Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Jewel Kilcher (born Juel Kilcher<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on May 23, 1974), mononymously known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter. She has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide as of 2024.

Jewel was raised near Homer, Alaska, where she grew up singing and yodeling as a musical duo with her father, Atz Kilcher, a local musician. At age fifteen, she received a partial scholarship to the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where she studied operatic voice. After graduating, she began writing and performing at clubs and coffeehouses in San Diego, California.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Based on local media attention, she was offered a recording contract with Atlantic Records, which released her debut album Pieces of You in 1995. One of the best-selling debut albums of all time, it went 12-times platinum. The debut single from the album, "Who Will Save Your Soul", peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Singles "You Were Meant for Me" and "Foolish Games" reached number two on the Hot 100, and were listed on Billboard's 1997 year-end singles chart, as well as BillboardTemplate:'s 1998 year-end singles chart.

Jewel's sophomore effort, Spirit, was released in 1998, followed by This Way (2001). In 2003, she released 0304, which marked a departure from her previous folk-oriented records, featuring electronic arrangements and elements of dance-pop. In 2008, she released Perfectly Clear, her first country album, which debuted atop BillboardTemplate:'s Top Country Albums chart and featured three singles, "Stronger Woman", "I Do", and "'Til It Feels Like Cheating". In 2009, Jewel released her first independent album, Lullaby.

In 1998, Jewel released a collection of poetry, and in the following year, she appeared in a supporting role in Ang Lee's Western film Ride with the Devil (1999) which earned her critical acclaim. In 2021, she won the sixth season of The Masked Singer as the Queen of Hearts.<ref name="masked">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early lifeEdit

Jewel was born May 23, 1974, in Payson, Utah, the second child of Atz Kilcher and Nedra Kilcher (Template:Née Carroll).Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the time of her birth, her parents had been living in Utah with her elder brother, Shane; her father was attending Brigham Young University.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She is a cousin of actress Q'orianka Kilcher.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her father, originally from Alaska, was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though the family stopped attending church after her parents' divorce when she was eight years old.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her paternal grandfather, Yule Kilcher, was a delegate to the Alaska constitutional convention and a state senator<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=bio/> who settled in Alaska after emigrating from Switzerland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was also the first recorded person to cross the Harding Icefield.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Shortly after Jewel's birth, her family relocated to Anchorage, Alaska, settling on the Kilcher family's Template:Convert homestead.Template:Sfn There, her younger brother Atz Jr. was born.Template:Sfn She also has a half-brother, Nikos, who was primarily raised in Oregon by his mother, with whom her father had a brief relationship; Jewel would later become close to him in adulthood.Template:Sfn After her parents' divorce in 1981, Jewel lived with her father near Homer, Alaska.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The house she grew up in lacked indoor plumbing and had only a simple outhouse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Kilcher family is featured on the Discovery Channel show Alaska: The Last Frontier, which chronicles their day-to-day struggles living in the Alaskan wilderness. Recalling her upbringing, she said: <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

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File:The Hilton Anchorage. Anchorage, Alaska.jpg
The Hilton Anchorage, where Jewel sometimes performed with her father as a child

According to Jewel, the first song she learned to sing was "Saint Louis Blues".<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref> In her youth, Jewel and her father sometimes earned a living by performing music in roadhouses and taverns as a father-daughter musical duo; they also often sang at hotels in Anchorage, including the Hotel Captain Cook and the Hilton Anchorage.<ref name=bio/>Template:Sfn It was during this time that Jewel learned to yodel from her father.Template:Sfn She would later credit the time she spent in bars as integral to her formative years: "I saw women who would compromise themselves for compliments, for flattery; or men who would run away from themselves by drinking until they ultimately killed themselves."Template:Sfn

At age fifteen, while working at a dance studio in Anchorage, she was referred by the studio instructor to Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, where she applied and received a partial scholarship to study operatic voice.<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> Local businesses in her hometown of Homer donated items for auction to help allocate additional funds, and raised a total of $11,000 to pay the remainder of her first year's tuition.<ref name=bio/> She subsequently relocated to Michigan to attend Interlochen, where she received classical training, and also learned to play guitar.Template:Sfn She began writing songs on guitar at age sixteen.Template:Sfn While in school, she would often perform live in coffeehouses.<ref>Template:Cite magazine Template:Free access</ref> After graduating, she relocated to San Diego, California, where she worked in a coffee shop and as a phone operator at a computer warehouse.Template:Sfn

