A New Spark for No Doubt
A New Spark for No Doubt
New Tour, New Chances, New Milestones
No Slowing Down—Time to Rock Steady
Hoping to motivate Interscope to release their next CD, No Doubt showed The Beacon Street Collection to the producers at the record company, who were amazed at the work the band had done. Tony Ferguson and others were inspired to get the band busy on their next album. After years of sporadic recording in eleven different studios, the fourteen tracks were finally finished after a few more months.
Ferguson took the recordings to a colleague named Paul Palmer to get his opinion of the record. Palmer was the head of Trauma Records, one of Interscope's partners. Trauma was also working with a grunge band called Bush. Palmer was impressed with No Doubt's tracks. He says: "I thought they were fantastic the minute I heard the music. I had a feeling about the band I couldn't let go of."13Palmer took over the completion of the CD, finishing up the mixing and then polishing it to be ready for the final release. No Doubt felt lucky finally to have the CD under the wing of someone who understood their music.
Interscope was still nervous, as explained by Ferguson: "There were always questions about what we were going to do with this band, because rock was in this alternative grunge thing. Here we had this ska-influenced, pop-ish, hook-driven band with a blond girl singer."14Interscope was also concerned about Stefani's off-beat fashions—they did not understand her tomboyish clothes and clunky shoes paired with glamorous hair and makeup that looked like a movie queen from the 1940s. She looked nothing like any other female rocker at the time.
Even Stefani questioned where she fit in with other female rockers. With grunge music at its peak, many singers had a style that was loud, angry, and bitter. "All the women around me that I could look at were . . . angry, and I didn't really feel like that," she says. "And the other ones were these folky girls, so there wasn't really anybody until I discovered Blondie. She was sexy and she wasn't ashamed to be rocking out, and to me, that's having it all."15
Ready for Takeoff
Trauma Records and its parent, Interscope, were ready to launch the record in spite of their concerns. Prior to the release, they signed No Doubt to the Warped Tour, in which No Doubt traveled with other alternative rock bands to stadiums across the country. The bands performed along with extreme sports exhibitions, such as skateboarding and BMX biking. No Doubt traveled during August and September 1995. The new CD, titled Tragic Kingdom, was released in October 1995.
The CD got off to a slow start. Once again, radio station KROQ was not interested in playing the band's music. Fans were paying attention, though, and the record's sales began to climb. The song "Just a Girl" was quickly becoming a favorite at concerts, and Stefani encouraged the girls in the audience to scream out "I'm a girl!"-often with swear words in the sentence.
Stefani's swearing got her into some trouble with her mother, even though she was twenty-six years old at the time. No Doubt was preparing for a concert at a Virgin Records Megastore in the Los Angeles area. Patti Stefani had invited relatives to watch the show, and she asked her daughter not to swear during the performance. The request annoyed Gwen, and she cursed anyway. Patti Stefani would not speak to her daughter for a full week after the concert. Gwen, who had always been close to her mother, was devastated that her mom was so angry and had to apologize for her swearing and patch things up.
"Just a Girl" was helping the band to gain popularity, and over the winter of 1995, an old dream was realized for No Doubt. Radio station KROQ played "Just a Girl"-and kept on playing it. The station received a huge number of requests for the song. In January 1996 Tragic Kingdom sold enough copies to land on Billboard magazine's Top 200 chart, debuting at number 175. The single "Just a Girl" reached the number 10 spot on the singles chart, and the video was played regularly on MTV.
Early 1996 delivered more milestones for No Doubt. The band played on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in January and on the Late Show with David Letterman in March.
New Tour, New Chances, New Milestones
May brought the beginning of a long tour for No Doubt. Paul Palmer arranged for the group to travel as the opening act for the British grunge band Bush. The tour comprised sixty shows and lasted several months. Stefani brought incredible energy to No Doubt's shows and became known for her pogo-style hopping, karate kicking, running, and dancing all over the stage. She even climbed the speakers, which her producers discouraged. Stefani slowed down only after she broke her foot during a concert and could no longer perform some of her moves.
Working with Bush was a pivotal time in Stefani's life. Gavin Rossdale, lead singer for Bush, became interested in Stefani from the moment he met her. Stefani, on the other hand, was not interested in him. She let him know that she was not looking to date anyone-especially a rock star. Rossdale persisted, and she eventually agreed to go out with him.
