Gwen Renée Stefani (/stəˈfɑːni/; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. She is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the ska band No Doubt. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music of the 1980s, the album was met with both critical and commercial success. It spawned three major worldwide hit singles: "What You Waiting For?," "Rich Girl," and "Hollaback Girl," the latter becoming the first US digital download to sell one million copies. In 2006 Stefani released her second studio album The Sweet Escape. The album produced two successful singles: "Wind It Up" and the album's title track "The Sweet Escape." Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
As a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award from eight nominations, one World Music Award, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. In 2003 she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and fashion. Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls. She was married to British musician Gavin Rossdale from 2002 to 2015 and they have three sons. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–09 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.