Gwen Stefani Discusses the Guilt She Feels About Her Creative Drive

April 21, 2024 11:00 am

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Throughout her time on stage, Gwen Stefani proved her talents with songs like “Just a Girl”, “Spiderwebs”, and “Don’t Speak.” Gaining fame during her time with the band No Doubt, the singer also nurtured a promising solo career. And who could forget her marriage to Blake Shelton and her time on The Voice? Continuing to expand her stardom, Stefani recently reunited with No Doubt when they performed at Coachella. Although excited about her future in music, the singer explained how she sometimes feels guilty about her creative drive.

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Discussing her time in the music industry, Stefani sat down with Nylon to talk about her career, working with songwriters, and the guilt that comes with her creativity. Although not knowing what the future has in store for her, the star insisted she knew she was meant to sing. “I just know that I was chosen. And it took me a long time to say that, and it still makes me cringe a little bit, because it sounds conceited. I really struggled hard at certain things. But I can do this one thing.”

Not wanting to stop creating, Stefani noted her ongoing fight about feeling guilty when wanting to expand her career. “I almost feel guilty about it, or like I have to justify it or feel bad that I’m doing it. Like, ‘You should just get on with your life.’ But I really still want to do it! I want to live my purpose. I don’t want to be greedy. I want to contribute still. I don’t know.”

The One Problem Gwen Stefani Has With Songwriters

Outside of struggling with guilt over her talents, Stefani also found writing with songwriters to be somewhat of a daunting task given their drive for a hit. “A lot of the pop writers that I’d worked with started getting really different from the way I write. I was like, ‘Why are you counting syllables?’ Or they were trying so hard to go for a hit, where I’m like: ‘I’m not chasing that.’”

Detailing how a hit comes, Stefani believed it to be a natural process, not an objective. “A hit is the greatest thing in the world, but it has to be from nowhere.” While not sure how to curb her guilt, fans rallied around the singer as many loved and praised No Doubt’s performance at Coachella. And with the band finding the stage once again, who knows what the future holds?

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)