Gwen Stefani Recalls ‘Bawling’ Watching Son Kingston, 17, Perform at Blake Shelton’s Music Venue (Exclusive)

Gwen Stefani is the biggest fan of her son Kingston Rossdale.

Last month Vote the coach’s oldest son (with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale) was filmed performing a solo surprise set at stepdad Blake Shelton’s bar and music venue, Ole Red, in Tishoming, Oklahoma.

In the latest PEOPLE cover story, the former No Doubt rocker, 53, says watching Kingston perform in public for the first time was a nostalgic and emotional experience for her.

“King wrote a bunch of amazing songs. When it’s your kid, it’s like you love everything, but this is the next level for me. These are really good songs,” Stefani says of her songwriting talent. “So Blake said, ‘Hey, we have to go live now.’ It’s so different from writing a song — being able to sing live is just ‘nothing’.

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Gwen Stefani COVER PEOPLE.

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Gwen Stefani and her kids pose for a sweet photo with Blake Shelton at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony

Kingston was game, and in a viral clip from his performance, the rising star was seen confidently talking to his audience and hitting impressive high notes.

“I cried. It’s crazy when you have kids and they learn what their gift is. You see their talent and you say, ‘Wow.’ I’m so happy for him that he has that outlet,” says Stefani.

“I remember when I was in No Doubt, and I was exactly his age [the band] gathered together. I wasn’t even baked yet! I was still incapacitated and had no idea what I was going to do.”

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton with Kingston, Zuma and Apollo.

Gwen Stefani/instagram

Gwen Stefani’s son Kingston Rossdale, 17, performs at Blake Shelton’s bar in Oklahoma

Looking back on her rise to fame in the late ’90s and 2000s, the star says her experience was bittersweet.

“I took Kingston on a world tour [when he was 9 months old]. We did 120 shows. I’d have to breastfeed him and then go up on stage and then come down and he’d be twirling my ponytail,” she recalls.

“If I could say that I regretted something, I would say that I wish I could have shared it because that time is so precious. That’s when things got very difficult for me emotionally because you just don’t want to miss anything,” continues the singer, who is also mother of Zuma, 15, and Apollo, 9. “But at the same time, you also don’t want to let this momentum go.”

Gwen Stefani on August 18 in Los Angeles.

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At that time, Stefani set out with a personal goal in mind. “When my kids were teenagers, I really wanted to make sure I was home for them — and here we are,” she says.

While juggling her career (apart from Vote and music, she also launched her own makeup brand, GXVE, in March 2022), and family still has its challenges, Shelton, 47, made the heartbreaking moments all the sweeter with her.

Gwen Stefani on August 18 in Los Angeles.

Yu Tsai

“What I’m most excited about is the successes as a parent, and also as a parent — meaning with Blake — because we’re doing this together,” she says. “It’s those little milestones where you look back and say, ‘Wow, look where we are now.’ It’s the best thing ever.”

For more on Gwen Stefani’s comeback at Vote and her life now with Blake Shelton, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

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Source: HIS Education