Credit: Jamie NelsonGwen Stefani had an exciting number: Not only did she score her second #1 country hit alongside fiancé Blake Shelton, “Happy Anywhere,” but she also released “Let Me Reintroduce Myself,” her first new pop single in years. It turns out Shelton had something to do with that, too.
Speaking to Billboard, Stefani says, “It’s funny, because Blake was the one who was listening to all of the songs. He would sort of figure out what the single could be. We were trying to decide, if we did put something out, what would it be? And he goes, ‘[“Let Me Reintroduce Myself”] just keeps making me feel like it should be that song.'”
Adds Gwen, “Blake’s been on The Voice for like 19 seasons, picking songs for people — and sort of has 27 No. 1 radio hits — so he’s really good at picking songs. I really trust him.”
As for the song itself, it’s a throwback to the ska-punk reggae sound she and No Doubt were doing back in the ’90s. She tells Billboard, “I just had this lightbulb moment. I was like, ‘I really want to investigate where I started in music — the reggae and ska, when I first fell in love with music, when it defined who I was.'”
She adds, “Once I got into that mode, it was like a wildfire, because every person I went in with, we were just so inspired and excited to be doing that kind of music.”
Stefani says she’s got “like 19 or 20 songs” now and plans to write more, but admits she doesn’t have an idea when she’ll release her new album.
“I want to make something that people like,” she tells Billboard. “I’m gonna put this out, see how it feels, and then I’ll see what comes next.”
By Andrea Dresdale
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