Gwen Stefani has been hitting hits since the 90s. The legendary singer first rose to fame as the lead singer of rock band No Doubt before eventually branching out and starting her own solo career. Stefani has sold over 50 million units worldwide since her debut and has given fans chart-topping records like “Hollaback Girl,” “Cool,” and “Luxurious,” per Billboard. In addition to releasing classical music, the “Nobody But You” singer has also worked with several notable artists throughout her career. Stefani worked alongside Pharrell Williams on ‘Can I Have It Like That’, ‘Kings Never Die’ which featured Eminem, and Eve on their hit song ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’ to name a few. -ones, according to Genius.
“Working with Eve was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me,” she said in an interview with Billboard. Stefani and the rapper joining forces became a major collaboration in hip-hop music and changed the singer’s perspective on working with other artists. “It opened me up to a whole different group of human beings,” she added.
Several years later, Stefani teamed up with another major artist and although it was not sold at first, it ended up being one of the biggest records of her career.
Gwen Stefani didn’t want to work with Akon at first
Gwen Stefani released her album “The Sweet Escape” in 2006 and while working on the project, one song in particular came up unexpectedly. The singer collaborated with Akon on a record titled after his album and while it wasn’t something she had high on her list of priorities, it ended up working in her favor. “It was a totally unexpected track that I never imagined getting on this record,” Stefani told MTV News. “People kept saying you had to work with this guy Akon, and I didn’t know who he was.
The songwriter admitted that she was pregnant at the time and therefore had no idea what was going on in the music scene. “I think I even canceled a session with him,” she confessed. However, her label reached out and made it clear that her collaboration with Akon was a big deal and she should take heed. After Stefani agreed to enter the studio with Akon, she confirmed that the record exceeded her expectations. “I thought I wanted this generic hip-hop, but it was really fresh and fun,” she said. Luckily, Stefani had a change of heart because “The Sweet Escape” turned out to be a hit single and even reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
Akon was also pleased with the result and shared his experience working with Stefani.
Akon describes the moment he met Gwen Stefani
During an interview with Idolator, Akon opened up about his collaboration with Grammy-winning artist Gwen Stefani on their 2006 album “The Sweet Escape.” “[She’s] very creative, it’s a dollhouse for sure,” he said. The “Dangerous” singer also described when they first met and how natural their chemistry was. “Once me and Gwen met, it was like we had known each other for years, like this [collaboration] was supposed to happen,” he told MTV News. ” It was crazy. »
Akon revealed that he started researching Stefani’s music history and tried to bring something new to the table when they got together. “We sat down and Gwen had a whole bunch of ideas,” he explained. The “Locked Up” singer revealed that Stefani had a few things on her hands at the time and they both wanted to include that in the song. “We were trying to find words that we could use to incorporate all of that on the record and coincide with what she was doing in terms of imaging and marketing her brands,” he added.
When the two finally entered the studio, they quickly created magic. “Once she heard the beat, we sat down and came up with ideas for collaboration and started writing. In the music industry, artists never really know if something is going to work. However, Akon and Stefani managed to pull it off and make history.