Music careerEdit

1993–1997: Beginnings and Pieces of YouEdit

For a time, Jewel lived in her car while traveling around the country doing street performances and small gigs, mainly in Southern California.Template:Sfn She gained recognition by singing at the Inner Change Cafe and Java Joe's in San Diego.Template:Sfn Her friend Steve Poltz's band, the Rugburns, played the same venues.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She later collaborated with Poltz on some of her songs, including "You Were Meant for Me". (He also appeared in the song's second, better-known video.) The Rugburns opened for Jewel on her Tiny Lights tour in 1997. Poltz appeared in Jewel's band on the Spirit World Tour 1999 playing guitar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jewel was discovered by Inga Vainshtein in 1993 when John Hogan, lead singer from the local San Diego band Rust, whom Vainshtein was managing, called to tell her about a girl surfer who sang at a local coffee shop on Thursdays. Vainshtein drove to The Inner Change with a representative of Atlantic Records, and after the show called Danny Goldberg, the head of Atlantic Record's West Coast operations, and asked him to pay for her demo, since at the time she was living in a van and lacked the means to record any of her own music.Template:Sfn Vainshtein, who at the time was working as a Vice President of Productions at Paramount, went on to become her manager and was instrumental in creating a major bidding war that led to her deal with Atlantic Records.Template:Citation needed She continued to manage Jewel until the end of the first album cycle and shaped the path of the first five years of Jewel's career.

Jewel's debut album, Pieces of You, was released in 1995 when she was 21 years old.Template:Sfn Recorded in a studio on singer Neil Young's ranch, it included Young's backing band, the Stray Gators, who played on his Harvest and Harvest Moon albums. Part of the album was recorded live at the Inner Change Cafe in San Diego, where Jewel had risen to local fame.<ref>Template:Cite magazine Template:Free access</ref> The album stayed on the Billboard 200 for two years, reaching number four at its peak.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album spawned the Top 10 hits "You Were Meant for Me", "Who Will Save Your Soul", and "Foolish Games". To promote the album, she toured as the opening act for Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy on his 1995 North American tour in support of his album Cascade.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Pieces of You eventually sold over 12 million copies in the United States alone.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In the late 1990s, Mike Connell created an electronic mailing list for fans, known as "Everyday Angels". Although Jewel does not subscribe to this mailing list, she maintained communication with her EDA fans. On July 18 and 19, 1996, she gave a two-day concert known as "JewelStock" at the Bearsville Theatre. Jewel allowed the concert to be taped, and fans circulated the concert without profit.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1998–2002: Spirit and other venturesEdit

File:Jewel performs at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo in December 2000.png
Jewel performs at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, 2000

Jewel was chosen to sing the American national anthem at the opening of Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998 in San Diego. She was introduced as "San Diego's own Jewel!" but criticized for lip syncing the anthem to a digitally-recorded track of her own voice. This was especially noticeable due to her missing her cue and not mouthing the first words. Super Bowl producers have since admitted that they attempt to have all performers pre-record their vocals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" again in the 2003 NBA Finals in one of the New Jersey Nets' home games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jewel's second studio album, which she titled Spirit, was released on November 17, 1998.<ref>Template:Cite journal Template:Free access</ref> The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with 368,000 copies sold in its first week. It eventually sold 3.7 million units in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Its lead single, "Hands", peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other singles followed, including a new version of "Jupiter (Swallow the Moon)", "What's Simple Is True", which she meant to be the theme song to her upcoming movie, and the charity single "Life Uncommon".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Shortly after the release of Spirit, Jewel made her acting debut playing the character Sue Lee Shelley in Ang Lee's Western film Ride with the Devil (1999), opposite Tobey Maguire. The film received mixed-positive reviews,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> though critic Roger Ebert praised her performance, writing: "Jewel deserves praise for, quite simply, performing her character in a convincing and unmannered way. She is an actress here, not a pop star trying out a new hobby."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In November 1999, Jewel released Joy: A Holiday Collection. The album sold over a million copies and peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200. She released a cover of "Joy to the World" from the album as a single.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2000, she completed an autobiography titled Chasing Down the Dawn, a collection of diary entries and musings detailing her life growing up in Alaska, her struggle to learn her craft, and life on the road.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In November 2001, her fourth studio album, This Way, was released. The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. A song from the album "Standing Still" hit the Top 30. Other singles released were "Break Me", "This Way", and "Serve the Ego"; this last gave Jewel her first number one club hit.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