Her bandmates did not approve of the relationship. No Doubt was beginning to realize its dreams-the CDs, bigger tours, more fame. Stefani and Kanal had broken up about two years earlier, and Stefani had never quite recovered. Her life had been romantically sheltered until that point. And her band brothers felt that they simply could not trust a rock star like Rossdale. But Stefani began to like Rossdale more and more, and they began to see each other steadily.
As the summer tour with Bush continued, No Doubt received good news. On June 26, 1996, Tragic Kingdom was awarded a gold record for selling five hundred thousand copies. That same month, "Spiderwebs" reached the number five spot on the Billboard magazine charts. And in August Tragic Kingdom was certified both platinum and multiplatinum. The band had taken giant steps beyond the meager thirty-thousand-copy sales of No Doubt.
Across the Pond—and Beyond
No Doubt's tour took them around the world beginning in June 1996. The band performed in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan, and other countries.
The visit to Japan provided a life-changing experience for Stefani. She discovered the Harajuku shopping district of Tokyo, an area where teenage girls dressed in the most extreme fashion styles they could imagine. The fashions bordered on costumes, and Stefani became permanently fascinated by the outrageous styles and trends. Already becoming a fashion icon at that time, her exposure to Harajuku permeated her tastes from then on.
The world tour brought popularity and media attention to No Doubt. Yet some of the publicity brought a new stress to the band.
Pushed into the Spotlight
Even though No Doubt was a band and not the backup group for a solo act, the media focused its attention on Stefani. Likewise, teenage girls began copying Stefani's unique style and soon became known as "Gwenabees." In writing an article for US magazine, Kim France attempted to explain it:
Part of it is that she's just so cute. Then there's her vampish, playful performance style: One moment she's stalking across the stage like a rapper; the next, she's furiously pogoing. But most compelling is her truly unique sense of style. With the platinum '40s hairdo, the Indian jewel between her eyes, the constantly bare midriff, and the Southern California skateboard gear, Stefani is part Barbie doll, part club kid, and part Hindu goddess.16
Even the music industry press focused on Stefani, seeming to forget all about the rest of the band. Dumont, Kanal, and Young tried not to let it bother them, but being largely ignored caused tension. They were diplomatic about it in public, but they were not afraid to point out that the band was made up of four people, not just one. Yet they all understood why the media would set their sights on Stefani and forget the others. She was cute, blond, a woman, had unmatched fashion sense, and was a maniac onstage.
"Don't Speak"
The popularity of the song "Don't Speak" turned more focus on Stefani and caused new tension in the band. The song shot to number one on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 Airplay chart in November 1996. A heart-wrenching ballad about the breakup of a relationship, Stefani's agonized vocals drew attention like never before. Interviewers lined up to talk to Stefani, and magazines such as Spin plastered her picture on their covers-minus the band.
Exhausted from touring and frustrated by the attention on Stefani, the group began arguing and fighting among themselves toward the end of 1996. The situation became so stressful that No Doubt considered breaking up. They used the music video for "Don't Speak" to send a message. Stefani's energy for the song had been drawn from her breakup with Kanal, but in the video, No Doubt chose the theme of the band splitting apart. Filming the video was difficult. Stefani remembered, "We were on tour for too long and we weren't getting along. We thought the saddest thing we could do was a video about the band breaking up, 'cause we really thought we might."17
As it turned out, filming the video was a healthy release. It allowed the group to blow off steam and find some peace among themselves. The video depicts a sad band practice with members reminiscing about happier times. At a photo shoot for the band, the photographer takes the guys out of the shot and focuses on Stefani. She poses, but then gives sad, guilty glances at her bandmates.
Tony Kanal
Tony Kanal arrived in California from England in 1981 at age eleven. His parents were from East India. He attended Anaheim High School and played saxophone in the marching band and jazz band and later took up bass. Kanal was a huge fan of Prince and attended a concert on the Purple Rain tour, and he was never afraid to wear purple to school.
As a high school junior, he attended a No Doubt concert and was hooked. Soon after, he tried out for the band. He had long hair and looked nothing like a ska musician, and even though he had never been in a band before, he was invited to join.
Stefani developed a crush on Kanal, and they began dating. They remained a couple for seven years. The band credits Stefani and Kanal's breakup for fueling the song "Don't Speak," which spent sixty-three weeks on Billboard magazine's Top 100 Airplay Chart.
Kanal remained with No Doubt until the band took a break in 2003. He has taken part in planning a reunion and a new CD for the band at an undetermined date.
