Conception
During Stefani's time with No Doubt, she began making solo appearances on albums by artists including Eve and Moby. In the production of its 2001 album Rock Steady, No Doubt collaborated with Prince, The Neptunes, and David A. Stewart on different songs and had Mark "Spike" Stent mix the album. While the band was on tour to promote the album, Stefani listened to Club Nouveau's 1987 single "Why You Treat Me So Bad" and considered recording material that modernized 1980s music. She approached No Doubt bassist and former boyfriend Tony Kanal, who had introduced her to music by Prince, Lisa and Cult Jam, and Debbie Deb, and they talked about producing songs from Kanal's bedroom.
In early 2003, Stefani began recording solo material. She stated that she was considering recording singles to be used on soundtracks, later playing Jean Harlow in The Aviator; continuing her series of collaborations; or releasing an album under the pseudonym GS. Jimmy Iovine, chairman and co-founder of Interscope, convinced Stefani to produce a complete studio album. During her first sessions with Linda Perry, Stefani's combination of self-consciousness and writer's block resulted in an unfruitful attempt. On the second day, the two wrote a song about Stefani's writer's block and fear to make her solo album, which became "What You Waiting For?", the lead single.
When the two began working on a song that Stefani stated was too personal, she left to visit Kanal. He played her a track on which he had been working and which became "Crash", another single from the album. The two tried to write new material, but gave up after two weeks. They did not return to work until six months later, when Stefani began collaborating with other artists, commenting, "If I were to write the chorus of 'Yesterday' by the Beatles, and that's all I wrote, that would be good enough to be part of that history." Stefani resumed work with Linda Perry, who invited Dallas Austin, and many other artists, including Outkast's André 3000, The Neptunes, and Dr. Dre. Stefani announced the album's release in early 2004, marketing it as a "dance record" and a "guilty pleasure".
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