2003–2006: 0304 and Goodbye Alice in WonderlandEdit

In June 2003, Jewel released her fifth studio album, titled 0304.<ref name=people0304/> The album was promoted by its lead single, "Intuition", which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart and No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Within two months of its release, the album had sold over 350,000 in the United States.<ref name=petridis0304/> The shift in musical style on 0304 was noted by several critics, with People deeming it "an extreme musical makeover."<ref name=people0304>Template:Cite journal</ref> In response, Jewel commented that she had been inspired to make a more upbeat-sounding record in light of the Iraq War: "I knew we were headed to war [at the time]... The music that has always done well during wartime has always been music that makes you want to escape."<ref name=petridis0304/> In his review of the album, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote "It's the most dramatic image overhaul you're ever likely to see".<ref name=petridis0304>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both "Intuition" and its follow-up single "Stand" were number one hits on the Dance Club Songs chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On May 2, 2006, Jewel released her sixth studio album, Goodbye Alice in Wonderland. The album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Albums Chart and sold 82,000 copies in its first week.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The lead single "Again and Again" peaked at No. 16 on Adult Top 40 Radio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The second single "Good Day" was released to radio in late June and peaked at No. 30 on the Adult Pop Songs charts. In the album's liner notes, Jewel described Goodbye Alice in Wonderland as "the story of my life" and "the most autobiographical album I have made since Pieces of You."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

To promote the album, a music video for "Stephenville, TX", Jewel's next single, was shown on Yahoo! Launch.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After a photo shoot at her Texas ranch, Jewel spontaneously decided to have photographer Kurt Markus shoot the music video for the song "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland".<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

2007–2008: Label shift and Perfectly ClearEdit

Jewel released a video for "Quest for Love", the lead single from the movie Arthur and the Invisibles, recorded in 2006; the song is only available on the soundtrack for the film, which was released in January 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In early February 2007 Jewel recorded a duet with Jason Michael Carroll, "No Good in Goodbye", that was featured on Carroll's debut CD, Waitin' in the Country. She also made a promotional appearance on the T in Boston for the Verizon Yellow Pages, playing songs on a moving subway car and then doing an hour-long acoustic concert in South Station.

In a 2007 interview with The Boston Globe, Jewel stated that she was no longer affiliated with a record label, confirming rumors that Atlantic Records had failed to renew her contract after the lackluster sales of her then-latest album. She also hinted that she would like to do a country album next.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She worked with John Rich of Big & Rich fame, who said that she was "probably one of the greatest American singer-songwriters we have had." He also said that "every label in Nashville" was talking to her at the time.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In November 2007, Jewel was signed to Valory Records, a newly formed division of the independent Big Machine Records label.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her first country album, Perfectly Clear, was released on June 3, 2008, selling 48,000 units in its first week. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album Chart and No. 8 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In its second week on the charts, the album dropped to No. 25 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Country Albums chart, with estimated second week sales of 75,000 units.Template:Citation needed Jewel made her second film appearance in a cameo, appearing as herself in the comedy film Walk Hard, released in December 2007.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Approximately a month later, "Stronger Woman", the lead single from Perfectly Clear, was released to country radio on January 17, 2008, and entered the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. On April 26, 2008, it peaked at No. 13. The next single, "I Do", was released to radio on June 23, 2008. The video for the single featured her cowboy then-husband, Ty Murray. This song peaked at No. 28. Following it was "'Til It Feels Like Cheating", which peaked at No. 57.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Perfectly Clear was released in Australia in late May 2009. It was then released across Europe by Humphead Records in June 2009.

