Gwen Renée Stefani was born in Fullerton, California. Her mother got the name Gwen after the stewardess in the novel Airport. Her father Dennis Stefani is of Italian American descent and works as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother is Patti Flynn and comes from Irish and Scottish descent. Her mother used to be an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Gwen is the second oldest of four children. She has a sister and two brothers.

Stefani attended Loara high school in her teen years and was on the swim team at Loara. While attending high school she also worked at Dairy Queen as a floor scrubber. After graduating from high school in 1987, she began attending California State University, Fullerton.

Stefani became known in the scene in 1992 as the front woman of the band No Doubt. From then on it was international stardom for Gwen and her band. Gwen gave a shot at a solo album and that was a success as well. She recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004.

Besides music, Gwen has become a well known name in the fashion industry. In 2003, she launched her L.A.M.B. fashion collection. She married musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002, and the two have a son, Kingston, who was born in 2006.