Anyone who has had their heart broken knows the feeling -- that stomach-churning, heart-pounding sickness that can come with the end of a relationship. Gwen Stefani is no exception.
"I was dead. I was literally dead, like panicking – like anyone would be," she told USA TODAY, continuing to reveal the depths of her public divorce from Gavin Rossdale and recovery that have greatly influenced her new album.
Stefani found a few ways to move forward. A good distraction was key, she said, as was finding solace in the idea that things happen for a reason.
"I'm gonna have to believe this is happening because I'm supposed to do this and help people in some way," she said. "It's a small thing, in a way, but music is so powerful it really does help people."
Her role as a judge on The Voice hit on all of those needs.
"It was the first time in my career that I did something that was on the outside of being all about me, you know what I mean? [It feels] very motherly to be a coach, to be able to look back at what I [have] done. It kind of brought back my confidence."
In addition to giving back to young artists, Stefani says the experience brought her back to her talent, giving her a kick to forge ahead in her own career.
"How do you compete with your own self after a while? I think by being on The Voice and being around all that music and all these people experiencing things that I'd already experienced for the first time, being able to look back and dig through all the stuff I've done, [made] me feel renewed."
Fans will get to experience that renewal with her new album, out this Friday. Read more from USA TODAY's interview here and check out our album review later this week.
