Gwen Stefani

Singer

Gwen Stefani was the lead singer for the band No Doubt before going solo in 2004. The band, founded by Gwen's older brother Eric Stefani, made its name in 1995 with the hit album Tragic Kingdom, a heady mixture of rock, speedy reggae and playful pop hooks. The album also made a star of Stefani, who combined a belter's voice with brash blonde good looks and a dependably bare midriff. The band's later albums included Return Of Saturn (2000) and Rock Steady (2001). In 2004 Stefani released her first solo album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby,, nominated for a Grammy award as Album of the Year and including the hit single "Hollaback Girl" (which was nominated for a Grammy as Record of the Year). A second solo album, The Sweet Escape, followed in 2006. Stefani also began began an acting career, playing actress Jean Harlow opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the Oscarnominated 2004 film The Aviator. Stefani told Billboard.com in 2006 that No Doubt might perform together again someday: "I see it on the horizon, but I'm not focusing on it."

Extra credit: Stefani married Gavin Rossdale, guitarist for the band Bush, in 2002. Their first child, a boy named Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, was born on 26 May 2006... Early in her career, Stefani was known for wearing stickon pottu dots, the jewellike Hindi forehead decoration. According to People magazine, Stefani began wearing the dots "when she dated fellow band member Tony Kanal, whose parents are Indian."... Stefani launched her own clothing line, L.A.M.B., in 2003. The name is also an acronym for the words love, angel, music, baby.

Other 20thcentury pop divas include Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and Janis Joplin.

Women Celebrities