2022 MATRIX HONOREE

GWEN STEFANI

Singer/ Songwriter

Gwen Stefani is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer, coach on The Voice and founder of GXVE Beauty. A three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Gwen Stefani has achieved global success as a performer, songwriter, front-woman for iconic rock band No Doubt, and multi-platinum solo artist.

In addition to her three GRAMMY® Awards, Stefani’s honors include four MTV Video Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, an American Music Award, and a Brit Award. In 2014, she channeled her tremendous musical passion into empowering young singers as their coach on the seventh season of NBC’s musical competition series “The Voice.”

One of pop culture’s most magnetic style icons, Gwen Stefani has also emerged as the first global celebrity artist to translate music stardom into a series of massively successful lifestyle brands. Through her fashion line L.A.M.B., its sister label Harajuku Lovers, and her eyewear line gx by Gwen Stefani, the designer and entrepreneur has brilliantly merged modern glamour with fashion-forward streetwear. With over $1 billion in retail sales across all brands to date, she recently took the helm as co-creator and executive producer of “Kuu Kuu Harajuku”: a children’s animated TV show on Nick Jr., fulfilling Stefani’s mission of providing young girls with content that celebrates creativity, imagination, and fearless individuality.

_______________

Presenting The Matrix Award to Gwen Stefani

BLAKE SHELTON

Singer and Television Personality

“All I ever wanted to do is sing country music,” says the man who recently celebrated his 20th year of making records. 

As country music’s unapologetic ambassador, Blake Shelton has spent two decades pouring out boot-stomping bangers, heartbreak anthems and endearing odes to love gone wrong and right.  “My history has been constantly evolving from one album to the next,” Shelton explains. “I always try to push it just far enough to keep myself and my fans interested, but not so far that they don’t hear anything on the record that brings them right back home to what they expect from me.” 

Shelton takes that same spirit to work on everything he does including NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice” where he has coached  eight champions. The Voice recently kicked-off its 22nd season. 

Shelton has a championship career of his own and is still setting the mark in country music. His new single “No Body” is fast climbing the charts now. Over the span of his career Shelton has earned 28 No. 1 country singles including the chart-topping song “Happy Anywhere,” which features multi-season “The Voice” coach, rock star and wife, Gwen Stefani. It’s their second consecutive No. 1 single. 

 With 52 million singles and 13 million albums sold and nearly 11 Billion Global Streams, Shelton has received numerous awards, including six ACMs, three AMAs, 10 CMAs, 11 CMTs and six People’s Choice, among many others. He and Voice colleague Carson Daly recently announced they have teamed to executive produce and star in a new celebrity game show, Barmageddon, to air on USA Network. This spring Shelton will return to the road with his “Back To The Honky Tonk” Tour which kicks off Feb. 16 in Lincoln, NE. 

 Shelton was born, raised and currently lives in Oklahoma, where he has strong community ties. He recently donated $200,000 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. In response to the devastating tornadoes of 2013, Shelton and NBC teamed up on the telethon “Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert.” With the help of Reba McEntire, Usher, Rascal Flatts, Vince Gill and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, the telethon raised more than $6 million for United Way of Central Oklahoma. He has donated $500,000 to the Jimmy Everest Center, an Oklahoma University hospital for children with blood cancer and blood disorders. 

In association with Ryman Hospitality Properties, the Grand Ole Opry member has opened a string of entertainment-themed restaurants and bars called Ole Red. The first venue opened in 2017 in his hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. He now has venues in Nashville, TN, Gatlinburg TN, Orlando,FL and coming in 2023, Las Vegas,  

Earlier this month Land’s End, a classic American lifestyle brand, and Shelton, announced a fall and holiday collection – Blake Shelton x Lands’ End. The collaboration offers apparel for every member of the family – pets included! – as well as items for the home, grounding itself in familiarity, utility and comfort with nods to passions close to Shelton’s heart.