Even if you’ve been singing along to “Hollaback Girl” for over a decade, you probably don’t know everything there is to know about Gwen Stefani.
For instance, did you know that she wasn’t initially the lead singer of No Doubt? Or that she’s not a natural blonde?
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Get ready, because these 10+ facts that fans didn’t know are B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
Gwen Stefani is one of the most famous singers in the world, even though she isn’t dropping singles every other day.
Fans still wait patiently for her to release music, and in the meantime, love watching her on Instagram and on The Voice .
However, just because we all love her, that doesn’t mean that fans know all about her!
Luckily, that’s where we come in!
We are here to shed some light on the fantastic Gwen Stefani! Let’s get into some fun facts about her!
1. She wasn’t initially the lead singer of No Doubt:
She started off doing backup vocals, but ended up getting promoted to lead after the original lead singer, John Spence, ended his life.
The band recorded a song for John called “Dear John,” but it was never officially released.
After John’s death, the future of No Doubt was uncertain.
It took a lot of convincing at first to get Gwen to step up to vocals.
That’s because, according to Eric Carpenter, one of the band’s former members, she was very shy back then.
2. She first bonded with Blake Shelton over their mutual divorces:
When the adorable pair first met, Blake was still married to fellow country singer Miranda Lambert, and Gwen was still married to Gavin Rossdale.
Shelton was the first to file for divorce, followed soon by Stefani.
“That’s kind of how our friendship and bond started, that day,” Shelton told *Billboard*.
He shared that he and Gwen would start checking in on each other about three times a week.
“Next thing I know, I wake up and she’s all I care about, and I’m wondering if she feels the same about me.”
3. She’s been quarantining with Blake at his ranch in Oklahoma:
It’s hard to picture the punk rock singer living the country life, but she’s doing just that!
“It’s a nice contrast to L.A.,” she told Shape . “Although I do keep 20 chickens in the backyard here at home too.”
4. She recently purchased a home with Blake:
Things are getting serious with these two!
In addition to recently celebrating their fourth anniversary together, they purchased a stunning $13.2 million estate in Encino, located in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.
5. Her first job was at Dairy Queen:
Like many celebs who worked normal jobs before becoming rich and famous, this star has humble beginnings.
She dished out the soft serve at the ice cream shop in her hometown of Fullerton, California.
6. Her kids’ names have a cool backstory to them:
She has three sons with her ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale: Kingston James McGregor, Zuma Nesta Rock, and Apollo Bowie Flynn Rossdale.
They are said to be named after the former couple’s favorite places in the world.
7. Speaking of her sons, she’s fine with them embracing their girly sides:
Gender roles be damned !
Her son, Kingston, first made headlines in 2013 when he was photographed wearing a tutu to a birthday party.
Gwen soon admitted that her girliness rubs off on them.
“It’s one of those things where, it’s not like I don’t think about it, but they’re used to being around me, and I’m always doing my hair, makeup, nails. It’s just normal for them,” she told ParadeSource.
“What I like to say is that being unique and original is what makes me happy, and I think that rubs off on them,” she said .
8. Her ex-boyfriend inspired a lot of her ’90s fashion:
This includes the bindi that has got her in a lot of trouble for cultural appropriation in the past.
But Gwen never meant any harm. She revealed to Vogue in 2019 that it was her ex-boyfriend, who was Indian, who introduced her to his culture’s fashion.
9. She’s not a natural blonde:
It seems hard to believe since we’ve seen her rock platinum blonde hair since the ’80s.
But her hairstylist revealed to Refinery29 that he actually dyes her hair every week.
Get this: her natural color is brown!
This comes from her Italian background.
“If you look at the video for Cool, we did her in her natural shade, maybe a little darker — so I developed a high lift formula for her,” he told the site.
10. “Hollaback Girl” is actually a diss track for Courtney Love:
Oooo, the shade!
The beef with Courtney started after she called Gwen “a cheerleader” in a 2004 interview with Seventeen magazine.
She said: “Being famous is just like being in high school. But I’m not interested in being the cheerleader.”
She continued: “I’m not interested in being Gwen Stefani. She’s the cheerleader, and I’m out in the smoker shed.”
Gwen didn’t take to this kindly, as you’ll see in the song’s lyrics. Now that you know their beef, it takes on a whole new meaning.
11. She works hard to look ageless:
It’s hard to believe that the singer is 50 years old . Yes, seriously. She looks like she’s in her twenties!
Want to know her secret to staying young? She told Shape that she eats really clean, keeps active with her shows, and likes to work out.
“I always feel better when I’m in a routine even though I sometimes hate it.”
She said that she also likes to play tennis with Blake, even though she’s bad at it. “Then we go to the gym. I like to do squats and lunges and light weights.”
This is one fit couple!
12. She never planned on having a solo career:
Her first solo album, “Love. Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” was meant to be just a side project .
But then it took off with hits like “Hollaback Girl” and “The Sweet Escape.”
13. She reportedly returned to *The Voice* because of Blake:
While Shelton has appeared on the show since the very beginning, Gwen has been on-and-off for the past several years.
But when she and Blake came back for Season 17, it was speculated that producers wanted to cash in on their romance.
14. Her album “This Is What the Truth Feels Like” saved her life.
She ultimately poured her heart and soul into the entire record, allowing her to get her trauma and feelings out by making the album.
She felt that if she hadn’t done so, her life would have turned out a lot worse.
In fact, she told *Time* that she was afraid it would be too personal for audiences to handle.
“They really knocked the wind out of me. I was feeling like, ‘Wow, you don’t understand, I’m channeling God, this is saving my life.’”
15. The most important thing to her is spending time with her kids.
You can imagine just how busy her life is: being a mother, starring on a show, and being a successful pop star.
But she makes sure that she always scores some downtime with her children. She doesn’t want to miss out on them growing up.
She revealed to *Shape* that having that balance in her life is hard, but also important.
“Being with my family, having time with Blake where we just watch movies. It seems like, with your career, you have to keep swimming, keep moving, or else you’re going to look back and go, ‘Shoot, it’s over.’ I don’t like feeling like that. I want to do creative things when I want, and I want to stop chasing all the time. It’s hard, but I’m really enjoying being in the moment.”
16. She doesn’t spend too much time at the gym.
She focuses on eating clean, doing just enough to feel good, and keeping herself healthy, but she isn’t interested in spending hours lifting weights.
Being a mother is too busy for that!
17. *The Voice* actually made her appreciate her fame more.
The show allowed her to gain more confidence in herself, her career, and what she could give the world and her fans.
So it was a blessing that she was cast on the show.
Do you know any more interesting facts about the fabulous Gwen Stefani?
Or did all of these facts surprise you? Either way, let us know down below in the comments section!
We would love to hear from you!