No Doubt used the theme again for the video of "Excuse Me Mr." but took a humorous approach. In the scenes showing theentire band, Stefani, Dumont, and Kanal take turns pushing each other out of view of the camera. The scenes break away from the band and shift to Stefani being tied to railroad tracks as in an old-time movie-the rest of the band looks on but makes no moves to save her. Stefani saves herself from the oncoming train. The final scene in the video is of all four members posing together and smiling-the group's way of stating that they belonged together.
Fame, Fortune, and Fatigue
Adding to the stress in November 1996 was Stefani's health. The band had performed nearly every night for the entire year, and her voice was suffering. After shuffling a few shows, the group realized that the only option was to postpone the European tour scheduled for that month. By moving the shows to 1997, Stefani got a chance to rest her vocal cords. The band hired a voice coach to help her learn to reduce the stress caused by singing. With Stefani healthy again, they resumed touring in early 1997.
January and February kept No Doubt on the move. They played huge concerts in arenas and stadiums. The days of small, stuffy nightclubs were falling far behind them. Concerts of up to thirty thousand tickets were selling out.
The band had to take a break from the tour to attend the American Music Awards in January, where they were nominated as favorite new artist in rock/pop. A second break was needed to attend the Grammy Awards in February, where they were nominated for best new artist and best rock album. No Doubt did not win at either show, but they were excited by the nominations and the attention. In March 1997 they celebrated their tenth anniversary since their first official show at The Roxy.
Smooth Sailing
By May 1997 some of No Doubt's tougher days were behind them. The possibility of a breakup had long passed. The media were treating No Doubt like a band, not just a cute singer and some musician guys-all four of them appeared together on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Tragic Kingdom was selling in record numbers; by the summer, it had sold 7 million copies. The sales of No Doubt had also soared; its sales numbers topped 250,000 albums. Celebrities took notice of No Doubt, and the band met George Lucas and Prince at two of its concerts.
With the arrival of autumn the band found time to wind down. In September they won the best group video award at the MTV Music Awards. They ended their lengthy tour with final stops in Europe, India, Singapore, and South America. Interscope rere-leased The Beacon Street Collection. By winter, Stefani, Kanal, Du-mont, and Young each moved into a new house in the Los Angeles area. Stefani was twenty-nine years old and moving out of her parents' house for the first time.
Tom Dumont
Amember of a heavy metal band in the late 1980s, Du-mont became tired of the heavy metal culture. He felt that fans were more interested in drinking, wearing tight spandex clothes, and getting crazy at concerts than they were in the music. After hearing No Doubt rehearse, he auditioned for the band and became its guitar player in 1988. Dumont's guitar playing added a kick of heavy metal to the band's ska sound.
Dumont grew up in Irvine, California, and some of his favorite bands were KISS, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden. He spent five semesters at Orange Coast Community College studying music theory. This helped him understand how to compose music and allowed him to help the other band members learn the art of composing.
A self-proclaimed "nerd," Dumont also enjoys surfing. He handles most of the responsibility of managing the No Doubt Web site. He and his wife, Mieke, have two sons, Ace and Rio. After No Doubt took a break in 2003, Dumont played guitar with musician friends and continued working on songs for No Doubt's eventual CD.
The band took a break and began talking about new songs. For most of 1998 they each pursued some individual projects. Stefani sang at a benefit hosted by Don Henley and recorded a song called "You're the Boss" with Brian Setzer for his album Dirty Boogie. No Doubt recorded a song called "I Throw My Toys Around" for The Rugrats Movie soundtrack. They threw some parties and wrote new songs for their next album.
In February 1999 the group got down to business and hired Glen Ballard as their new producer. They began recording new music at two different studios in Los Angeles. As Stefani saw it, the group had three goals: "to grow as songwriters, keep it simple and clean instrumentally with no tricks, and to be spontaneous."18By May they had recorded seventeen songs. The new songs had a different flavor that was heavy on 1980s New Wave, with reggae, pop, and rock in the mix.
No Doubt recorded more songs over the summer and then hit the road for an eighty-city West Coast club tour at the end of September. They finished the year by performing at MTV's Times Square New Year's Eve party to say farewell to 1999.
