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Stefani wants to release The Real Thing
Gwen Stefani is releasing a 4th single off her debut solo album Love, Angel, Music, Baby, but she also stated in an interview to the Herald Sun (Australia) that she wants The Real Thing, New Order's collaboration on her album, to be released as a single.
FOR Gwen Stefani, there was a point where she realised her solo career had gone way into the stratosphere. It wasn't selling millions of albums, hitting No.1 in the US or even having paparazzi stalking her.
It was when she said she wanted her new merchandise line to include banana-scented erasers. And everyone agreed.
Her solo career has gone better than anyone could have imagined. She talks of flicking through a music industry magazine and noticing her solo album Love Angel Music Baby was No.5 in the US.
"And this is eight months after it was released ... This record is crazy."
Plenty has been written about Stefani pushing herself creatively on her solo debut; a multi-producer, multi-risk record that she actually pulled off.
"To work with the people I worked with and put myself in that vulnerable position as a songwriter and collaborate with some talented people and still be free is really challenging. That was the hard part," Stefani explains.
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"Everything after that is fun, all the visuals for me are the reward after the hard work of making the music. But I never knew it'd be so well received.
"I knew it was an easy, upbeat album, that even if you hated me you couldn't help but like some of the songs, because they were meant to be these addictive songs.
That was the goal, to make a record where picking the singles would be a big issue because every song could be a single."
The fourth single, Cool, has been chosen by Stefani to show the more laidback aspects of the record. She also wants her New Order pastiche, The Real Thing, to be a single. They would follow on from the genre-skipping singles to date - What You Waiting For, Rich Girl (another collaboration with hip hop hitmaker Dr Dre and rapper Eve) and Hollaback Girl, whose line, "This s-- is bananas" inspired the fruit-scented stationery. Each song has opened Stefani to a new, wider - and younger - audience.
She's now sharing stages with the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff.
"I've been in this business for 18 years; they're 18," Stefani reflects.
"But you can't compare someone on their first album as an 18-year-old to an 18-year career.
"It feels really good to get to a point where you have a history, and no matter what people say about you they can't erase your history. That's what I did and that's why I've ended up here."
And Stefani is enjoying the view from here. As well as the music, she's finished her sixth collection in her L.A.M.B. (Love Angel Music Baby) fashion line and has now launched Harajuku Lovers through her website. Yet more fashion and accessories, including that banana eraser.
It's the situation of doing whatever the hell she wants that Stefani is relishing.
"It's actually my favourite part of success, not that I'm grateful for everything about it, but to be creative and convince everyone around me my ideas are good ideas, there's nothing better than that."
Love Angel Music Baby was such an extended creative process that Stefani has enough for several albums.
She's compiling the best of the unreleased songs and has plans to release them as a companion album at Christmas. One song, Wonderful Life for Him, features Depeche Mode's Martin Gore on guitar. It's especially poignant, as the song was written about the first boy Stefani ever kissed, who has since died.
"He was a huge Depeche Mode fan," she says. "He actually turned me onto them. I was really into Madness. I was, like, 'Depeche Mode? That's electronic weirdo music'. My friend would not believe Martin Gore is playing on this song I wrote him."
Last month Stefani hooked up with Pharrell Williams again, to work on more songs for the Christmas album. They first met when No Doubt worked with the Neptunes on Hella Good.
"That was the first time we'd worked outside the group with songwriters, and it was really awkward. That's what defines us as a band, writing, so it was a brave and crazy experiment, It was uncomfortable in the studio, but Hella Good has become one of our staple songs," says Stefani.
After Pharrell, she is doing more solo writing with No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, just for fun.
The new single, Cool, is yet another lyrical exploration of her relationship with Kanal. He was one of her first boyfriends and their break-up inspired No Doubt's classic ballad Don't Speak. Since then they've become close friends and Kanal co-wrote several of her solo songs.
No Doubt get reactivated from January, with an album expected late next year. "I did miss the band at the beginning," Stefani says. "It was weird to do interviews or play shows without them, but I'm around Tony so much I don't feel totally away from them.
"It'll be exciting to see how we've all grown separately and what happens when we get back together."
Stefani, 34, is also singing on husband, and ex-Bush frontman, Gavin Rossdale's new project Institute and was the first to admit What You Waiting For 's ticking clock was as biological as it was time-keeping, reminding her that she had to start thinking about motherhood.
