Gwen

The name of Gwen's much anticipated debut album is Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and it is absolute Gwen. It's rhythmic, rebellious, confessional, sexy, fierce, playful, funky, ballsy, emotional and oh yeah, very f'in cool. Working with an eclectic array of musicians and producers who rep everything from new wave to hip-hop, Gwen has fashioned an album that shimmers with exuberance, which was the plan from the start. "I definitely wanted to make a record that would get underneath the skin," Gwen offers. "I wanted to make a very good feeling, classic upbeat dance record that when you first heard it, it would be your guilty pleasure."

Helping Gwen achieve that goal are artists like Dr Dre, The Neptunes, Andre 3000, Linda Perry, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook of New Order, Nellee Hooper, Dallas Austin, Wendy & Lisa, Tony Kanal, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. As you'd expect, that blending of skills and influences makes for a sonically adventurous album. "This record is a collaboration of a lot of great talents coming together and trying to make something that's classic. Something that you want to listen to over and over," Gwen explains speaking to the project's overall intention. "I want the album to be the record of 'now' and to give people some kind of satisfaction and release."

A "solo" effort from a member of a popular band always begs the question: how will this be different? "That was the big controversy because for years people were pulling (No Doubt) apart. I never for one minute thought that I'd go solo. It never crossed my mind, except when people would ask me. The real difference is that with No Doubt everything is a full collaboration, everybody has their vote and their energy: we're a real band. Nothing would be without all of us. Working with (new collaborators) and letting people in to try new melodies and new lyrical ideas was very hard. The idea was to be open and let my ego shut up and sit over in the corner and make something great based on a concept. That's why I don't really see this as a 'solo' record in the typical sense. It's an art project; it's me collaborating with some different people to create something magical."

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