Gwen Stefani: Love. Angel. Music. Baby.
Gwendolyn Renee Stefani was born on October 3, 1969 and raised in
glittering sunshine of Orange County in Southern California. Her
father, Denis, is Italian and her mother Patti is of English and Scottish
descent. She has a sister, Jill, and two brothers, Eric and Todd. Gwen attended California State Fullerton University, and Loara High
School where was on the swim team. Her first job was scrubbing
floors at a Dairy Queen, and she once worked at a department store. As Gwen was growing up she was strongly influenced by "ska" and "punk"
music. Her band "No Doubt" was started by her brother Eric Stefani, and a
friend of his John Spence in 1987. Eric eventually left the band to pursue
a career in animation on The Simpsons. He was the keyboardist for No
Doubt. Tony Kanal joined the group a little later, and the trio began to
gain popularity by playing at local parties. Gwen started as a co-singer
but moved from backing vocals to lead singer when their original lead,
John Spence, committed suicide. A young and energetic Gwen Stefani moved into the music spotlight in
1987 as the sexy lead singer for the band No Doubt. During first few years
the group was playing gigs wherever they could and Gwen somehow
managed to finish high school and enter college without missing a
beat. Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers\' bassist, recorded a demo for the band
which led to a deal with Interscope Records. In 1992, after signing with
Interscope Records, No Doubt released its self-titled debut album. When
the record label didn\'t like the numbers that came in from that first
album, they were unwilling to garner further support to the band as
the album was far from a commercial success. Even though her brother Eric left, Gwen and the other band members
refused to give in and put up money of their own in 1995 to record a
sophomore album called The Beacon Street Collection. With the moderate
success of the album No Doubt were back in business and also returned
Interscope\'s confidence in the band. The band\'s third studio album, Tragic Kingdom, took three years to
make. During this time, the band almost split up. The album was
released in 1995 and spawned several hits, beginning with "Just a
Girl". The Grammy nominated album hit number one on the Billboard charts
all over the Canada and the US, with the help of the punk-tinged catchy
lyrics and an accompanying colorful video. Gwen also wrote the hit song \'Don\'t Speak\' for the album, inspired by
Stefani\'s relationship and break-up with fellow band member Tony Kanal.
Gwen had dated Kanal for eight years until he ended the relationship
because he needed more space. She slipped into depression after touring
for Tragic Kingdom. In 2000, the band released Return of Saturn. The CD was loaded with
tons of new sound and great lyrics, and was definitely a step up from
their previous release, the songs were more mature, and the music had
grown. Gwen married English rocker Gavin Rossdale on 14 September 2002 in
London. Stefani and her husband 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. She has been seen shopping for baby clothes in neutral
colors, because she and husband, Gavin Rossdale, don\'t want to know the
sex of their baby until he or she is born in June. Harajuku Girls
The release of Gwen Stefani\'s solo album has also brought attention to
Stefani\'s entourage of four Harajuku Girls. Named Love, Angel,
Music, and Baby by Stefani. Harajuku Girl is a term to describe a fashion
savvy denizen of the Harajuku district of Tokyo, 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). The "Harajuku style" combines a wide range of diverse influences,
and is also known as "Fruits Fashion" by followers of Fruits Magazine.
Facts:
Her clothing & accessory line Love, Angel, Music, Baby or L.A.M.B. is
made up of her favorite words. And Lamb was the nickname for her beloved
dog Megan. Is a natural brunette.
Is a distant cousin of Madonna. Her great-aunt\'s mother-in-law shares
the last name with Madonna.
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. "
Gwen got braces in mid 1999 because she was worried her teeth
were becoming crooked. She later had them removed in January 2000 because
they affected her singing.
Growing up, Gwen wanted to be a bride. She pictured herself married
with 4 children.
Her older brother Eric had to force her to join No Doubt. Gwen didn\'t
want to get interrupted during her TV shows.
The first song she ever wrote by herself was the No Doubt single,
Simple Kind of Life.
Gwen used to wear an old Godzilla T-shirt and pajama bottoms in
high school.
Used to have a crush on Madness singer Suggs.
Unknown words:
glittering - блестящий, сверкающий
to scrub - мыть; скрести ( обыкн. моющим средством и щеткой )
gig - разовый ангажемент ( на участие в одном концерте )
without missing a beat - легко, без особых волнений
to garner - копить(ся), собирать(ся), запасать
to split up - разделять(ся), раскалывать(ся); прекращать
отношения
to spawn - рождать ( в большом количестве )
entourage - окружение; свита
savvy - сообразительность, находчивость
denizen - житель страны
flamboyant - яркий, бросающийся в глаза; ярко раскрашенный
braces - скобы, брекеты
bottoms - (coll.) штаны
geek - чокнутый, помешанный
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