Gwen Stefani didn’t understand her songwriting ability until No Doubt’s third album Tragic Kingdom.
The 46-year-old singer is the frontwoman for the rock pop band, which released the pivotal record on October 10, 1995.
And as the album, which features some of the group’s most famous hits including Don’t Speak and Just a Girl, marks its 20th anniversary, Gwen has opened up about just what it means to her.
"That album really defines me when I discovered I could write songs," Gwen told Entertainment Tonight. "I didn't really write songs before that and to be able to get that power, and to understand that about myself, that I had that gift ... that's what that whole album kinda represents."
Gwen has enjoyed huge success since her No Doubt days – as a solo artist, fashion designer, talent show judge and mother.
But she admits that while Tragic Kingdom was a crucial record in No Doubt’s journey, it also marked a difficult time for her.
"It [was] such a magical time period, but also a hard, tragic period as well, for me," Gwen continued. "I just remember saying to my parents, 'We're gonna go on tour. It's gonna be a long one,' and we didn't come home for two and a half years. I went around the entire planet."
Gwen is being kept busy these days with her commitments filming US show The Voice, on which she is a coach, and recording her latest solo record.
However, she admits she still can’t get her head around how incredible her career has been so far.
"I never ever thought of myself as a career kinda person, or having a career," she said. "I was so passive in high school, I just wanted to be a mom, so for me to look back and look at all of the stuff that I was so blessed to be a part of, I just can't even believe it.
"There's just not one day that goes by that I'm not thinking, 'Wow, how did this happen to me?’ Because, how did it? It's crazy, right?! It is. It's just extraordinary."
