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Gwen Stefani |
Gwen Stefani has been the frontwoman for No Doubt since she was a teenager, but the band only achieved mainstream success in 1995 with its third album, Tragic Kingdom. Although she’s still with No Doubt, she went solo in 2004 with her hit album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Though her solo act is indubitably surpassing her No Doubt fame, Stefani has drawn criticism that her entourage, the Harajuku girls, reinforce Japanese racial stereotypes.
The past year was a great one for Gwen. Her single "Hollaback Girl" was the first song in the U.S. to be downloaded 1 million times, and in late 2005, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. netted the Californian pop starlet a total of five Grammy nominations. She also confirmed rumors that she and her husband, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, were expecting a child.
Don't expect much from Gwen for the first half of 2006, or possibly even longer. Her baby is due in June, so her plans for a follow-up solo album have necessarily been put on hold. However, No Doubt may return to record new songs in mid-2006, so Stefani may be back by year's end, belting out songs between diaper changes.