A Week Before Gwen Stefani In Malaysia

MyStarHill > Malaysian, Music > A Week Before Gwen Stefani In Malaysia

Author: teropong | August 13, 2007 - 8:52 am

Gwen Stefani coming to town got the straitlaced all ruffled. Now that the customary noise is over and done with, fans can get ready to party.

IN a little over a week, Malaysia will play host to one of the hottest singers currently in the world … Gwen Stefani. The stage is set for the American sensation to perform in Malaysia for the first time – in Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday, Aug 21.

Thank goodness the storm in a teacup raised by a local students’ group has blown over. Not that its recent protest of the singer’s so-called “indecent dressing and obscenity” and call to the authorities to ban the concert has ever gained ground or threatened to spoil the party for music fans.

Nevertheless, Maxis Communications Bhd, the parent company of Hotlink, the concert’s presenter, has come out to assure that the show will go on with a promise from Stefani that she will abide by local guidelines, which include “no revealing costumes”.

All said and done, isn’t it great to have an international artiste of Stefani’s stature grace our shores (as part of her The Sweet Escape 2007 world tour, which includes gigs in North, Central and South America, Australasia, Asia and Europe)?

Now that the objection of the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students has been done with, some 9,000 Malaysians can look forward to partying to really cool music and a spectacular show at Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil on that night (showtime: 8.30pm).

Two decades of action

Gwen Stefani, entertainer extraordinaire, is a highly versatile and outstanding personality. The lady with the crimson lips is not just a singer but songwriter, fashion designer, fashion icon, wife, mother and occasional actress.

And, she can yodel too.

Stefani, who turns 38 in October, has done quite a bit in her 21 years in the entertainment industry. Reportedly having sold over 30 million albums worldwide (with the group No Doubt and as a solo artiste), the superstar has a string of hits that include Just a Girl, Spiderwebs, What You Waiting For?, Rich Girl (featuring Eve), Hollaback Girl, Cool, Wind It Up, The Sweet Escape (featuring Akon) and 4 in the Morning.

And without a doubt, she is going to do much more in the coming years.

Born in Fullerton, California, to an Italian-American father (Dennis Stefani) and Irish-Scottish mother (Patti Lynch), Stefani developed a passion for music at a very young age. The daughter of a Yamaha marketing executive and accountant-turned-homemaker, and the second of four children, participated in talent shows and school presentations, though people always told her that she had a weird voice. She does, actually, but uses it to her full advantage.

Apart from singing, Stefani’s other passion was fashion. She used to make some of her own clothes, and modify the ones she already had. Because of this, Stefani developed a keen eye for detail, and a unique (though some would say eccentric) sense of style that not only reflects her personality, but her talents and abilities too.

Stefani’s foray into the entertainment industry began in 1986 when her elder brother Eric invited her to sing in a ska band he was forming called No Doubt. The band released its debut eponymous album in 1992, right in the thick of the grunge revolution, when the airwaves were filled with grunge music and the sounds and styles of Britpop were fast on the rise in the United States. Not many were interested in ska then. (Eric, the keyboardist, later left the band to be an animator on the hit TV series The Simpsons.)

No Doubt’s second album, the self-released The Beacon Street Collection in 1995, also suffered the same fate, though it did get the band noticed by other musicians at the time. This encouraged No Doubt – which also comprised drummer Adrian Young, lead guitarist Tom Dumont and bassist Tony Kanal – to release its third album Tragic Kingdom within the same year.

Love. Marriage. Baby. Weight

All the while, Stefani and Kanal had been in a relationship, but as the romance started to sour, things got a little difficult for the band. No Doubt almost broke up, but instead of going on that road, Stefani turned the situation around and put all her energy and emotions onto paper. The result of that were several lyrically and musically powerful singles like Don’t Speak and Sunday Morning.

Tragic Kingdom went on to become one of the biggest selling albums worldwide at the time. The phenomenal success of Tragic Kingdom brought international fame to the band, more so for Stefani who unwittingly became the face of and unofficial spokesperson for the band (which is usually what happens when you’re the only girl in a band). Band members didn’t seem to mind, though, as they too get their 15 minutes of fame every now and then.

