Background
During her hiatus from the band No Doubt, Gwen Stefani recorded and released her first solo studio album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. on November 23, 2004. Between September 2004 and January 2006, Stefani released six of the album's twelve tracks as singles: "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", "Cool", "Luxurious" and "Crash". The album was a commercial success, selling seven million copies worldwide; it was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, five times platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association and four times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry certified Love. Angel. Music. Baby. platinum at the May 2005 Platinum Europe Awards.
Between October and December 2005, Stefani toured North America in her Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005 to promote Love. Angel. Music. Baby., performing 37 shows in the United States and five in Canada. Her opening acts included Ciara, M.I.A. and The Black Eyed Peas. Her performances received mixed reviews from critics, with criticism about her lack of musical material, frequent costume changes and perceived inability to dance, but praise for her stage presence and elaborate costumes. Stefani finished recorded her second album, The Sweet Escape, in late 2006, having recorded some of the material in 2005, suspended the project due to pregnancy, and resumed recording in summer 2006.
Read more about this topic: Harajuku Lovers Live
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—Emma Goldman (1869–1940)
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