i was thirteen and i finally decided who i wanted to be. she was cool, her voice was unique, and she had a crazy style. i wanted the pink hair, i wanted the musical skills, i wanted the ability to make strange things hip.

i wanted to be gwen stefani.

i know, such a noble want. hopefully, now at nineteen, i’ve come to realize that there’s a bit more to desire that those attributes, but i’ll admit that i still think of her as one of the most clever and original “pop stars”. and i’ll say it, i still listen to her — you know, i’m much closer to 16 than 30.