Saint Paul Pioneer Press (Aug. 3rd 2016)

Gwen Stefani talks about turning her dramatic life into album, tour

Gwen Stefani has always led a dramatic life.

The California native broke through to the mainstream with her band No Doubt's 1995 album, "Tragic Kingdom." Stefani wrote the lyrics, many of which dealt with her failed relationship with bassist Tony Kanal. The song "Don't Speak," in particular, addressed her wounded psyche and the video portrayed the media's intense interest in Stefani over the other guys in the band. It turned out to be a worldwide hit that helped "Tragic Kingdom" top 10 million in sales.

Stefani spent the next decade leading No Doubt and launched her solo career in 2004. Ten years later, she joined NBC's "The Voice" to serve two seasons as a coach. All the while, she maintained a relationship with Gavin Rossdale of the band Bush. They married in 2002 and had three sons. But last August, just 17 months after she gave birth to their third child, Stefani filed for divorce as the tabloids reported he had been cheating on her with their nanny.

In November, Stefani announced she was dating her fellow "Voice" star Blake Shelton, further fueling the tabloid frenzy that has yet to subside. Her third solo album, "This Is What the Truth Feels Like," gave them plenty to gossip about, too, with such autobiographical songs as "Used to Love You," "Truth" and "Make Me Like You."

Now 46, Stefani has hit the road for her third solo tour, which lands at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center on Sunday. Prior to the tour, she spoke to reporters in a teleconference from her home in Los Angeles. Here's what she had to say about her dramatic life.

On the first concert she attended as a kid

"I was at a Girl Scouts event and my parents picked me up to go see Emmylou Harris at the Palomino Club up in L.A. I come from a family of four kids. For me, at around 7 or 8 years old, to get taken by my parents to go to a weird club and watch this most beautiful woman (whose music I grew up singing) was just. ... I will never forget that moment. (I remember) halfway through the set, she said, 'OK. I'm going to take a break, because I need to go nurse my new baby.' For a little girl, that was like, 'What? She's going to go nurse her baby?' Years later, I got to do the cover of Vanity Fair with her and a few other amazing people, and I got to tell her that story. That baby was obviously in college (by that point) ... and I just had my baby."

On choosing to record and tour after the end of her marriage

"I was flirting (with) the idea of touring, never really thinking it was going to happen, but I never thought I would have this new music, either. I mean, really, I never knew this year was going to happen. You couldn't have written it, you know what I'm saying? I feel so excited to have a record kind of coming out in real time, where I have this exchange of love with people, and it's been so healing, the process of writing it and sharing it. And to go live with it takes it to a whole other place, where I can actually go face-to-face with the people who have supported me all these years and through this year especially. My goal is to get out there and connect with people and to try to have this exchange of love."

On preparing to perform live again

"I have a brand new band. We've been working all month together, just really trying to have a real strong chemistry with doing real live music. Everybody has their background vocals, everybody has their parts they're playing. So picking apart the new music and trying to figure out how to play that live, it just goes to a whole new place. As far as picking songs, I have so many songs, I feel grateful now. When I did the 'Love. Angel. Music. Baby.' tour (in 2005), I only had that record, and it was the first time I'd ever done costume changes and had production. So that was a first. And then, when I did the 'Sweet Escape' tour (two years later), I had a little bit under my belt, but it was still only two albums. Now, I have three albums of work, and it makes it so much more fun to have all that music to choose from."

On performing such personal songs on stage

"I feel like God just handed (the new album) down to me as this kind of Band-Aid to help me through this crazy time in my life. And it's all about finding your gift and then sharing it. It is very draining, and touring is very draining. I think that's one of the reasons I haven't toured in (so many) years, because the last tour I did almost killed me, like after having those two babies and then going on tour and nursing. I think it will be super emotional, but I think there's going to be something quite, I don't know, satisfying and healing. It's going to be something that's going to make me feel super empowered."

On reconciling her rock past with her pop present

"For me to be able to change, it's exciting. I've always loved theatrics and art and fashion and it's now something that's new. What's different is to be able to express myself in that way and not be held back by playing by a punk rock (rulebook). At the end of the day, the whole show for me is not about what I'm wearing or even how I sing. It's really about the connection and being able to say, 'I want people to feel like they know me by the end.' If I have to slap them around and tell them what to do, by the end of that show, I want to walk away and feel like we know each other and that we have a connection through the music."

On balancing her very public personal life with her work

"I don't really have that much control over it, if you think about it. People say whatever they're going to say, believe whatever they're going to believe. I know what the truth is. I know (and) my family knows what the truth is. (My personal life has) always has been part of my journey and (No Doubt's) 'Tragic Kingdom' was all about my personal life. Every single song I've pretty much ever written has been about my personal life, and I feel OK sharing that."