2009–2013: Lullaby and other releasesEdit

File:Jewel at Yahoo Yodel 1.jpg
Jewel at the Yahoo! Yodel event in New York City, 2009

In early 2009, it was announced that Jewel would release a new studio album titled Lullaby, a collection of lullabies which she described as "not just for children, but also adults". Its lead single, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", was released on iTunes on March 17, 2009. The album was released on May 5, 2009. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was No.1 on The Top Children's Songs the week of release. Like 2011's The Merry Goes 'Round, it is sold under the Fisher Price brand<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which Jewel described as "a great partnership".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jewel also recorded the "Make It Last" with R&B singer Tyrese in conjunction with the release of his comic book Mayhem!. It was intended to be used for the soundtrack to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but did not appear on the final track listing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In January 2010, Jewel released "Stay Here Forever", from the soundtrack to the film Valentine's Day. It also served as the lead-off single to Jewel's ninth studio album Sweet and Wild released on June 8, 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The single debuted at No. 48 on the Hot Country Songs chart and reached No. 34 in May 2010. "Satisfied" was released as the album's second single on May 17, 2010, reaching its highest peak of No. 57. On October 10, 2010, Jewel released the third single from Sweet and Wild, "Ten". It made its debut on the Hot Country Songs Chart at No. 55 on the week of October 15, 2010, and peaked at No. 51 two weeks later.

Jewel's second children's album, The Merry Goes 'Round, was released in August 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Like 2009's Lullaby, it is sold under the Fisher-Price brand.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In June 2012, Jewel was cast in the lead role as June Carter Cash in the Lifetime original movie Ring of Fire, opposite Matt Ross. Brian Lowry of Variety commended Jewel's live singing in the film, and noted: "Jewel and Ross are convincing as the central couple, playing them over an extended span."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On October 16, 2012, Jewel announced via Twitter a Greatest Hits album would be released in 2013.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album features new duets from Kelly Clarkson and the Pistol Annies. Jewel and Clarkson recorded a fresh rendition of Jewel's song "Foolish Games" while Jewel and the Pistol Annies recut "You Were Meant for Me".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Greatest Hits album was released February 5, 2013.

On August 6, 2013, Jewel announced the release of her second Christmas album, titled Let It Snow: A Holiday Collection, scheduled for release on November 12, 2013. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Jewel was quoted as saying "I wanted this record to have a resemblance to the first album. It's a continuation of mood and spirit of that record, with the mood and feel of the album artwork with an image and tone that evokes that spirit."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2014–2018: Picking Up the PiecesEdit

In February 2014, Jewel began work on her next album and confirmed that it will not be released by a major record label, and that she was producing it herself.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> In April 2015, she appeared as a guest musician on Blues Traveler's album Blow Up the Moon, co-writing the song "Hearts Still Awake".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On June 28, she revealed in a Q&A on Facebook that her upcoming album would be released in the second week of September of that year, and would feature a folk sound recorded with a live band. On July 21, Jewel confirmed the title as Picking Up the Pieces.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> Picking Up the Pieces was released on September 11, 2015. Four days later, on September 15, she released her third book, a new memoir entitled Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story.<ref name=varga/>

In 2016, Jewel was featured in the Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe, having previously met the actor when she was supposed to co-star with him in The Lyon's Den. During the Roast, Jewel performed a parody of "You Were Meant for Me" claiming she was the 16-year-old caught having sex with Lowe in a 1988 videotape.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 2016, Jewel founded Jewel Inc., a platform for her work in music, TV, and film, as well as her entrepreneurial endeavors—in particular regarding mindfulness.<ref>CES: Jewel Launches Platform to Bring Mindfulness to the Workplace, The Hollywood Reporter</ref> Among its ventures was co-creating in partnership with Trevor Drinkwater the Wellness Your Way, Music and Wellness Festival, held originally in 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> In 2017, she returned to acting, starring in the Fixer Upper Mysteries on the Hallmark Channel.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2019–present: The Masked Singer and Freewheelin' WomanEdit

Towards the end of 2019, Jewel released a new song "No More Tears", which was written and recorded for Lost in America, a documentary about youth homelessness in America by Rotimi Rainwater. In an interview with American Songwriter, Jewel explained that, in addition to being an executive producer on the documentary, she was inspired to write the track because she was moved by the stories of the individuals featured in the film and related those to her own experiences of being homeless when she was eighteen. In the same interview, it was confirmed that "No More Tears" would also be the first track released from her upcoming album which she hoped to release sometime in 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2021, Jewel competed in season six of The Masked Singer as "Queen of Hearts".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jewel made her way to the finals, where she was declared the winner of season six on December 16, 2021. She was rewarded the golden mask trophy after her encore performance.<ref name="masked" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After her performance of "River",<ref>Template:Citation</ref> judge Jenny McCarthy called her the greatest artist that they've ever had on the show.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jewel and her son performed a duet of her song "Hands" on The Masked Singer Christmas Singalong, aired on Fox on December 22, 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jewel subsequently released a cover EP titled Queen of Hearts containing covers of the songs she performed on The Masked Singer.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In March 2022, it was announced that Jewel would represent Alaska in the inaugural American Song Contest, set to begin later in the month.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She performed "The Story" in the third episode and scored well in the public vote, but her overall score was brought down by a lower jury ranking which narrowly cost Jewel a place in the semi-finals.