"I've been wanting to have a kid for a long time," she says. "But I feel like I'm on a journey and I don't think it's up to me. It will happen when it's meant to be.
"But I never thought any of this would happen ... all of it is crazy."
It was when she said she wanted her new merchandise line to include banana-scented erasers. And everyone agreed.
Her solo career has gone better than anyone could have imagined. She talks of flicking through a music industry magazine and noticing her solo album Love Angel Music Baby was No.5 in the US.
"And this is eight months after it was released ... This record is crazy."
Plenty has been written about Stefani pushing herself creatively on her solo debut; a multi-producer, multi-risk record that she actually pulled off.
"To work with the people I worked with and put myself in that vulnerable position as a songwriter and collaborate with some talented people and still be free is really challenging. That was the hard part," Stefani explains.
Advertisement:
"Everything after that is fun, all the visuals for me are the reward after the hard work of making the music. But I never knew it'd be so well received.
"I knew it was an easy, upbeat album, that even if you hated me you couldn't help but like some of the songs, because they were meant to be these addictive songs.
That was the goal, to make a record where picking the singles would be a big issue because every song could be a single."
The fourth single, Cool, has been chosen by Stefani to show the more laidback aspects of the record. She also wants her New Order pastiche, The Real Thing, to be a single. They would follow on from the genre-skipping singles to date - What You Waiting For, Rich Girl (another collaboration with hip hop hitmaker Dr Dre and rapper Eve) and Hollaback Girl, whose line, "This s-- is bananas" inspired the fruit-scented stationery. Each song has opened Stefani to a new, wider - and younger - audience.
She's now sharing stages with the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff.
"I've been in this business for 18 years; they're 18," Stefani reflects.
"But you can't compare someone on their first album as an 18-year-old to an 18-year career.
"It feels really good to get to a point where you have a history, and no matter what people say about you they can't erase your history. That's what I did and that's why I've ended up here."
And Stefani is enjoying the view from here. As well as the music, she's finished her sixth collection in her L.A.M.B. (Love Angel Music Baby) fashion line and has now launched Harajuku Lovers through her website. Yet more fashion and accessories, including that banana eraser.
It's the situation of doing whatever the hell she wants that Stefani is relishing.
"It's actually my favourite part of success, not that I'm grateful for everything about it, but to be creative and convince everyone around me my ideas are good ideas, there's nothing better than that."
Love Angel Music Baby was such an extended creative process that Stefani has enough for several albums.
She's compiling the best of the unreleased songs and has plans to release them as a companion album at Christmas. One song, Wonderful Life for Him, features Depeche Mode's Martin Gore on guitar. It's especially poignant, as the song was written about the first boy Stefani ever kissed, who has since died.
"He was a huge Depeche Mode fan," she says. "He actually turned me onto them. I was really into Madness. I was, like, 'Depeche Mode? That's electronic weirdo music'. My friend would not believe Martin Gore is playing on this song I wrote him."
Last month Stefani hooked up with Pharrell Williams again, to work on more songs for the Christmas album. They first met when No Doubt worked with the Neptunes on Hella Good.
"That was the first time we'd worked outside the group with songwriters, and it was really awkward. That's what defines us as a band, writing, so it was a brave and crazy experiment, It was uncomfortable in the studio, but Hella Good has become one of our staple songs," says Stefani.
After Pharrell, she is doing more solo writing with No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, just for fun.
The new single, Cool, is yet another lyrical exploration of her relationship with Kanal. He was one of her first boyfriends and their break-up inspired No Doubt's classic ballad Don't Speak. Since then they've become close friends and Kanal co-wrote several of her solo songs.
No Doubt get reactivated from January, with an album expected late next year. "I did miss the band at the beginning," Stefani says. "It was weird to do interviews or play shows without them, but I'm around Tony so much I don't feel totally away from them.
"It'll be exciting to see how we've all grown separately and what happens when we get back together."
Stefani, 34, is also singing on husband, and ex-Bush frontman, Gavin Rossdale's new project Institute and was the first to admit What You Waiting For 's ticking clock was as biological as it was time-keeping, reminding her that she had to start thinking about motherhood.
"I've been wanting to have a kid for a long time," she says. "But I feel like I'm on a journey and I don't think it's up to me. It will happen when it's meant to be.
"But I never thought any of this would happen ... all of it is crazy."
Read the full article on Herald Sun ↗
Summary by NewOrderOnline. Full article remains with the original publisher.
Thanks to: Ronald Kirsch
