Gwen Stefani burst into the public consciousness in 1995 with the release of No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom. The success of the album brought her career to life. She has continued to appear on the airwaves and television in the decades since. Stefani has thought about her role in the music industry as she ages. She admitted she feels a little surprised that she’s still relevant.

Gwen Stefani is surprised people still care about her

Over 30 years into her career, Stefani is still very much a part of popular culture. She said it surprises her that her career has lasted this long.

“I don’t even understand how I could possibly have had this long a career, or a career at all,” she told The New York Times. “And that anyone cares, and that I’m relevant or anything, it just blows my mind.”

The head of her record label shared why he thought Stefani’s career has had such staying power.

“Obviously there’s a lot of people that have grown up with Gwen over the years,” said John Janick, the chairman and chief executive of Interscope Geffen A&M. “Her being on The Voice, what she does in fashion, she’s all over all the magazines. You can say [This Is What Truth Feels Like is] a grown-up pop record, but I feel like it touches on all different things that people can relate to of all different ages and sexes.”

She admitted she has felt some ageism in the music industry

While she still enjoys success, Stefani said she is well aware of her age. Younger artists dominate pop music. 

“It’s a natural thing to think about, your evolution,” she told The New York Times in a separate interview. “I had a lyric, ‘Born to blossom, bloom to perish,’ and how in nature you see it all the time. We’re just born to die. You can think of it like it’s a tragedy or you can think about it like, you’re gaining something all the time and you’re losing something all the time, but you’re finding out what is the truth, what is important. You’re searching and it just gets more intense.”

She felt that in order to continue making music people want to hear, she needed to set aside her ego. 

“I feel like I’m mature enough at this point to understand that everyone is there for a purpose and be open enough to listen to everyone’s opinion and truly step outside of my own selfishness and insecurities and ego,” she said. “So along the way [making this album] I was checking myself, because I think as you get older and have a longer career, you don’t want to be that person who didn’t listen and got caught up in yourself. You can be that way, especially when you have a lot of success.”

Gwen Stefani shared how ‘The Voice’ made her feel better about her career

While Stefani has worked hard to get where she is now, she acknowledged that luck played a role in her success. She said that serving as a coach on The Voice made her realize that the music industry was difficult to navigate. Talent isn’t always enough. 

“I watched people that went through that without seeing their faces, without knowing what color they are,” she told Paper Magazine. “And I chose the ones that pulled my heartstrings. And even though they were so talented, none of them have had careers. It’s made me look at myself and even feel even more amazed by the fact that anyone cared or cares.”