Jewel's thirteenth studio album, Freewheelin' Woman, was released on April 15, 2022, via her own label, Words Matter Media. The album was co-produced by Jewel and Butch Walker and was developed with the intention for Jewel to create music that she felt connected to and excited about rather than creating in order to meet expectations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On February 19, 2023, Jewel performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On May 28, 2023, Jewel performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Indy 500 in Speedway, Indiana.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On April 9, 2024, Jewel joined Olivia Rodrigo to perform "You Were Meant for Me" at her fourth show at Madison Square Garden for her Guts World Tour.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

ArtistryEdit

File:Jewell April 2010.jpg
Jewel on the red carpet in 2010

Jewel is a soprano.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Caitlin Gibson of The Washington Post described Jewel's vocal versatility, stating that "she can summon many voices—deep and powerful, girlish and sweet, piercing and agile." Gibson also commented about Jewel's debut; "In an era still gripped by grunge, [she] climbed to the top of the pop charts with sweet, simple folk tunes".<ref name="folksuperstar">Template:Cite news</ref> Her fifth studio album ''0304'' (2003) was a departure from her previous folk rock-oriented<ref name=latimes1/> albums and incorporates a more general pop sound. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote about 0304, describing it as "A record that (is) lyric-driven, like Cole Porter stuff, that also has a lot of swing... that combined dance, urban, and folk music. [...] [it is] an original-sounding album, something with more imagination than the average dance-pop record. Better still, it sounds more authentic (and boasts a better set of songs) than her previous records, which were either too ramshackle or too self-serious and doggedly somber to really reveal much character."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Perfectly Clear (2008) was influenced by her appreciation for country music,<ref name=latimes1>Template:Cite news</ref> while Picking Up The Pieces (2015) saw Jewel "going back to [her] folk/American roots that [she] began with."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Owning a wide variety of Taylor Guitars, Jewel uses a Taylor 912-C most often.<ref name=taylorguitar>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Acoustic Guitar writer Jeffery Pepper Rodgers called the guitar her "steady companion".<ref name=taylorguitar/> All of her guitars are strung with D'Addario products.<ref name=taylorguitar/> To strum, she employs a unique self-created fingerpicking technique or a hard pick.<ref name=taylorguitar/>

Other workEdit

Literary worksEdit

In 1998, Jewel published a book of poetry titled A Night Without Armor. Although it sold over 1 million copies and was a New York Times best-seller, it received mixed reviews.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During an MTV interview in 1998, Kurt Loder pointed out the incorrect usage, in her book of poetry, of the word "casualty" (instead of the intended "casualness") to which Jewel responded, "You're a smartass for pointing that out. Next topic."<ref>JEWEL, KURT LODER SQUARE OFF ON POETIC LICENSE MTV Staff (September 25, 1998). MTV.</ref> In the fall of 1998, the poet Beau Sia composed a book-length response to A Night Without Armor that he titled A Night Without Armor II: The Revenge.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The reviewer Edna Gundersen, writing in USA Today, noted, "Hers is flowery and sensitive. His is wry and absurd."<ref>Gundersen, Edna, "A rare Jewel of a poetic parody," USA Today, September 16, 1998.</ref>

In 2000, Jewel published a biographical book called Chasing Down the Dawn<ref>

 Template:Cite book

</ref> In 2012, Jewel published the children's book That's What I'd Do.<ref>

 Template:Cite book</ref> In 2013, Jewel published the children's book Sweet Dreams.<ref>
 Template:Cite book</ref> In 2015, Jewel published her memoirs under the title Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story.<ref>
 Template:Cite book</ref>

