Why is Gwen Stefani promoting a Catholic prayer app now?

We could write an entire thesis about the evolution of Gwen Stefani. A No Doubt singer with permanent scarlet lips and questionable cultural appropriation, Stefani was once the coolest woman in mainstream rock-pop and spent the better part of the last decade being country singer Blake Shelton’s doting wife and sort of homey housewife-esque conservatism that left many of us wondering what happened to the woman who gave us Tragic kingdom. Has she always been like this and the blue hair and bindi distracted us? Apparently yes.

She is currently promoting two projects: a new solo album, bouquetwhich largely receives mixed to negative reviews, and her involvement with the prayer app Hallow. She’s not such a holy girl? Sorry, this is the best I have.

Stefani is partnering with Hallow for a festive series of prayer and music offerings as well as a “25-day prayer challenge called Advent Pray25.” Look, I’m not religious, so of course this isn’t for me, but it’s a bit strange to have a pay to pray app with celebrity content, isn’t it?

Hallow was founded in December 2018 by Alex Jones (not this one), Erich Kerekes and Alessandro DiSanto. It quickly attracted many investors and raised tens of millions of dollars. Marky Mark entered into a partnership with them. They also have a lot of celebrities on board with their Advent plans for 2024, including Bear Grylls, Kevin James and the one who plays Jesus The chosen ones. It’s heavily promoted on Fox News.

Stefani was raised Catholic and has never been secretive about her faith, so working with a prayer app isn’t all that strange. No, it wasn’t Blake’s fault. But if, like me, you grew up with cool Gwen, you’ll love the era of happy housewife Gwen talking about being totally Japanese and singing country love ballads with her Sexiest Man Alive husband (fact check pending). sings, always seems strange. It’s the celebrity version of the cool girl you knew in high school when she married a conservative who posts endlessly about vigilantism on Facebook. But with the addition of strange racism.

In their mediocre review of their latest album pitchfork described bouquet as “the dynamics of an old pedestal fan (…) We wonder where Stefani put the energy that has largely defined her musical work over the last three decades.” That’s what has always struck me about her development. Okay, she wanted to settle down with a man who wouldn’t cheat on her and she wanted something more comfortable. Cool, that’s sweet. But did she have to give up all the things that made her so alive and interesting in the first place? She’s still an extremely dynamic performer, as evidenced by No Doubt’s grand return to the stage at Coachella. This era of the band left its mark on artists like Olivia Rodrigo.

The shift from cultural grab-bag and badass to mayo-white, mild-mannered and submissive to her husband was wild, and it feels like she’s given up all the spunk and easy charm that made her so popular in the first place. Was that really all that was left after you removed cultural appropriation? To quote again Pitchfork review“In “Pretty,” Stefani claims, “I never felt pretty until you loved me.” Thirty years ago, the young woman from “Just a Girl” seemed like the type to slam the “Pretty” singer without a second thought . This isn’t to accuse her of hypocrisy – everything in both songs can be true, people grow and ideas change – but the decision to put her loyalty to her husband at the forefront of each song is dull at best, or like one at worst ideological regression.’

Stefani can make whatever decisions she wants. If she wants to go into boring country, why not (and I’m sure she won’t be cruelly labeled an interloper who doesn’t deserve to be in the genre, unlike some major artists joining in this year Country). If she wants to convince people to pay monthly for access to prayers with celebrity glitz, then I hope she enjoys it. But damn, there will always be a small part of me that misses the woman who sang “Don’t Speak” and seemed like she could rule the world.