Gwen Stefani feels like she has "nothing to prove any more".
Gwen Stefani
The 51-year-old singer admitted it's a "blessing" to have been in the spotlight for so long because she is able to make music for the sake of it rather than having goals to achieve or statements to make.
She said: "It's really a blessing to be able to have such a long career, where there really is nothing to prove anymore. It's a different energy. You know, it's really just about doing it to do it, as opposed to trying to make a statement or make a mark."
But while it's still "exciting" for her to make new music, the No Doubt singer is aware that fans still want to hear their old favourites when they see her perform live so the balance can be hard to find.
She told Paper magazine: "You make a new record because that's what is exciting for you. But people really just want to hear the records after a while that were the backdrop to their lives, a 'Don't Speak' or a 'Just a Girl' or a 'Hollaback Girl,' or whatever it was for them. So, you know, it's hard — you can only be new when you're new, and that's just the truth, and I know that."
While Gwen's December 2020 comeback single, 'Let Me Reintroduce Myself', wasn't a huge hit, she was still pleasantly surprised it charted at all and admitted she "burst out crying" when her fiance, Blake Shelton, showed her it had topped the US iTunes chart.
She recalled: "I burst out crying with joy, because it was like, 'Whoa, really?' I think I'd set myself up to be quite realistic about where I'm at."
Despite her years of success, the 'Sweet Escape' singer thinks the fact she "made it" is largely down to luck or destiny.
She said: "Because the fact I made it, it doesn't make any sense. It's written in the stars. You know what I'm saying?
"I'm not the most talented. I'm not the most pretty. I'm not the most smart. None of those things. But I made it, right?"
Tagged in Gwen Stefani