This sh*t is bananas—Gwen Stefani turns 50 today!
The award-winning singer has graced us with her musical abilities since her band, No Doubt, broke out with their album Tragic Kingdom in 1995. In the over three decades since, the artist has released hit after hit with both her band and as a solo artist.
Whether your iPod was filled in the mid-2000s with songs like “Rich Girl” and “Sweet Escape” or you leaned toward her band’s ska roots, there is no doubt that the star has made a huge cultural impact on music. With her iconic blonde hair and timeless red lip and cat eye makeup, she’s also been an influential face in beauty and fashion, even serving as a designer for her own label, L.A.M.B.
The performer also serves as a coach on The Voice alongside her boyfriend, Blake Shelton. Their adorable relationship is great for fans of the musicians, as their blissful romance inspired their duet, “Go Ahead and Break My Heart.”
Stefani’s wide range of discography means there is a song for every occasion, whether that’s celebrating being in love, going through heartbreak or just wanting to dance.
To celebrate the star’s birthday, we rounded up some of her best music videos to date.
Fans of the celeb can also give her a birthday gift by voting for The Voice at the E! People’s Choice Awards. The program is up for The Competition Show of 2019 and Stefani reacted to her nomination in an interview with E! News saying, “Any time you get nominated for anything it’s really magical…It’s so fun being on the show. Everyone is so nice and funny and it’s just a family and it’s magical.”
To see if Stefani and the rest of The Voice coaches walk home with the trophy, tune into the live show on Nov. 10.
“Hollaback Girl”
The iconic clapback track off of Stefani’s debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released in 2004 and the subsequent music video features Stefani leading a cheer squad and band with an epic routine.
The high-energy video was directed by Paul Hunter, the creative mind behind other iconic music videos of the mid-2000s such as Snoop Dogg‘s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Justin Timberlake‘s “Señorita” hits.
Full of amazing costumes and jaw-dropping stunts, “Hollaback Girl” ranks as one of Stefani’s best videos. Plus, we’ll never forget how to spell bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S, again.
“Cool”
Can you be friends with your ex? Stefani’s song from her debut solo album shows that for the Grammy-winner, the answer is yes.
“Cool” has been rumored to be about her fellow No Doubt group member and ex-boyfriend Tony Kanal. Stefani has openly talked about her heartbreak from her split with Kanal, saying she used to be “in love and obsessed” with the bassist. Their split was so emotional that their band released the breakup ballad “Don’t Speak” together.
As seen in the bittersweet “Cool” music video, while those memories of the relationship never fully go away, it’s possible to still be happy for someone you were once with.
“Make Me Like You”
Arguably her most impressive technical music video, Stefani proved she continues to push herself as a musical artist when she filmed this video live at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Featuring multiple costume changes, stunt doubles, dancer Todrick Hall and only one shot to get it right, the singer impressed us all with this performance. It was also fitting that one of the sets in the video is a piano bar called Blake’s, likely a nod to Stefani’s boyfriend Blake Shelton, especially for a song all about getting that butterfly feeling when you fall for someone.
“Just A Girl”
No music video roundup would be complete without the breakout song that brought No Doubt to public consciousness. Stefani wrote the lyrics to “Just A Girl” as a rebel anthem against her strict parents and also the expectations society puts on women.
The video, which was released in 1995, features Stefani singing in a well-kept women’s bathroom, complete with attendants, as her fellow bandmates play their instruments in a dirty men’s bathroom next door. By the end, everyone ends up dancing in the women’s bathroom as Stefani rocks out in a midriff-baring crop top and glam makeup, solidifying her signature look to the world.
“Used To Love You”
In this raw, vulnerable video, Stefani gives a stripped down performance without singing a word. The camera’s close-up on Stefani never cuts during the four minute piece, as Stefani tears up while her lyrics play in the background about being heartbroken. The song came just months after her split with Gavin Rossdale.
With painful lyrics like, “I don’t know why I cry/ But I think it’s ’cause I remembered for the first time/ Since I hated you/ That I used to love you,” it’s an essential song for any breakup playlist to listen to while crying into a pint of ice cream.
“What You Waiting For?”
This Alice in Wonderland-inspired music video features Stefani working through her writer’s block by transporting to the fantasy world of Lewis Carroll‘s books.
Costumed as the book’s characters Alice, the Red Queen and White Queen, the video follows Stefani as she navigates back to being confident in herself again, despite her own inner voice trying to shut her down. The psychedelic visuals and special effects make this one of her more visually ambitious music videos of all time.
Watch the 2019 People’s Choice Awards Sunday, Nov. 10 at 9 p.m., only on E!