Art World ProjectsEdit

In 2024, Jewel created a museum-wide show at the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas called The Portal: An Art Experience by Jewel. The show featured her own paintings, a special music and technology installation, and art works from the museum's collection including, Mickalene Thomas, Ruth Asawa, Julie Mehretu, and Alma Thomas. The show is organized around Jewel's idea of “Three Spheres,” or realms, of human existence: the inner world, the outer world, and the unseen world.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Utilizing new technology alongside the traditional painting techniques in The Portal, Jewel choreographed a drone light show in partnership with Nova Sky Stories,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which accompanies a new song. Jewel also partnered with the company Proto to present a hologram of her self welcoming visitors and performing songs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Humanitarian activismEdit

Jewel, alongside her mother, Lenedra J. Carroll, and her older brother, Shane Jewel, founded the nonprofit organization Higher Ground for Humanity. The organization focuses on education, sustainable improvements, and building alliances with like-minded organizations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jewel donates a portion of her income to the organization and often holds events to benefit the organization.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The organization tends to parallel Jewel's career since she provides the majority of the organization's funding. Template:As of, the activities of the organization were concluded.Template:Citation needed One early grantee was the Global Youth Action Network, which has become one of the largest youth movements around the United Nations.

In September 2006, as part of Lifetime's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" campaign, Jewel delivered more than 12 million petition signatures to Capitol Hill, urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2005 (S 910/HR1849).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The bill would ban the practice of "drive-through" mastectomies, when women are discharged from the hospital just hours after their surgeries. Jewel served as the honorary chairperson of the 2006 Help the Homeless Walk in Washington, D.C.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In November 2008, Jewel began work on a project with several dozen singer-songwriters to write and auction their lyrics with donations benefiting her "Project Clean Water" charity.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Many singers and songwriters besides herself have donated their written lyrics including Patrick Davis, Alabama's Randy Owen, John Mellencamp, Jason Mraz, Gretchen Wilson, and Marv Green. The majority of the lyrics were written on paper and signed by the songwriter, with the exception of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl". Many of the artists in addition to writing and signing lyrics, drew pictures to illustrate their lyrics.Template:Citation needed The auction ran from December 1, 2008, to December 18, 2008, promoted by CMT and Virgin Music.<ref name=ernieauction>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some of the lyrics that were up for auction included hits such as "So Small", "Foolish Games", "I'm Yours", "I Kissed a Girl", "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", "Live Like You Were Dying", "I Don't Need a Man", "Superman (It's Not Easy)" and "Redneck Woman".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The highest bought lyrics being Jewel's signature song "You Were Meant For Me" sold for US$1,505,Template:Citation needed and "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "Hands", raising more than $1,005 each.Template:Citation needed Jewel promised that all items sold by December 18 would be delivered by Christmas.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref> After the majority of the auctions ended on December 18 two new lyrics by Craig Wiseman and Ernie Ashworth were put up for auction ending in January 2009.<ref name=ernieauction/>

In May 2013, Jewel served as ambassador for the ReThink: Why Housing Matters initiative. She was included in the initiative's public service announcement (PSA) which asked Americans to rethink their views on public housing and consider how it benefits people in their own communities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

Jewel and actor Sean Penn began dating in 1995 after Penn spotted her performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Penn invited Jewel to compose a song for his film The Crossing Guard and followed her on tour.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After dating for a decade, Jewel and rodeo cowboy Ty Murray were married in the Bahamas in 2008.<ref name=bartolomeo/> She gave birth to their son, Kase Townes Murray, on July 11, 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, after nearly six years of marriage, the couple divorced.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jewel is the daughter of Atz Kilcher, who stars in the Discovery Channel show Alaska: The Last Frontier.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> All three of her brothers live in Alaska.<ref name=bartolomeo>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her first cousin once removed is actress Q'orianka Kilcher who is best known for her role as Pocahontas in The New World (2005).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jewel has been estranged from her mother (who served as her business manager) since 2003, when Jewel accused her of stealing millions of dollars from her.<ref name=varga>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jewel has said: "I don't think I started off young as a feminist. I read a lot of books in Alaska, I was pretty isolated where I grew up, and I think that I never thought I was any different than a man; I was raised in a place where pioneer women were very strong still. They'd shoe horses and build their own homes and were very self-sufficient. It wasn't really until I've gotten older that I really became a fan of women. And a fan of what women are capable of balancing and achieving, by just being them."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In a 2022 interview with Mental, Jewel talks about how she started having panic attacks at age sixteen. Unbeknownst to her then, she employed the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), particularly visualization, to manage them.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On January 20, 2025 Jewel made a surprise performance, singing "Over the Rainbow" for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cheryl Hines at the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Inauguration Ball held during the second inauguration of Donald Trump.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She later apologized and expressed her support for the LGBTQIA+ community.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

