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 rock band No Doubt. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on her solo career, releasing her debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. Inspired by music of the 1980s, the album was a success with sales of over seven million copies. It spawned three major hit singles: "What You Waiting For?," "Rich Girl," and "Hollaback Girl," the later becoming the first US digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani's second studio album The Sweet Escape was released in 2006. 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 thirty million albums worldwide.

As a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, one World Music Award, one American Music Award, and one Brit Award. 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 married British musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002 and they have three sons. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the fifty-fourth most successful artist and thirty-seventh most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–09 decade. VH1 ranked her thirteenth on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.