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Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:00am ET by  
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Gwen Stefani on Her First Introduction to Ska Music

Gwen Stefani has revealed that she "really looked up to" the British band Madness whilst she was growing up.

The singer-songwriter and Voice Judge has revealed that one of her first introductions to the ska genre that her band, No Doubt were part of the resurgence of in the '90s, was the 'Baggy Trousers' hitmakers from Camden Town in London.

Stefani - who grew up in California - is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper's Wired column as saying: "I was 17 when my brother was getting into these ska bands and discovered music from England and this band called Madness and would bring all their records home.

"When we got into Madness it felt like underground weird music and they really sang about their culture and Camden Town, and we really looked up to England and London - that music and Stiff Records. That led us into reggae and all the ska acts and they united in a scene."

The 'Don't Speak' hitmaker recently returned with her first solo music in four years, 'Let Me Reintroduce Myself,' which saw her go back to her ska and reggae roots in homage to her time as the frontwoman of No Doubt. And she has admitted that she cried when her fiancee Blake Shelton told her she was number 16 in the iTunes chart with the track, because she didn't think anyone would be interested in hearing her new music.

She added: "I was standing in the kitchen the day the song came out and Blake (Shelton, her fiancé) came in and said: 'Oh my God you're number 16 on iTunes.' I just burst out crying and I didn't even know that I felt like that.

"The whole reason we wrote it was that I was feeling like an underdog or over, like nobody would listen anymore. 

"I'm fine with that, I've had my time, 30 years I'm good.

"But the one thing that still fuels my fire is writing music, you get addicted to that feeling, that taste of blood.”

Listen/stream Gwen Stefani.

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