1986–2004: Career beginnings and No Doubt Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to
2 Tone music by
Madness and
the Selector. Eric and Gwen had originally started a band named Applecore. Then in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a
ska band he was forming. She later became the sole lead singer when the other singer, John Spence, took his own life in December 1987. The band released its
self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of
grunge. Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and
Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album ''
Robbin' the Hood''. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited
Blondie singer
Debbie Harry's combination of power and
sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album,
Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released
The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. Five singles were released from
Tragic Kingdom, including "
Don't Speak", which led the
Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for
Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. In late 2000,
Rolling Stone magazine named her "the Queen of Confessional Pop". During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with
the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "
South Side" with
Moby, and "
Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with
Eve. No Doubt released the less popular
Return of Saturn in 2000, which expanded upon the
new wave influences of
Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focused on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-
Bush frontman
Gavin Rossdale and her insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album,
Rock Steady, explored more
reggae and
dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's new wave influences. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "
Hey Baby" and "
Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection,
The Singles 1992–2003, which includes a
cover of
Talk Talk's "
It's My Life", was released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind".
2004–2006: Solo debut and other ventures " during the
Harajuku Lovers Tour in 2005 Stefani's debut solo album,
Love. Angel. Music. Baby., was released on November 12, 2004. The album features several collaborations with producers and other artists, including
Tony Kanal,
Tom Rothrock,
Linda Perry,
André 3000,
Nellee Hooper,
the Neptunes and
New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music she had listened to in high school, and
L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as new wave, synthpop, and
electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. The album debuted on the US
Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week.
L.A.M.B. reached multi-platinum status in the United States, Australia, and Canada. The first single from the album "
What You Waiting For?", co-written by
Linda Perry, debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, charted at number 47 on the US
Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "
Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper
Eve, and produced by
Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians
Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a very loose
cover lyrically but closer melodically of "
If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical
Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" reached the US and UK top ten. The album's third single "
Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first US and second Australian number-one single; it reached top ten elsewhere. The song was the first US
music download to sell more than one million copies, and its
brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. "
Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "
Crash" was released in January 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of
Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy. In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as
Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her film debut playing
Jean Harlow in
Martin Scorsese's
The Aviator in 2004. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a
Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for
Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of the 2004 video game
Malice, but the company opted not to use No Doubt band members' voices.
2006–2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt " during
The Sweet Escape Tour in 2007 Stefani's second studio album,
The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006. Stefani continued working with Kanal, Perry, and
the Neptunes, along with
Akon and
Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band
Keane. The album focuses more heavily on
electronic and
dance music for
clubs than its predecessor. and
Rob Sheffield called the album a "hasty return" that repeats
Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy. "
Wind It Up", the album's
lead single, used
yodeling and an
interpolation of
The Sound of Music, and peaked in the top 10 in the US and the UK. The
title track reached the top 10 in over 15 nations, including number two peaks in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote
The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the
sixth season of
American Idol and performed the song with Akon. The song earned her a
Grammy Award nomination for
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Three more singles were released from the album; "
4 in the Morning", "
Now That You Got It" which featured
Damian Marley and "
Early Winter". To promote the album, Stefani embarked on a worldwide tour,
The Sweet Escape Tour, which covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America. In an interview with
Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, Stefani stated that she had no plans to continue work as a solo artist. With Stefani promoting
The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008, stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was pregnant with her second child.
The Singles 1992–2003 became available on December 9, 2008, for the video game
Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on
Scott Weiland's album
"Happy" in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the
Bamboozle 2009 festival in May 2009, along with
Fall Out Boy. The band completed a
national tour in mid-2009. The new album
Push and Shove was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "
Settle Down", on July 16. The music video for "Settle Down" was directed by
Sophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt). Also around this time No Doubt were guest mentors for the UK version of
The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at 34 on the
Billboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at number three on the US
Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "
Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt make a cameo appearance in a hot air ballon for the
third season of
Portlandia.
2014–2017: Comeback with This Is What the Truth Feels Like On April 12, 2014, Stefani made a surprise appearance at the
Coachella festival, where she joined
Pharrell Williams onstage during his set to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, it was officially confirmed that Stefani would join the
seventh season of
The Voice as a coach, replacing
Christina Aguilera, who was originally going to replace
Shakira after
season 6, but couldn't due to her pregnancy. Nine years after the previous time, she attended the
2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appears as a featured artist on
Maroon 5's song "
My Heart Is Open", co-written by
Sia, from the band's album
V, which was performed for the first time with
Adam Levine and an orchestra at the
2015 Grammy Awards. Stefani also collaborated with
Calvin Harris on the track "Together" from his album
Motion. On September 8, 2014, Stefani told
MTV News during
New York Fashion Week that she was working on both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that she was working with Williams. Stefani released her comeback single "
Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers
Ryan Tedder,
Benny Blanco, and
Noel Zancanella.
Billboard announced that her third studio album was set to be released in December with
Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "
Spark the Fire", a new track from Stefani's third album, was released. The song was produced by
Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song premiered online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later scrapped from Stefani's third album. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "
Shine", for the
Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" which was expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well, but it was not included on the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper
Eminem featured Stefani on his single "
Kings Never Die", from the
Southpaw film soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart, and matched first-week
digital download sales of 35,000 copies. On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a concert as part of her
MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the
Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "
Used to Love You". It was released as a download on October 20, 2015. The video was released the same day. The song was released to
contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her third solo album
This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she began working on in mid-2015. Stefani said much of the previous material she worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what she had originally wanted. The album's second single, "
Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016.