AccoladesEdit

Year Award Work Category Result Ref.
1994 San Diego Music Awards Herself Best Acoustic Template:Won citation CitationClass=web

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1995 Template:Won <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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Artist of the Year Template:Won
Pieces of You Album of the Year Template:Won
1996 Herself Artist of the Year Template:Won citation CitationClass=web

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MTV Video Music Awards "Who Will Save Your Soul" Best Female Video Template:Nom
Best New Artist Template:Nom
1997 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Most Performed Song Template:Won citation CitationClass=web

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Grammy Award Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Template:Nom <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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Herself Best New Artist Template:Nom
American Music Award Favorite New Artist Template:Won
Favorite Pop/Rock Artist Template:Nom
GAFFA Awards (Denmark) Best Foreign New Act Template:Nom citation CitationClass=web

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Pollstar Concert Industry Awards Best New Artist Tour Template:Nom
Billboard Music Award Top Artist Template:Nom
Top Hot 100 Artist Template:Nom
Top Hot 100 Artist – Female Template:Nom
Top Pop Artist Template:Nom
Top Pop Artist – Female Template:Nom
Top Billboard 200 Albums Artist Template:Nom
Top Billboard 200 Albums Artist – Female Template:Nom
Top Adult Contemporary Artist Template:Nom
Top Adult Top 40 Artist Template:Won
Pieces of You Top Billboard 200 Album Template:Nom
"Foolish Games" Top Soundtrack Single Template:Nom
"You Were Meant for Me" Top Hot 100 Song Template:Nom
Top Hot 100 Airplay Track Template:Nom
Top Adult Contemporary Single Template:Nom
Top Adult Top 40 Track Template:Nom
MTV Video Music Award Video of the Year Template:Nom
Viewer's Choice Template:Nom
Best Female Video Template:Won
Billboard Music Video Awards FAN.tastic Award Template:Nom
"Foolish Games" Best New Artist Clip (Jazz/AC) Template:Won
VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards Most Fashionable Video Template:Nom
Online Film & Television Association Best Adapted Song Template:Nom citation CitationClass=web

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1998 Grammy Award Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Template:Nom
NARM Awards Pieces of You Best Selling Alternative Album Template:Won
American Music Award Favorite LP Template:Nom
Herself Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist Template:Nom
APRA Music Awards "You Were Meant for Me" Most Performed Foreign Work Template:Nom
Online Music Awards Herself Best Female Singer Template:Won <ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Pieces of You Favorite CD Template:Won
1999 Herself Favorite Female Artist Template:Won
Governor's Awards Songwriting Award Template:Won
Audie Awards A Night Without Armor Best Spoken Word Album Template:Won
ASCAP Pop Music Awards "Foolish Games" Most Performed Songs Template:Won <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

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"You Were Meant for Me" Template:Won
BMI Pop Awards Award-Winning Song Template:Won
Billboard Music Video Awards "Hands" Best Jazz/AC Clip Template:Won citation CitationClass=web

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2000 California Music Awards Herself Outstanding Female Vocalist Template:Nom
2002 MVPA Awards "Standing Still" Best Adult Contemporary Video Template:Won citation CitationClass=web

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Best Direction of a Female Artist Template:Nom <ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2003 Radio Music Awards Herself Favorite Female Artist—Modern Rock Template:Won
"Intuition" Best Hook Up Song Template:Nom citation CitationClass=web

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Regis & Kelly Awards Herself Favorite Musical Guest Template:Won
2004 ASCAP Pop Music Awards "Intuition" Most Performed Song Template:Won citation CitationClass=web

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BDSCertified Spin Awards "Standing Still" 300,000 Spins Template:Won citation CitationClass=web

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Groovevolt Music and Fashion Awards "Leave the Lights On" Best Pop Deep Cut Template:Nom citation CitationClass=web

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2011 American Country Awards Herself Female Artist of the Year Template:Nom
Grammy Awards "Satisfied" Best Female Country Vocal Performance Template:Nom citation CitationClass=web

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2014 Prism Awards "Ring of Fire" Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries Template:Nom

