My songs are basically my diaries. Some of my best songwriting has come out of time when I've been going through a personal nightmare.

Stefani has been influenced by and compared to pop singer Madonna. The band's 2001 album Rock Steady explored more reggae and dancehall sounds while maintaining the band's New Wave influences and generally received positive reviews.

Stefani's second and final solo studio album The Sweet Escape (2006) yielded "Wind It Up" "4 in the Morning" and the highest-selling single "The Sweet Escape". : /stəˈfɑːni/; born October 3 1969) is an American singer-songwriter fashion designer and occasional actress. Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls dancers.