwen Stefani neuters Japanese street fashion... Salon.com. 9 April 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2006.
- ^ Sarah Hall. Hey, Baby: Gwen Preggers!. E! 20 December 2005. Retrieved 16 March 2006.
- ^ Alison Rosen. Bursting into Stardom. Axcess Magazine. April/May 1996
External links
- American fashion designers
- 1969 births
- Living people
- American actors
- American female singers
- American singer-songwriters
- Brit Award Winners
- American dance acts
- Dance Top 40 acts in United States
- Roman Catholic musicians
- Irish-Americans
- Italian-Americans
- Scottish-Americans
- No Doubt band-members
- People from Anaheim, California
- Rhythmic Top 40 acts