Love. Angel. Music. Baby. is the debut solo studio album by American singer Gwen Stefani, released on November 12, 2004, by Interscope Records. Stefani, who had previously released five studio albums as lead singer of the rock band No Doubt, began recording solo material in early 2003. She began working on Love. Angel. Music. Baby. as a side project that would become a full album after No Doubt went on hiatus. Stefani co-wrote every song on the album, collaborating with various songwriters and producers including André 3000, Dallas Austin, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the Neptunes and Linda Perry. The album also features guest appearances by Eve and André 3000. Designed to sound like a 1980s dance record, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was influenced by artists and bands such as the Cure, Lisa Lisa, New Order, Prince, Depeche Mode and Madonna. The album incorporates a diverse range of genres, including electropop, dance-rock, new wave, and soul, while lyrically, it explores themes of fashion, wealth and relationships. Promotion of the album included the release of six commercially successful singles and the North American Harajuku Lovers Tour. While promoting, Stefani was often accompanied by backup dancers called the Harajuku Girls. Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, and received a total of six Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year, during the 2006 ceremony. It debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200, selling 309,000 copies in its first week, eventually peaking at number five. The album has received multi-platinum sales certifications in several countries and has sold over eight million copies worldwide. Background During her time with the band No Doubt, Stefani began making solo appearances on albums by artists such as Eve. In the production of its fifth studio album, Rock Steady (2001), No Doubt collaborated with Prince, the Neptunes, and David A. Stewart and had Mark "Spike" Stent mixing the album. While the band was on tour to promote the album, Stefani listened to Club Nouveau's 1987 song "Why You Treat Me So Bad" and considered recording material that modernized 1980s music. No Doubt's bassist and her former boyfriend, Tony Kanal, introduced her to music by Prince, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, and Debbie Deb, and they talked about producing songs from Kanal's bedroom. In 2003, Stefani began recording solo material. She stated she was considering recording singles to