Gwen Stefani says songwriting helped her in her struggle with dyslexia: ‘It unlocked something inside me’
Gwen Stefani has penned a touching song about her struggle with dyslexia, with lyrics that have been translated into French and Italian.
‘Dyslexia’ is the first song on Stefani’s upcoming album (out October 31), which was co-written by the musician.
Gwen Stefani has penned a touching song about her struggle with dyslexia
Written in her native tongue in 2010, Stefani tells Marie Claire UK that writing the song made her ‘unstuck’ and helped her ‘unlock a sense of freedom I didn’t even know was there’.
Stefani explains: ‘It is the first song that I’ve ever written and it was a huge struggle to begin the song, especially because I had never written anything in my life. I have always been really shy, and writing the song brought that out. I’m so thankful that I was able to write it, and I’m very proud, because it’s very much who I am and how I deal with things.’
The 39-year-old singer says the inspiration for the song comes from a quote by author Anne Waldman, who wrote: ‘The greatest gift of dyslexia is its ability to open doors, and to offer a window in a world that is often closed to us.’
Stefani adds: ‘I just thought, what would it be like to live in a world where you can open those doors, and walk through them, and discover that there wasn’t necessarily a reason why things had to be the way they are? Instead of feeling like that was the only way to feel, there are other ways to feel, and I love that. That’s who I am, and that’s a part of me – that’s a gift that I can’t put a price on. That’s what I get from my disability, and I get a lot of things from my disability
