When people hear about Gwen Stefanithey often associate the singer with songs like “The Sweet Escape”, “Hollaback Girl”, “Rich Girl” and “Cool”. These songs were upbeat, pop, stylized and catchy. But perhaps unbeknownst to some, before her tracks became one of the soundtracks of the early 2000s, she had already made her mark in the 1990s with a very different genre, having risen to fame as the lead singer of the ska-rock band. Without a doubt. And while Stefani’s pop tracks truly embody the artist she’s evolved into, there’s one No Doubt song that defines her emotional depth and vocal power: “Don’t Speak.”
Before becoming a pop star, Stefani first rose to fame as a rock musician. Stefani served as the lead singer of the American rock band No Doubt, which debuted with a self-titled studio album in 1992. The album underperformed, leading the group to independently release their second studio album, The Beacon Street collectionafter the former failed to generate favorable album sales. It wasn’t until 1995 that No Doubt released what would become their unexpected classic, Tragic Kingdom. The album attracted enormous attention and received generally positive reviews from critics and listeners. Furthermore, unlike their first album, Tragic Kingdom also managed to bring the group commercial success, becoming the group’s best-selling album as well as a chart-topping album. It’s the same album that spawned “Don’t Speak,” an alternative rock single that helped define Stefani as an artist.
“Don’t Speak” showcased Stefani’s vocal and songwriting abilities
Since the group’s debut, Stefani has already shown off her distinctive voice. But of all their songs, there’s nothing like “Don’t Speak” that showcases his vocal prowess the most. Not only was the song a commercial success (topping the charts in several countries), but it was also deeply praised for its emotional depth and powerful rock ballad sound. Even Stefani herself admits that she wouldn’t have lasted this long in the industry without “Don’t Speak.” The career hit was written by Stefani and her brother and former No Doubt member, Eric Stefani.
Eric originally wrote “Don’t Speak” purely as a love song, but the “Luxurious” singer put her own spin on it. The result was a breakup ballad, rewritten after seven years of dating his bandmate. Tony Kanal ended. And it turned out to be one of the most beautiful rewrites of his life. She told PEOPLE in 2024: “It was completely different when [Eric] “I wrote it,” the singer said. “It’s one of those crazy rewrites – probably the only one in history that turned out to be the heartbeat of my entire life. I wouldn’t be here without this song.”
The song that Stefani had to rewrite to reflect the state of her heart at the time became the very song that people associate with her decades later. It was more than just a hit, more than just a song that was constantly played on the radio. It became the track that marked Stefani’s transformation into an artist capable of revealing an extra layer of herself to the world. No Doubt went on to release three more albums (The return of Saturn, Stable as a rock, Push and push) after their career record Tragic Kingdomwhile Stefani continued her solo adventure as a pop artist. She released her fifth studio album last year, titled Bunch.
No Doubt announces dates for 2026 residency at Las Vegas’ Sphere
No Doubt (consisting of members Stefani, Kanal, Tom DumontAnd Adrien young) announced the dates for his Sphere 2026 residency in Sin City. This will be the first time that a female musical group will headline the venue. The events are scheduled for May 21, 23, 24, 27, 29 and 30. “The opportunity to create a show at Sphere excites me in a new way,” Stefani said in a statement (via Variety). “The venue is unique and modern, and ht54 opens up a whole new visual palette for us to be creative with. Doing it with No Doubt is like going back in time to relive our history, while creating something new in a way we could never have imagined.”
Pre-sale tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
