How Gwen Stefani’s Breakup With No Doubt Bassist Made the Band Break Up

Not every artist becomes famous right away. In fact, most of them take some time to gain the popularity they deserve. This is the case of No Doubt: the American band’s first two albums had modest repercussions, while the third, Tragic Kingdom (1995), was responsible for making it known across the planet.

This album contains some of the group’s greatest hits, such as the singles “Just a Girl” and “Don’t Speak” [ouça abaixo]. It reached the top of the US charts and helped, along with other artists, to renew the music industry’s interest in ska.

Success, however, came at a high price. Not only because of the hard work of everyone involved, but also because of artistic inspiration: if it weren’t for the vocalist’s breakup, Gwen Stefani with the bassist Tony Canal, Tragic Kingdom would not have been released in the way the world knew it.

The two began dating as teenagers in 1987. Shortly after, they began playing together in No Doubt. Their relationship was kept secret, although early fans noticed a special chemistry between the two. The relationship ended in 1994, at Kanal’s initiative, but the two remained bandmates.

With the departure of the keyboardist Eric Stefanibrother of Gwen from No Doubt, the vocalist took control of the compositions. The breakup with Tony, then, became a source of inspiration for the artist. As a result, several songs by Tragic Kingdomas “Happy Now?” and “End It Like This” address common themes at the end of a relationship. Nothing like a heartbreak to inspire a good song, right?

In a 1996 interview with Spin (via Louder), Gwen Stefani revealed how the breakup affected her life at that time. The artist confessed that, for some time, she lived in denial of the truth.

I was in denial. I might have lost the girlfriend title, but in my eyes, we were still together. For a year, he (Kanal) didn’t have to come to my house when I asked. He didn’t have to do anything, but when he felt like it, I was there. It was horrible.”

In another interview, The Guardian (via Hello Magazine), the vocalist revealed that she found inspiration in the album’s compositions to say something. She stated:

After Tony broke up with me, I realized I had something to say. When I started writing songs, I thought, ‘I’m a real human being. I can do something.'”

Tony Kanal “villain”?

After Gwen Stefani made this revelation, it didn’t take long for Tony Kanal to be seen as a “villain” by many fans. Several fans and even the press began to imagine that the bassist had caused some harm to his ex.

The guitarist Tom Dumont says that, at first, Kanal didn’t mind the songs. However, that changed over time.

He was like, ‘For some reason, it doesn’t bother me that these songs are about me.’ Maybe he liked it. But then I think it bothered him a little bit. Some guy wrote an article about us saying, ‘Why is Gwen so sad? What did Tony do to her to make her write these songs?'”

At the time, Tony Kanal described the experience as “surreal.” However, he tried to act as professionally as possible.

It’s surreal. Imagine being on stage while playing these songs. I’m opening up my personal life to all these people. But I can’t be tied down to them. I have to separate myself from the music and its lyrics.”

Ultimately, one person who empathized with Tony Kanal’s situation was Gwen Stefani herself. She put herself in her ex-boyfriend’s shoes and imagined how difficult the whole situation must have been for him.

“It must have been hard for him to see people writing, ‘How could you leave Gwen? She’s so amazing.’”

As much as the situation made Tony Kanal uncomfortable, time seemed to have healed the wound. After all, he continued as a recurring member of No Doubt — even with the group’s ups and downs — alongside Gwen Stefani herself.

Contributed by: Augusto Ikeda.