All hail Gwen.
No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani rocked New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom with a solo show on Saturday night, debuting new music and cementing her status as one of pop’s reigning acts.
Stefani blazed through her hits in a 22-song set that included “What You Waiting For?” “Cool,” “Wind It Up,” “The Sweet Escape” and the eternally bananas “Hollaback Girl.” A cadre of jaw-dropping dancers backed up the powerhouse vocalist and kept the crowd entertained during Stefani’s five fashion-forward costume changes.
Saturday marked the first time that Stefani has performed solo since announcing her divorce from Gavin Rossdale in August.
“These songs are taking on new meaning!” Stefani shouted between “4 In The Morning” and “Danger Zone,” odes to a relationship on the rocks.
Stefani also referenced the split before sharing a new track titled “Used To Love You.”
“I’m talking about pain and love and my real life, and I just want to say thank you for listening,” she told the crowd. “And I just want to share a song that I wrote recently. This song is really special.”
Stefani then dove into the emotional ballad, singing on the chorus, “I don’t know why I cry/But I think it’s ’cause I remember for the first time/Since I hated you/That I used to love you.” Behind the star, a video backdrop showed a near-tears Stefani staring into a camera and singing along, reminiscent of Sinead O’Connor’s video for “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Stefani said “Used To Love You” will be her next single. The singer has been working on her third solo album for the past year with collaborators such as Pharrell Williams, Ryan Tedder and Charli XCX. Her recent releases include “Baby Don’t Lie” and “Spark The Fire.”
On a related note, No Doubt’s seminal album “Tragic Kingdom,” which put Stefani on the map with songs like “Just A Girl” and “Don’t Speak,” celebrated its 20th anniversary earlier this month.
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