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Not to be confused with , the R&B singer.
Jewel Kilcher (born May 23, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress, author, and poet. She has received four
nominations and, as of 2008, has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Jewel's debut album, , released on February 28, 1995, became one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, going 12 times platinum. The debut single from the album, "", peaked at n two others, "" and "", reached number two on the Hot 100, and were listed on 's , as well as 's . She has crossed several genres throughout her career. , her first
album, was released on The Valory Music Co. in 2008. It debuted atop Billboard's
chart and featured three singles, "", "", and "". Jewel released her first independent album
in May 2009.
Jewel was the co-host, as well as a judge, with
on the songwriting competition
series , which premiered May 29, 2011, on the cable network . Jewel has the vocal range of a . On July 2, 2013,
announced that Jewel would be a judge on the
competition . Jewel's songs are represented by .
Jewel was born in
and raised in , where her grandfather, Yule Kilcher, a delegate to the Alaska
and a state senator, settled after emigrating from Switzerland. Yule also made the first recorded crossing of the . Jewel is the daughter of Lenedra Jewel (Carroll) and Attila Kuno "Atz" Kilcher. She is a
of actress .
Jewel spent most of her young life in Homer living with her father. The house she grew up in did not have , only a simple . The Kilcher family is featured on the Discovery Channel show , which chronicles their day-to-day struggles living in the Alaskan wilderness. Jewel and her father sometimes earned a living by singing in
and taverns. It was from these experiences she learned to , which she does in many of her songs. Her father was a
but they stopped attending
shortly before she turned eight.
Jewel learned to play the
while at the
in , where she majored in operatic voice. She started writing songs at 16. While at school, she would sometimes play at Ray's Coffee House in .[]
For a time Jewel lived in her car while traveling around the country doing
and small gigs. She gained recognition by singing at The Inner Change Cafe and Java Joe's in . (Jewel made her debut at Java Joe's when it was in , where she was a barista.) Her friend 's band, , played the same venues. Jewel later collaborated with Poltz on some of her songs, including "" (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.
Jewel was discovered by Inga Vainshtein in August 1993 when John Hogan, lead singer from the local San Diego band Rust, whom Ms. Vainshtein was managing, called to tell her about a girl surfer who sang at a local coffee shop on Thursdays. Ms. Vainshtein drove to The Inner Change with a rep from Atlantic Records, and after the show they called Danny Goldberg, the head of Atlantic Record's West Coast operations, and asked him to pay for Jewel's demo. (At the time she was living in a van and didn't have the means to record any of her music.) Vainshtein, who at the time was working as a film executive at Paramount, eventually became Jewel's manager and was instrumental in creating a major bidding war that led to Jewel's deal with Atlantic Records. She continued to manage Jewel until the end of the first album cycle. Jewel's debut album
was released in 1995 when she was only 21. Recorded in a studio on Neil Young's ranch, it included Young's backing band, The Stray Gators, who played on his
albums. Part of the album was cut live at The Inner Change Cafe in San Diego where she had risen to local fame. The album stayed on the Billboard 200 for an impressive two years, reaching number four at its peak. The album spawned the Top 10 hits "You Were Meant for Me", "", and "". The album was a huge success and eventually sold over 12 million copies in the United States. alone, more than all of her subsequent albums put together.
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.
Jewel performing live for US troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, December 16, 2000
Jewel was chosen to sing the
at the opening of the
in January 1998 in San Diego. She was introduced as "San Diego's own Jewel!" but criticized for
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. She performed the "" again in the
in one of the ' home games.
The song "" hit No. 6 on the Hot 100. Other singles followed, including a new version of "Jupiter (Swallow the Moon)", "What's Simple Is True" (the theme song to her upcoming movie), and the charity single "Life Uncommon".
A year later, in November 1999, Jewel released . The album sold over a million copies and peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200. She released a cover of "" from the album as a single.
In November 2001 the album
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 "" hit the Top 30. Other singles released were "Break Me", "This Way", and "Serve the Ego", the latter giving Jewel her first number one club hit.