ToursEdit

  • 1997: Tiny Lights Tour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 1997: Papillion Tour<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
  • 1999: Spirit World Tour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2009: Lullaby Acoustic Tour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2010: Star Light Café Tour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2013: Greatest Hits Tour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2016: Picking Up the Pieces Tour<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
  • 2017, 2018: Handmade Holiday Tour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Co-headlining

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Opening act

  • 1995 Opening act for Peter Murphy<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • 2008: Paisley Party Tour Template:Small<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Cancelled

  • 2003: 0304 World Tour<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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DiscographyEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

AlbumsEdit

Album Year Record Label Notes
Pieces of You 1995 Atlantic Records Debut album; includes hits "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant for Me."
Spirit 1998 Atlantic Records Certified 4× Platinum; features the single "Hands."
Joy: A Holiday Collection 1999 Atlantic Records Holiday album; certified Platinum.
This Way 2001 Atlantic Records Certified Platinum; includes the hit "Standing Still."
0304 2003 Atlantic Records Pop-oriented album; certified Gold.
Goodbye Alice in Wonderland 2006 Atlantic Records Reached No. 8 on the US charts.
Perfectly Clear 2008 Valory Music Group First country album; reached No. 1 on the US Country chart.
Lullaby 2009 Fisher-Price Children's album; certified Gold in Canada.
Sweet and Wild 2010 Valory Music Group Includes the single "Satisfied."
The Merry Goes 'Round 2011 Fisher-Price Children's album.
Let It Snow: A Holiday Collection 2013 Somerset Group Second holiday album.
Picking Up the Pieces 2015 Sugar Hill Records Self-described sequel to Pieces of You.
Freewheelin' Woman 2022 Words Matter Media Latest studio album.

VideographyEdit

Video Year Notes
Jewel: A Life Uncommon

1999

An intimate documentary on VHS and DVD featuring live performances and candid interviews.
Live at Humphrey's By The Bay

2004

Filmed during two sold-out performances in 2002 at the San Diego venue. Bonus features include interviews, live footage from her This Way Tour, and a photo gallery. Available only on DVD.
Jewel: The Essential Live Songbook

2008

This DVD/Blu-ray home video combines two concerts that were broadcast in 2007 for the television program Soundstage (at the Rialto Theatre including some numbers with orchestra, and the Meyerson Symphony Center); and four songs from Red Rocks. Bonus features are an interview and music video. The concerts are also available separately for streaming.

FilmographyEdit

Film and television
Year Title Role Notes
1995 The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True Dorothy Gale Television concert special
1999 Ride with the Devil Sue Lee Shelley
2002 The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch Herself (as Jewel) Television film
2003 The Lyon's Den Jennifer Matthews 1 episode
2006 The Young and the Restless Herself 1 episode
Men in Trees 1 episode
Las Vegas 1 episode
7th Heaven 1 episode
2007 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
2007–2008 Nashville Star Herself / Judge 10 episodes
2008 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Herself Season 8 episode: Bull
2009 Dancing with the Stars Herself / Various 9 episodes
2011 The Incurables Herself / Host 13 episodes
Platinum Hit 10 episodes
2012 The Voice Herself / Adviser 4 episodes
2013 Ring of Fire June Carter Cash Television film
2014 Dora the Explorer Cheshire Cat 1 episode; voice role
2015 Axe Cop Tear Sparrow 1 episode
Our Journey Home Narrator Documentary film
2016 Holiday Homecoming with Jewel Herself
Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe TV special
2016–2017 Alaska: The Last Frontier 6 episodes
2017 Lost in America Documentary film
Sandy Wexler Testimonial (as Jewel)
Framed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery Shannon Hughes Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Concrete Evidence: A Fixer Upper Mystery
2018 Deadly Deed: A Fixer Upper Mystery
Undercover Boss Herself 1 episode
2021–2024 The Masked Singer Queen Of Hearts 12 episodes; Contestant and winner on season 6 (2021), Performer (2023) and Masked Ambassador (2024
2022 I Can See Your Voice Herself Guest Panelist and Performer; 1 episode
American Song Contest Contestant representing Alaska; 1 episode

Other creditsEdit

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Framed for Murder: A Fixer Upper Mystery
2017 Concrete Evidence: A Fixer Upper Mystery Executive producer Television film (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
2018 Deadly Deed: A Fixer Upper Mystery
2018 Lost in America Documentary film
2020 The Mindfulness Movement

Works citedEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

Further readingEdit

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project links

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