New Millennium, New Album
More than a year in the making, No Doubt released Return of Saturn in January 2000. Their fame landed them on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and won Stefani a spot on the cover of CosmoGirl magazine. When asked about Return of Saturn, Stefani mused, "It's a selfish record in a way because the songs are largely about me-and my insecurities. I laid it all out there-and it feels good."19
The road for Return of Saturn was far smoother than the journey for Tragic Kingdom. No Doubt went on a month-long press tour of Europe, and Stefani was photographed for InStyle magazine. The rest of 2000 was like a dream. No Doubt played concerts, gave interviews, filmed videos, attended awards shows, and enjoyed the rock star life. By December Return of Saturn had sold more than a million copies, earning it platinum status.
No Slowing Down—Time to Rock Steady
Energized by the success of the previous year, No Doubt was ready to blaze ahead. In January 2001 the group began writing more songs for another album and was recording them before the month was over. Their inspiration continued into February.
In March Stefani recorded a song called "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with rap singer Eve. In April they performed it on Saturday Night Live and in August at the Teen Choice Awards.
Meanwhile, No Doubt was in and out of the studio and by August settled on a name for their newest CD: Rock Steady. After recording more tracks in London, the group toured with the band U2 during October and November.
Rock Steady was released on December 11, 2001, and immediately landed in the Top Ten on the Billboard magazine album chart. On December 15 No Doubt played two of the new songs on Saturday Night Live. The band reveled in an amazing year jam-packed with attention, events, and terrific fun. No Doubt had hit the top of their game and hung on tightly to enjoy the ride.
Well-Deserved Success
Tragic Kingdom, Return of Saturn, and Rock Steady had launched No Doubt out of Orange County and into music history. The success of the albums and concerts practically allowed the group to write their own ticket-for their next album, next tour, or whatever the band had in mind. Tragic Kingdom's sales had surpassed 10 million CDs, earning it diamond award status and locking No Doubt into the rock and roll history books.
Even as their success bubbled over, life moved on for the band members. By the beginning of 2002, Adrian Young was married and expecting his first child. Stefani had been dating Gavin Rossdale for six years. And more major news was about to break for No Doubt.
On the morning of January 1, 2002, Rossdale proposed to Stefani. She immediately said yes, and wedding plans got underway. With her busy schedule, she had little time to daydream about being a bride.
In February No Doubt played for Mardi Gras in New Orleans and a benefit called Concerts for Artists' Rights. Stefani then found herself with a prime seat at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards, where she presented an award-and won an award herself. Together with Eve, Stefani won best rap/song collaboration for their song "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."
Adrian Young
Drummer for No Doubt, Adrian Young grew up in Cypress, California. His early influences were Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, whose records were played by his parents, as well as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and The Doors. Young received his first drum kit as a Christmas gift in 1987.
Young was a huge fan of No Doubt while drumming for a group called Echostar. After playing with them for about a year, Young auditioned for No Doubt in 1989. He told the group he had been in a band for seven years, even though he had drummed with Echostar for only a year. Yet his talent impressed No Doubt, and he was invited to join.
The drummer is considered the wild man of No Doubt, and sometimes shows a hint of goth in his style, such as wearing devil horns on his head. For many years, he performed at concerts wearing only boxer shorts.
Young proposed to his girlfriend during a No Doubt concert and the couple was married in 2000. When not performing with the band, his passion is playing golf. He is married and has a son named Mason.
Once 2002 got started, the band's success continued. No Doubt began their Rock Steady tour in March in Puerto Rico and then made appearances on the Late Show with Conan O'Brien in April and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in June. In between, the band filmed the video for "Hella Good" and provided voice work for XBox and PlayStation 2 games, with Stefani serving as the voice of Malice. June came along with a chance for some fun-Stefani enjoyed a bachelorette party and bridal shower in honor of her upcoming wedding.
A few days later the band filmed a video for "Underneath It All" and then departed on a tour of Europe for a month. In August the tour took them to Honolulu, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney, Australia, as well as many more stops along the way. Stefani returned home only three weeks before her wedding, just in time for No Doubt to win best group video and best pop video for "Hey Baby" at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Despite the hectic schedules, Stefani had no complaints about touring. She explained:
It's awesome. It's incredible being in a different country every day. It's my favorite thing about my success-being able to go to China, for instance, and you have this stereotype in your head of what it's going to be like, and it's not like that at all. It's this big eye-opener. You feel like the world is so big, yet so small. We're all so different, yet the same, and music is so powerful. It transcends any of that.20
Although she was thrilled at her opportunities for travel, Stefani was relieved to arrive in London and have a few weeks to prepare for her next big event-her upcoming wedding.