Gwen Renée Stefani was born in Fullerton, California on October 3, 1969, and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim, California. Her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops’ 1968 version of the Left Banke’s 1966 song “Walk Away Renée.” She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport.
Dennis Stefani, her father, is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Patti, her mother, is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Stefani’s parents were fans of folk music and introduced her to artists such as Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris.
Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, as well as an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to work as an animator on The Simpsons. She attended Loara High School, where she graduated in 1987. After high school, she attended Fullerton College before transferring to California State University, Fullerton.
Stefani’s debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby., was released on November 12, 2004. Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, the Neptunes, and New Order all collaborate on the album. Stefani created the album to modernize the music she listened to in high school, and L.A.M.B. draws inspiration from a variety of music styles from the 1980s and early 1990s, including new wave, synthpop, and electro.
What song did Pharrell produce for Gwen Stefani?
Gwen Stefani launched her solo career after the release of “Hollaback Girl,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005. Pharrell would go on to help Stefani with “Can I Have It Like That” (2006) and “Spark The Fire” (2014).