Gwen Stefani was emotional when her son Kingston made his live music debut in August.
The young talent took the stage in a surprise performance at stepdad Blake Shelton‘s bar, Ole Red, in Tishomingo, Okla., and it was a performance that left Stefani in tears.
“I was bawling,” the mother of three shares with People. “It’s crazy when you have children, and they learn what their gift is. You see their talent, and you’re like, ‘Wow.’ I’m so happy for him that he has that outlet.”
Stefani admits that she’s proud of anything her 17-year-old son does, but there’s something special about his music.
“King has been writing a bunch of amazing songs,” she explains of her son, her oldest with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale.
“When it’s your kid, it’s like, you love everything, but this is next level to me. These are really good songs.”
Kingston’s foray into the music world also stirred up some old memories for his mama, a ska artist who was launching her own career as the lead singer of No Doubt at the same young age.
“I think back to when I was in No Doubt, and I was exactly his age when [the band] got together,” Stefani reminisces. “I wasn’t even baked at all yet! I was still raw, and had no idea what I was going to do.”
Kingston’s father, Rossdale, is the lead singer of the band Bush, so the budding artist has been raised in the music industry. He’s even been on a world tour — although he may not remember it.
“I took Kingston on a world tour [when he was 9 months old]. We did 120 shows,” Stefani recounts. “I would have to nurse him and then get on stage, and then come off and he would twirl my ponytail.”
It’s unclear if Kingston will pursue music full-time in the future, but it’s safe to say he has full support from Stefani and Shelton — not to mention some of the best advice, too. Both artists have served as coaches on the reality singing competition series The Voice in addition to lengthy careers in the industry.
Blake Shelton + Gwen Stefani: A Timeline of Their Love
From an unlikely, cross-genre pairing to one of country music’s hottest “it” couples, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have been on quite the journey together since they first met back in 2014 on the set of The Voice. Here is a look back at their fairy tale love story in pictures.