This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016, and debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 with 84,000
album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning Stefani her first number-one album on the U.S. chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her
This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour with rapper
Eve in the United States. Stefani voiced DJ Suki in the animated film
Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. She is also included on five songs from the
film's official soundtrack. Stefani twice performed as part of the "Final Shows" at
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on October 29–30, before the venue's closure due to
The Irvine Company not renewing the venue's land lease. Stefani was interviewed for the documentary series
The Defiant Ones, which was released in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music by the end of the year. In August, several song titles from the singer's sessions were published on
GEMA's official website, suggesting that she may be recording a
holiday album. The songwriting credits from the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with
busbee,
Blake Shelton, and
Justin Tranter. The album, titled
You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its
title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was
digitally distributed on September 22, 2017, as the lead single. To promote the record, Stefani hosted ''
Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas'', an
NBC Christmas
television special that aired on December 12, 2017.
2018–present: Las Vegas residency, The Voice and Bouquet 's
residency concert in 2019 Stefani's first
concert residency, titled
Just a Girl: Las Vegas, began on June 27, 2018, at the
Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It was originally scheduled to conclude on May 16, 2020, but the final eight shows were postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The show concluded on November 6, 2021. It was named after No Doubt's song "
Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show ($1 per ticket) were donated to the organization
Cure4Kids. A deluxe edition of
You Make It Feel Like Christmas was released in October 2018, and was promoted through the single "
Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, Stefani performed at the
Machaca Fest in
Fundidora Park. Stefani replaced
Adam Levine as a coach for
The Voices
17th season after Levine left the show after 16 seasons. Stefani was replaced by first-time coach
Nick Jonas for the
18th season. She returned for her fifth season of
The Voice 19th season as a replacement for Jonas. Her finalist
Carter Rubin was named the winner, giving her the first victory as a coach after her fifth attempt, and the ninth coach (and fourth female after
Christina Aguilera,
Alicia Keys, and
Kelly Clarkson) to do so. In November 2020, while the 19th season was still airing, it was announced Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge for
season 20. In May 2022, it was announced that Stefani would return as a coach for the
22nd season, replacing
Ariana Grande. In October 2022, it was announced that Stefani would depart the panel, once again, for the
23rd season. In May 2023, it was announced that Stefani would return to
The Voice for the
24th season, replacing
Kelly Clarkson. Stefani again departed the panel for the
25th season, being replaced by
Dan + Shay. In May 2024, it was announced that Stefani would return to the panel for the
26th season, replacing Dan + Shay and became the show's senior coach following
John Legend's 2024 departure. In 2025, for the
27th season, Stefani departed the panel once more, being replaced by
Kelsea Ballerini. On December 13, 2019, Stefani featured on Shelton's single "
Nobody but You" from his
compilation album ''
Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard'' Hot 100 and 49 on the
Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "
Happy Anywhere" inspired by the
COVID-19 pandemic. Stefani was initially scheduled to perform at
Lollapalooza's 2020 festival, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Lollapalooza was held as a four-day
livestream in July and August 2020, but Stefani did not participate in it. Stefani was featured on a
Mark Ronson remix of
Dua Lipa's "
Physical", which is included on Lipa's remix album
Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clear a "Hollaback Girl"
sample for the Mr Fingers' remix of Lipa's "
Hallucinate", and then asked to be a part of the "Physical" remix. To promote 2020 reissued edition of
You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani released a cover of "
Sleigh Ride" as a single. On December 7, 2020, Stefani released her comeback solo single "
Let Me Reintroduce Myself". She followed this with a second single "
Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix featuring
Saweetie the following month. Both singles were expected to appear on her fifth studio album, but were ultimately scrapped off the album. In 2022, she was a featured artist on
Sean Paul's single "
Light My Fire", alongside
Shenseea, and appeared in its music video. In June 2023, she announced her first new solo single in over two years, "
True Babe", which was released on June 23. On February 9, 2024, Stefani together with
Blake Shelton released their duet, "
Purple Irises", which appears on her fifth studio album
Bouquet. On July 25, she and
Anderson Paak released the single "Hello World" as the song of the
Olympics sponsored by
Coca-Cola. "
Somebody Else's" was released as
Bouquets lead single on September 20, 2024. "
Swallow My Tears" was released as the album's next single on October 25. The album was released on November 15. In March 2025, a deluxe edition of
Bouquet was released. It contains the single "Still Gonna Love You" and eleven acoustic versions of the album's tracks. On April 13, 2024, Stefani reunited with
No Doubt for an appearance at
Coachella. This was the first time the band had played together since 2015. In late January 2025, Stefani reunited with her
No Doubt band members to perform a set for FireAid Benefit concert to support the Southern California communities devastated by wildfires. The event was broadcast and streamed live on Netflix Tudum, as well as Apple Music and the Apple TV app, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Paramount+, Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM (exclusively on "LIFE with John Mayer") Spotify, SoundCloud, Veeps, YouTube, and at select AMC Theatre locations in 70 US markets. In October 2025, No Doubt announced it would reunite in 2026 for a six show residency in Las Vegas. ==Other ventures==