Gwen Stefani is a pop-rock singer and songwriter who came to prominence as the lead vocalist of the rock band No Doubt in the 1990s. She’s also had a number of popular solo albums, including “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” and “This Is How the Truth Feels Like.”
Stefani has had 18 Grammy nominations and three wins: one for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and two for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Her spouse, Blake Shelton, is a well-known figure in the country music industry.
Shelton and Stefani met on the set of “The Voice,” a prominent singing competition program, where they were both coaches, and rapidly built a deep relationship that blossomed into romance. One of the things that drew the public’s attention to Shelton and Stefani’s relationship was their apparently unusual coupling. Shelton is from Oklahoma, while Stefani is from the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle.
Shelton and Stefani’s romance swiftly developed into much more. They first appeared as a pair in public in November 2015, when they were seen holding hands at a Halloween party. Since then, the couple has secretly married at Shelton’s Oklahoma estate in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
On April 2, 2023, the two attended the 2023 CMT Music Awards at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, where they both astonished fans on the arrivals carpet. Despite the fact that the two were anticipated to appear as a pair throughout the event, Stefani arrived to perform with Carly Pearce.
Although Stefani’s vocal skills and stage presence have been praised by many fans across the globe, they have irritated lifelong country fans, including Shelton supporters, because of the manner in which she “butchered” a version of a No Doubt fan favorite song.
“Just A Girl,” from No Doubt’s 1995 album “Tragic Kingdom,” is one of the most memorable tracks Stefani has performed and released in her music career.
It was a huge triumph for Stefani since it was the breakout single that propelled the California rock band No Doubt to fame. It was also their band’s first charting hit in the US, reaching No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted on the Hot Rock Songs, Mainstream Top 40, and Alternative Songs lists at the same time. The song did well financially as well, reaching the Top 10 charts in the United Kingdom and Australia, among many other nations.
The song has also been performed many times by country duo Bomshel, who featured it on their first album, “Fight Like a Lady,” released in 2009. Girl Radical, JC Chasez’s female band, made the song their first single as well.
P!nk, one of the world’s top singers and performers, even copied “Just A Girl” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” during performances of her hits “Just Like a Pill” and “Who Knew.” It has also appeared in a number of films and television programs, including “Clueless,” “Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion,” and “Captain Marvel,” and was even covered by Florence and the Machine for the smash series “Yellowjackets.”
“Just A Girl” garnered highly positive feedback from both fans and reviewers. The song has a cheesy charm anchored firmly in the music of a decade ago. Yet, the neo-feminist slant of the lyrics elevates the song beyond being simply another entertaining novelty item.”
Conversely, Music Week commended the song and No Doubt, praising Stefani’s “Bolanesque vocals” and her “spiky punk image.”
Given the song’s critical success, longtime Stefani fans who also became Shelton followers following their wedding voiced their disappointment in the singer’s performance at the 2023 CMT Music Awards.
Working with Pearce was a brilliant idea, but it wasn’t her portion that was criticized by fans online—it was Stefani’s.
Stefani seems to have had a good time on stage, rocking out with the crowded audience inside the Moody Center in Texas. Pearce sang the second line, flawlessly harmonizing with the energetic head-banging music.
Several of the comments, though, said that the performance was not as fantastic as the original song or even Stefani’s past renditions. When the CMT Music Awards shared a clip of the performance on Instagram, the comments section was inundated with criticism.
Despite the criticism, Pearce and Stefani seemed to love their performance, as they were all grins and smiles at the conclusion, bringing the house down with their tremendous vocals!
