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Gwen Renée Stefani (/stɛˈfɑːni/; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and occasional actress. Stefani debuted in 1992 as the frontwoman of the rock band No Doubt, whose 1995 album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide. It spawned the singles "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak". The band's popularity went into decline with its fourth album, Return of Saturn (2000), but Rock Steady (2001) introduced dancehall and reggae production into its music, and generally received positive reviews.

Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was primarily inspired by music of the 1980s, taking Stefani's work further into pop and dance music, and enjoyed international success with sales of over seven million. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani's second solo album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded "Wind It Up", a moderate worldwide success, and the United World Chart number one "The Sweet Escape". Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.