When Gwen Stefani teased in a short video that something was on its way, fans prayed for new music. After two years, the singer, songwriter, fashion designer, makeup guru, and all-around badass entrepreneur would answer their prayers and announce her new solo single just days later. Titled “True Babe,” it appears Stefani is returning to her pop/rock roots that we’ve all missed.
Happily in love with country-singing husband Blake Shelton, the new song hears Stefani expressing her endless love for her man throughout the cute song. “I wanna fly to your shows / Wanna wake up in your clothes / Come get you tipsy at 6.30 / Wanna take tonight slow,” Stefani softly sings during the first verse. “‘Cause it’s true babe, true babe / I’m sleeping better next to you babe, you babe / You’re something sweeter, something true, babe, true, babe,” she continues in the punchy chorus.
If you were to compare “True Babe” to any of Stefani’s previous work, you could say it’s most similar to the heartfelt songs from No Doubt’s 2012 album Push And Shove, such as “One More Summer,” “Gravity,” and “Undercover.”
Festive music aside, it’s been eight years since the music powerhouse put out a studio album. For that reason, the obvious question fans have been tirelessly asking over the years is, will there be a follow-up to the No. 1 selling This Is What The Truth Feels Like? The answer to that is YES. Stefani has remained in the studio and very recently told FAULT Magazine in her first cover story interview of the year about the creative process so far.
“I have like a whole bunch of songs that I wrote in 2020 all the way up to now,” the 53-year-old revealed. “Over the last couple of months, I went in [the studio] with some people that I adore and had really good chemistry with. I’m just dying to go back in and write with them because every single song you write changes what the record could be.”
“I have four new [songs] that I literally can’t stop listening to,” she continued, adding, “And so when that happens, I’m assuming that other people might feel the same way.”
Throughout her ongoing three-decade career, Stefani hasn’t been shy of a reinvention and has time and time again proven that her ability to tap into different genres is limitless. In the mid-’90s, Stefani rose to fame as the frontwoman of No Doubt with ska/reggae-influenced music with a punk edge. Songs like “Just A Girl,” “Spiderwebs,” and “Don’t Speak” earned the band worldwide success and helped contribute to the diamond-certification of their legendary Tragic Kingdom album. When Stefani ventured into a solo artist, she reached the top of the charts once again with pop/R&B anthems – “Hollaback Girl,” “Rich Girl,” “The Sweet Escape,” and “Luxurious” – that remain some of her biggest hits.
30 years later and it’s safe to say that we’re still bananas for Stefani.
