The Daily Record (Sept. 25th 2009)

Baby Rocker

Star claims becoming a parent has added to the joys of touring

Gwen Stefani insists No Doubt is a family affair second time around with the dressing room doubling as a creche.

Gwen - back with the band she found fame with prior to a massively successful solo career - has become mum to two kids, Kingston, three, and Zuma, one, with Scots husband Gavin Rossdale since taking time out.

And, having arrived in Singapore with Zuma for the band's F1 Rocks concert tonight, Gwen admitted parenthood played a large part in it taking her so long to get the band back together.

"I had two babies," she explained. "There's nothing you can do to rush that. It just takes as long as it is going to take.

"During that time off I did my own records and toured a little bit but we got No Doubt back together as fast as we could.

"When I got pregnant with Zuma, we started writing again and went into the studio for six months.

"We tried to write a record and it wasn't really coming out, so, after I had the baby, I suggested going out on tour."

Founded in 1986, No Doubt became known for hits such as Don't Speak and Just A Girl before Gwen went solo in 2004.

Her own albums, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and The Sweet Escape, delivered up mammoth hits such as What You Waiting For?, Hollaback Girl and Wind It Up. This time around the No Doubt dressing room is dramatically different since three of the band membershave children - the exception being bassist Tony Kanal. So they certainly aren't the hellraisers they used to be.

Guitarist Tom Dumont said: "It is a little mellower, it's a different kind of wild. It's three-year-olds running around and screaming and fighting.

"Our kids are an extension of us.

It's weird to see them playing together as friends. It's fun actually.

"Like Gwen I have two boys - a one-year-old and a three-year-old."

Tony added: "We just finished a tour of the States. Normally we have a backstage room for after-show parties. Now that's a room for the kids to hang out with the nannies."

I caught up with No Doubt in the Presidential Suite of the Swisshotel in the centre of Singapore, where Sunday's Formula One race is the centre of attention.

Everywhere you look F1 Rocks, which is sponsored by LG, is in action. The F1 Rocks team have pitted racing drivers such as Jensen Button, Lewis Hamilton and Australian driver MarkWebber, against rock, pop and film stars to add some spice to the run-up tothe Grand Prix.

Mark spent Wednesday afternoon learning how to kickbox with Ninja Assassin actor Rain, who has become Hollywood's hottest martial arts star since Jackie Chan.

Jack Osbourne is here too and has been seen whizzing around in an F1 car as part of a challenge set down by Button. And free runners have been scaling Singapore landmarks, dressed in F1 race gear.

Singapore has also been invaded by rock and pop stars for three F1 Rocks shows that lead up to the race. Last night, the big names of Asian pop music played in Singapore's Fort Canning Park to 10,000 people.

Tonight, it's No Doubt's turn to play, sharing the billing with Simple Minds and ZZ Top before Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas share the stage tomorrow. Scot Paul Morrison, who dreamed up F1 Rocks and founded T in the Park 16 years ago, has sold the TV rights to F1 Rocks to 147 countries, with Channel 4 broadcasting the shows at midnight on Sunday.

Paul, who has been working round the clock for the first of what is planned as a series of shows at Formula One destinations, said: "I thought we would get 40 countries, but it is going out to more places than the MTV awards and The Grammys.

"The TV deals are on a par with the World Cup and Olympics. I can't believe it is this massive."

Meanwhile Gwen, 39, admits the long flight back to the States with a teething baby could prove gruelling.

She said: "It was a 17-hour plane ride here. Zuma was amazing on the way over, but I think the flight back is going to be torture.

"Kingston has started school so I couldn't bring him, but he is having special daddy time. It works out well to have just Zuma with me because now it is one-on-one for him, which is really special.

"He has really blossomed in the last few days. It has been perfect. I knew I couldn't be without him."

She added: "He loves music and I sing to him, lullabies and that kind of thing. The band's kids would watch our shows on the US tour every night and they enjoyed it."

Asked what tips she can give to working mothers, Gwen said: "I'm not good at advice or tips but somehow it just works out. Some days I am spread so thin that I think, how am I going to do all this? But it works out somehow."

Meanwhile, Gwen revealed that becoming a parent has helped her to enjoy being on the road even more, because it gives her the perfect excuse to become a tourist.

She said: "During the tour there were five boys with us - Adrian has a seven year-old and Tom and I have boys the same age; two one-year-olds and two three year-olds. "They all played together then they would go to sleep and we could all hang out together.

"Once they went to sleep at night it felt like the old No Doubt were together again.

"We brought nannies with us so we could sleep in. It's impossible if you have to get up early.

"The tour in the US was fun. We did lots of stuff we wouldn't normally do, like go to the zoos.

"Whatever city we were in we would find out what would be good to do with the kids, like go to museums for example."

And Gwen insists she has turned her back on solo records and performances for good.

"My solo career is in the past," she said. "That was never supposed to last. I just wanted to do a dance record and it fitted in with us taking a break.

"I definitely have no plans to do it again.

"I enjoyed it, but in the future I'm living in the modern world of No Doubt."