Gwen Stefani By Meagan Mongene

Getting Started… Gwen Renee Stefani was born October 3, As a child, she greatly enjoyed folk music and The Sound of Music. When they were young, she and her brother Eric would write songs, their first one entitled “stick it in the hole,” about a pencil going into a pencil sharpener. When Eric asked her to sing in his ska band, “no doubt,” she undoubtedly said yes.

More About Her Childhood… Most of Gwen’s female relatives were seamstresses, so her clothes were often made by her mother. She was not one of the “cool” kids in highschool; they called her “Frog” because she was on the swim team.

Music Career: 1 st Stage In 1992, No Doubt released its 1 st CD, self-entitled. However, since grunge music was more popular at the time, the album wasn’t a success.

No Doubt’s Next CD’s… Tragic Kingdom (1995) The Beacon Street Collection (1995) Return of Saturn (2000) Rock Steady (2001) The Singles (2003)

You May Have Heard… I’m Just A Girl (Tragic Kingdom) Don’t Speak (Tragic Kingdom) Hella Good (Rock Steady) Hey Baby (Rock Steady) Underneath It All (Rock Steady) It’s My Life (The Singles )

Time To Fly Solo Gwen’s solo career started out as a dance project, but then turned into singing too. Her first solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. debuted at number 7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums and was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album at the 2005 Grammys. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. involved hits such as “What You Waiting For?”, “Hollaback Girl”, “Rich Girl”, “Cool”, and “Luxurious”.

Gwen’s Next Solo CD The Sweet Escape, released in 2006, includes more dance songs than her previous album. It includes hits such as “Wind It Up”, “The Sweet Escape”, and “4 in the Morning”.

A Passion for Fashion Inspired by Japanese, Guatemalan, and Jamaican trends, in 2004 Gwen started L.A.M.B., her first fashion line. Merchandise include clothing, handbags, shoes, jewelry, and undergarments. A few years later, Gwen released another fashion line entitled Harajuku Lovers, with less expensive but still hip clothing and accessories. Double Layered Tee,$59.50 at m-b.comwww.l-a- m-b.com Fan (Canvas), $68.00 at ulovers.com ulovers.com

Gwen’s Personal Life… Gwen is currently married to English rock band Bush’s former guitarist Gavin Rossdale and has a son named Kingston. She hopes that in the future to have more children.

Charity Work… Save the Children An organization which helps children in need throughout the world. UNICEF Raising money for children in need Gwen has also supported many charities for abuse, AIDS, children, disaster relief, education, health, human rights, and poverty.

Why I Chose Gwen Stefani… Gwen Stefani is a great role model. She’s not like the other celebrities you keep hearing about, who are arrested for DUI, who only weigh 80 pounds, or who are put in rehab. Gwen prefers family to fame and has a style completely her own. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and she is overall a great person.

Sources ni ni content/uploads/2007/09/gwen_kingston. jpg content/uploads/2007/09/gwen_kingston. jpg 99-gwen-stefani 99-gwen-stefani