‘Rich Girl’, ‘Sweet Escape’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hollerback’. These are but a few of the hits that catapulted Gwen Stefani into solo stardom between 2003-2006. And then, it quite literally, went silent…until now.
The 42 year old is back with stablemates No Doubt and, by the looks of it, has no plans to go it alone again.
Details below…
During an interview with Elle magazine UK, the eclectic star revealed she experienced crippling writers block during her solo sessions. Peep an excerpt below:
Gwen recognises the cyclical nature of her story. She will say later that she had fun experimenting in the solo years, ‘playing different roles and pretending I was something else in a way. And now I just feel like I’m back to being the girl I was in ninth grade when I discovered Madness.’
Gwen and her bandmates – Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young – have been trying to write this album – their sixth – since 2008. For the four years before that, they were on a self-imposed hiatus. During that time, Gwen, you’ll remember, managed to keep herself busy. She collaborated with everybody: Eve, Pharrell, Dr Dre, New Order – and produced two solo albums that, combined, sold almost 20 million copies. But: ‘I would never do that again,’ she says. She suffers from that grim affliction, writers block. ‘I would never put myself through it, it was just torture… I cried during those sessions.’ {Source}
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Intriguing and yet more reason, friends, why it’s important to not take all you see in this beautiful, yet crazed industry at face value. There stood Gwen, at the top of her career, yet creatively starved and selling a “version” of herself that was essentially inauthentic.
It’s an admission that, though unfortunate, is actually a testament to the legitimacy of Stefani’s artistry. Only a “genuine’ act would go against popular demand (we all want another Gwen solo record, right?!) to ensure they’re being true to the artist they are. A few of today’s “musician-models” could learn from her words.