By the time No Doubt released its fourth album Return to Saturn in 2000, Stefani had already been seeing another singer for a number of years – Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale.

Stefani and Rossdale met when the latter had gone to a No Doubt concert and popped backstage to congratulate the band. From then on, Stefani and Rossdale, who is British, began a long-distance love affair that was kept a secret from the media and public for a long time.

In 2002, the couple got married at St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, London. A second reception was held in Los Angeles, California, where Stefani wore a custom-designed John Galliano wedding dress that was trimmed with pink lace.

Stefani and Rossdale’s marriage and overall private life came under the spotlight when it was revealed that the latter had fathered an illegitimate daughter years ago from a model named Pearl Lowe. Though their relationship was tested, neither spoke publicly about it.

But that is essentially what Stefani is like. She may be well-known all over the world, and express her emotions and feelings through her songs, she usually keeps mum about her personal life.

In an interview with the singer in 2002, just months before her wedding to Rossdale, the singer only smiled whenever someone had asked her a question about wedding preparations or about her fiance. Even her No Doubt bandmates wouldn’t say anything about Stefani and Rossdale, or about their own personal lives for that matter.

Last year, Stefani and Rossdale welcomed their first child, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, into the world on May 26. Stefani is more willing to talk about Kingston these days, though only in a way proud mothers do when talking about their offspring.

After giving birth to Kingston, Stefani was criticised by the media for losing her pregnancy weight too fast. The singer commented that she had lost her weight through proper diet and lots of exercise, but that she has always been insecure about her weight, especially since the fashion industry she is highly fond of practically glorifies the waif look.

In an interview with Elle earlier this year, Stefani said she had worked out with her trainer five days a week for three months to get back into shape.

Admitting to an obsession with her weight, she told the women’s magazine: “I was a little chubby when I was younger and I didn’t want to be that person forever. I’m extremely vain – I like wearing cute clothes. Clearly, I spend time thinking about it and it’s something I’ve had to deal with in my life. As I get older I try not to focus on it. It’s boring, it’s a waste of life.”

Still, to fans, Stefani has never really had much of a problem when it comes to her figure since she manages to maintain her taut body pretty well over the years.

Sweet sophomore

Currently, Stefani is on her world tour to promote her second and latest solo album, The Sweet Escape (there have been reports saying that No Doubt will start work on a new album once Stefani’s tour is done). The singer embarked on a solo career in 2004, when she released her debut, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. or L.A.M.B., which is also the name of her fashion brand.

Like her solo endeavours, Stefani’s fashion project has been well-received, garnering fans of all ages – though mostly female. To complement her new look and sound in 2004, Stefani employed four Japanese back-up dancers who are referred to as the Harajuku Girls. Stefani’s style by then had evolved from midriff-baring tees and cargo pants to chic schoolgirl outfits, thanks to the influence of Japanese street fashion.

This reinvention of Stefani turned her into a fashion icon who dares to take risks and not conform to popular beliefs. These days, Stefani’s eclectic style ranges from playful and sexy to classic and feminine, not unlike the leading ladies of Hollywood’s golden era.

In fact, Stefani even portrayed one of these leading ladies – Jean Harlow – in the multiple-award-winning Martin Scorsese film, The Aviator, in 2004.

And last year, in yet another move to reinvent herself, Stefani started to wear necklaces with the motif of two back-to-back Gs on a diamond-encrusted key. The symbol has become synonymous with The Sweet Escape release.

With so many roles to take on, one does wonder where the platinum blonde gets all her energy and inspiration from. Based on previous interviews that I’ve had with the singer, it seems like she gets her drive to work and play hard from the support of friends and family. These days, however, Stefani names Kingston as the No.1 motivator in her life.

In fact, The Sweet Escape album is dedicated to her son. “I want him to grow up and look back and just know how important he is. He’s just the most delicious thing. I have no words for him.”

A fulfilled musician who revels in multiple genres – ska, pop, dance, rap and R&B – Stefani remarks: “For me, the music just brings a lot of confidence. Making music is very rewarding. It’s really fun to have people listen to your music and get something, whatever that is, out of it.”

Whatever it may be, though, there has never been any doubt that Stefani would come up tops in the many things that she does, and probably will do.

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