50 Fun Facts About Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani rose to fame as lead singer of which band?

The Anaheim ska band's Tragic Kingdom sold over 16 million copies.

Stefani was born in Fullerton and raised in which Southern California city?

She was inducted into the inaugural Orange County Hall of Fame in 2023.

Stefani was named after a stewardess in which 1968 novel?

Her middle name Renée comes from the Four Tops' version of 'Walk Away Renée'.

Stefani's father Dennis was a marketing executive for which company?

His 18 years of travel to Japan fed her fascination with Japanese culture.

Stefani's older brother Eric left No Doubt to work as an animator on which show?

He had been the band's keyboardist and first invited Gwen to sing in 1986.

Stefani became No Doubt's sole lead singer after which original singer died in 1987?

Eric had first formed a band with her called Applecore before starting No Doubt.

Which 2 Tone bands did Eric Stefani introduce Gwen to?

She cited Blondie's Debbie Harry as a major influence for her mix of power and sex appeal.

On which Sublime album did Stefani guest on 'Saw Red' before either band broke big?

It came in 1994, a year before Tragic Kingdom.

Which No Doubt album, released in 1995, sold more than 16 million copies?

Stefani left college for one semester to tour it and never returned when the tour ran two and a half years.

Which No Doubt single topped the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart for 1997?

Like 'Sunday Morning' and 'Hey You!', it chronicles her breakup with bassist Tony Kanal.

Which bandmate's breakup with Stefani inspired 'Don't Speak' and later her solo song 'Cool'?

The band nearly split when he ended it; the 'Cool' video was shot on Lake Como.

Stefani's 2002 Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration came for which song with Eve?

Eve returned for 'Rich Girl' and toured with her in 2016.

Stefani's 'South Side' collaboration was with which electronic musician?

She also sang 'You're the Boss' with the Brian Setzer Orchestra in the same era.

No Doubt's 2003 greatest hits included a cover of which Talk Talk song?

The Singles 1992–2003 later became playable in Rock Band 2.

What was the title of Stefani's 2004 debut solo album?

It opened at No. 7 with 309,000 copies and was built to modernise the 1980s music she loved in high school.

Which Stefani single was the first US download to sell a million copies?

Rolling Stone calls the brass-driven track her signature song; it was her first US No. 1.

'Rich Girl' adapts a 1990s song that itself loosely reworked a tune from which musical?

Dr. Dre produced the Eve duet, which borrowed from Louchie Lou & Michie One.

Which songwriter co-wrote 'What You Waiting For?', Stefani's first solo single?

The song addresses her fear of leaving No Doubt and her wish to have a baby.

Stefani made her film debut as Jean Harlow in which 2004 Martin Scorsese film?

Scorsese's daughter was a No Doubt fan; Stefani watched 18 Harlow films to prepare for four or five days of shooting.

'Wind It Up' featured yodeling and an interpolation of which musical?

The single reached the top 10 in the US and UK.

Which rapper features on 'The Sweet Escape', earning Stefani a Grammy nomination?

They performed it together while she mentored on American Idol's sixth season.

Which Keane member co-wrote material for The Sweet Escape?

Kanal, Linda Perry and the Neptunes also returned for the album.

What is the name of Stefani's fashion line launched in 2004?

The acronym matches her debut album; it drew on Guatemalan, Japanese and Jamaican styles.

Stefani's entourage of four dancers, named for a Tokyo district, were called what?

Love, Angel, Music and Baby inspired a fragrance line and the cartoon Kuu Kuu Harajuku.

Which Michelle Pfeiffer character inspired Stefani's 2006 image makeover?

The new look came with a double-G symbol on a diamond key necklace.

Stefani started wearing a bindi in the 1990s after attending family gatherings with whom?

The bassist is of Indian heritage; she briefly popularised it as an accessory.

What is Stefani's natural hair colour?

Her hair has not been its natural colour since ninth grade; she has been platinum since late 1994.

Stefani married Gavin Rossdale, frontman of which band, in 2002?

They wed at St Paul's, Covent Garden, and divorced in 2016.

What is the name of Stefani's eldest son, born in 2006?

Zuma followed in 2008 and Apollo in 2014.

Which country singer did Stefani marry in July 2021?

They met as coaches on The Voice and wed at a chapel on his Oklahoma ranch.

Which Stefani–Shelton duet reached No. 18 on the Hot 100?

It and 'Happy Anywhere' both topped the Country Airplay chart in 2020.

Stefani joined The Voice as a coach for season seven, replacing whom?

Aguilera's pregnancy opened the seat; Stefani has rotated in and out of the panel ever since.

Who gave Stefani her first win as a Voice coach, on her fifth attempt?

It made her the fourth female coach to win after Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson.

Which 2016 album became Stefani's first solo No. 1 on the Billboard 200?

Its lead single 'Used to Love You' was about her split from Rossdale; she said the record was about forgiveness, not revenge.

Stefani voiced which character in the 2016 animated film Trolls?

She also appears on five songs from the soundtrack.

What was the name of Stefani's 2018–21 Las Vegas residency?

One dollar per ticket went to Cure4Kids; COVID delayed the final eight shows to 2021.

Stefani's fifth studio album, released in November 2024, is titled what?

It includes the Shelton duet 'Purple Irises' and the single 'Somebody Else's'.

With whom did Stefani record 'Hello World', Coca-Cola's song for the 2024 Olympics?

Earlier she guested on Sean Paul's 'Light My Fire' and a Dua Lipa 'Physical' remix.

No Doubt reunited at which 2024 festival for their first show together since 2015?

Stefani had surprised the same festival in 2014, joining Pharrell for 'Hollaback Girl'.

No Doubt played the January 2025 FireAid benefit to help communities hit by what?

Months later the band announced a six-show Las Vegas residency for 2026.

What makeup brand did Stefani launch in March 2022?

She had filed to trademark P8NT in 2018 for a potential beauty line.

Stefani's animated series about herself and her dancers was called what?

The band HJ5 fights evil while chasing a music career; Mattel was the toy licensee.

Stefani became a spokesperson for which cosmetics giant in 2011?

A 2016 Urban Decay collaboration and GX eyewear line followed.

Stefani was diagnosed with which condition in 2020?

She has also spoken publicly about dieting since the sixth grade.

Stefani's 2023 Allure interview drew cultural-appropriation criticism when she said she was what?

She called herself a 'super fan' of the culture her father's Yamaha travels had introduced her to.

For which Catholic prayer app's Advent programme did Stefani sign on as a speaker in 2024?

She was raised Catholic in Anaheim.

Which No Doubt video was pulled in 2012 after complaints it was insensitive to Native Americans?

It came from Push and Shove, the band's first album in 11 years.

Which rapper featured Stefani on 'Kings Never Die' from the Southpaw soundtrack?

It peaked at No. 80 and was part of a scrapped run of 2014–15 material she later called forced.

Rolling Stone crowned Stefani with what title in late 2000?

In 2005 the magazine called her 'the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV'.

Stefani received her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in which year?

The same year she entered the Orange County Hall of Fame.