Next year, No Doubt’s iconic debut self-titled album officially turns 30. Naturally, whenever a historic anniversary for the band rolls around, reunion rumors begin to spread.
During a new Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Gwen Stefani weighed in on if a No Doubt reunion could happen. As well, she opened up about her new single “Slow Clap” and plans to release another solo album.
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It’s been almost nine years since No Doubt returned with Push And Shove, their first studio album since 2001’s Rock Steady. Back in 2015, No Doubt performed their last concerts together at Riot Fest and KAABOO Festival. Since then, members of the group have gone on to work on other projects.
In 2016, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Adrian Young formed the supergroup Dreamcar with AFI’s Davey Havok. Meanwhile, Stefani continued on with her solo music and released This Is What The Truth Feels Like that same year.
Of course, No Doubt fans have spent nearly six years waiting for the group to reunite for another album or performance. With the 30th anniversary of their debut self-titled album arriving next year, Lowe couldn’t help but ask Stefani about a possible No Doubt reunion during a recent interview.
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“You’re about to release an album in a year, 2021, that’s leading up to another year—God willing—2022,” Lowe says on Apple Music. “And in 2022, you’re reaching an anniversary or a milestone since the beginning of your musical career…back in 1992 with your friends in No Doubt. And if we have to put a pin in that for now and come back and discuss that, but man, surely that’s got to cross your mind at some point. That’s a big deal.”
Stefani remained rather cryptic in her response to Lowe. For now, she’s unsure of what the future may hold for her and No Doubt.
“It is a really big deal,” Stefani tells Lowe. “And I do, I’m reflecting so much on all the music. When you’re writing new music, reflect on everything that you’ve done. For sure, surreal to think that that happened so long ago. I have no idea what the future holds with that. [Do] you know what I mean? It’s impossible.”
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Elsewhere in the interview, Stefani also opened up about her new single “Slow Clap.” The latest track follows up her nostalgic track “Let Me Reintroduce Myself” which debuted in December. “Slow Cap” was made while she was in COVID-19 quarantine. During that time, Stefani found herself trying to figure out what she is supposed to do in life. The new song is the result of those inner conflicting feelings she felt.
“It’s kind of this place of, you always go through different phases in your life where you question yourself,” Stefani tells Lowe. “You question like, ‘What am I supposed to be doing? Who am I? Do I mean anything? Why am I?’”
Eventually, her collaborators Ross Golan and Luke Niccoli brought her an idea that became the basis of “Slow Clap.” Ultimately, the song is about snapping back into reality after going through a lull point in life.
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For Stefani, writing music these days is far different from the early moments in her career with No Doubt. Now, she enjoys being able to release music while still creating new material in the studio.
“What’s so great about now is you can put music out and write at the same time, that’s just like, that’s the new school, and we didn’t have that before so it’s kind of exciting,” she says. “It’s not such a big deal anymore, it’s a big deal, but it’s like you can share it faster and not worry about it as much. It’s fun.”
Stefani further told Lowe that she is working on a full-length album. However, she is not ready to reveal any details of the project just yet.
“Slow Clap” is available to stream below. You can listen to Stefani’s full Apple Music interview here.
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Since the release of Push and Shove in 2012, the members of No Doubt have been busy working on various other projects. After forming in 2016, Dumont, Kanal, Young and Havok’s supergroup Dreamcar released their debut self-titled album in 2017.
The 12-track LP includes the tracks “Kill For Candy” and “Born To Lie” among others. That same summer, the band hit the road and played shows across the United States including Coachella.
As for Stefani, she is continuing to build her solo music career. After releasing her debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004, she went on to release The Sweet Escape in 2006. The LP includes her collaborations with Pharrell Williams on “Yummy” and Akon on the album’s title track. Then, 10 years later, she returned with This Is What The Truth Feels Like before dropping her holiday album You Make It Feel Like Christmas in 2017.
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Along with her studio albums, Stefani has also collaborated a few times with her fiancé Blake Shelton. In 2017, they teamed up for “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.” More recently, the duo collaborated together in 2019 on “Nobody But You,” off of Shelton’s album Fully Loaded: God’s Country. Back in 2020, they also worked together on “Happy Anywhere.” Last October, Stefani poked fun at her collabs with Shelton by completely transforming some No Doubt classics into the ultimate country hits.
In December, Stefani brought back her No Doubt ska and reggae roots in her nostalgic single “Let Me Reintroduce Myself.” The track features plenty of nods from throughout Stefani’s career fans will be familiar with. Early on in the song, Stefani references her mega-hit “Hollaback Girl” with the lyrics, “And it tastes great, I already gave you bananas.”
“This song is a way of saying I’m back with new music,” she said in a press release. “It’s a fun, lighthearted song, because I got inspired and hopefully to bring a little bit of joy. The idea was to write a song that had a bit of a nostalgic feeling to it, so I think musically it reminds you of back in the day, going back to where I started musically which was with ska and reggae. I’m still the same me but here’s something a little bit new in case you feel like hearing a little bit more of me.”
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Soon after its release, Stefani performed the single on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. For the performance, her backup dancers wore Stefani’s classic outfit from the “Just A Girl” video, giving fans the ultimate ’90s throwback.
“Let Me Reintroduce Myself” and “Slow Clap” are slated to appear on Stefani’s next studio album. Back in December, Stefani told Lowe that she has written over 20 new songs already.
“Even though the record definitely… I don’t know. I mean, I say, ‘The record,’ meaning I have probably 20 songs,” she told Lowe in a December interview. “And I never expected to be writing, but it was in there. And it’s been really, really incredible. I mean, there’s just nothing else that I do in my life, and I have done so many things, that makes me feel ignited the way a new song makes me feel.”
What are your reactions to Gwen Stefani’s new single? Do you want No Doubt to reunite? Let us know in the comments below.