In 2003 Jewel released the album . Following the limited success of "Serve the Ego", Jewel moved to a more pop-oriented sound with the release of the single "". The song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart and No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
On May 2, 2006, Jewel released her sixth album . The album received mixed reviews, but still managed to debut at No. 8 on the Billboard Albums Chart and sold 82,000 copies in its first week. The lead single "Again and Again" had success on Adult Top 40 Radio, peaking at No. 16. The second single "Good Day" was released to radio in late June and peaked at No. 30 on the Adult Pop Songs charts. A video for "Stephenville, TX", her next single, was seen on Yahoo! Launch. After a photo shoot at her Texas ranch, Jewel spontaneously decided to have photographer
shoot the music video for the song "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland". According to an Atlantic Records press release, "The homegrown clip beautifully reflects both the song's organic, intimate sound and its powerfully autobiographical story."
As of December 2006 the album had barely sold over 270,000 copies, making it the first Jewel album not to quickly achieve Gold certification. CMT music critic Timothy Duggan praised the album: "This album showcases Jewel's unique talent as a lyricist, alongside a definite growth in her musicianship. It is what
might have been had Jewel had the musical knowledge then that she has now. A very satisfying work, all in all." , however, called the album "overdone and undercooked" with a rating of 2 stars out of 5. Up to now, the album has only sold over 377,000 copies.
Jewel released a video for "Quest for Love", the lead single from the movie . The song is only available on the soundtrack for the film, which was released in January 2007. The song is also available on YouTube.
Jewel performing live in Providence, Rhode Island, September 27, 2008
In early February 2007 Jewel recorded a duet with , "No Good in Goodbye", that was featured on Carroll's debut CD, . She also made a promotional appearance on the
for the , playing songs on a moving subway car and then doing an hour-long acoustic concert in .
In a 2007 interview with , Jewel stated that she was no longer affiliated with a record label, confirming rumors that
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. She worked with
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.
In November 2007 Jewel was signed to Valory Records, a newly formed division of the independent
label. Her first country album, , 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. 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.[]
Its lead single, "", was released to country radio on January 17, 2008, and entered the Top 20 on the Billboard
charts. On the April 26, 2008 country charts 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, . This song peaked at No. 28. Following it was "'Til It Feels Like Cheating", which peaked at No. 57.[]
Perfectly Clear was released in Australia in late May 2009. It was then released across Europe by Humphead Records in June 2009.
Jewel being interviewed at the Yahoo! Yodel event in New York City, October 13, 2009
In early 2009 it was announced that Jewel would release a new studio album titled , a collection of lullabies which she described as "not just for children, but also adults". Its lead single, "", 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 which Jewel described as "a great partnership".
She also recorded the "Make It Last" with
in conjunction with the release of his comic book . It was intended to be used for the soundtrack to
but did not appear on the final track listing.
Jewel at the 2010
In January 2010 Jewel released "" from the soundtrack to the film . It also served as the lead-off single to Jewel's ninth studio album
released on June 8, 2010. The single debuted at No. 48 on the Hot Country Songs chart and reached No. 34 in May 2010. "" 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, "". 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, , was released in August 2011. Like 2009's Lullaby, it is sold under the Fisher-Price brand.
On October 16, 2012, Jewel announced via Twitter a Greatest Hits album would be released in 2013. The album features new duets from
and the . Jewel and Clarkson recorded a fresh rendition of Jewel's song "" while Jewel and the Pistol Annies recut "". The
album was released February 5, 2013.
On August 6, 2013, Jewel announced the release of her second
album, titled , scheduled for release on November 12, 2013. In an interview with , 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."
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 will be producing it herself. It will reportedly have a sound similar to Pieces of You. On June 28, Jewel revealed in a Q&A on Facebook that the new album will be released in the second week of September. It will have a folk sound and was recorded with a live band. On July 21, Jewel confirmed the title as . Picking Up the Pieces was released on September 11, 2015.
In 2015, Jewel appeared on 's album , co-writing the song "Hearts Still Awake."
In July 2016, Jewel appeared on ABC's .
Owning a wide variety of , Jewel uses a
most often.
writer Jeffery Pepper Rodgers called the guitar her "steady companion".
All of her guitars are strung with
products. To , she employs a unique self-created
technique or a .
Jewel starred as character "Sue Lee Shelley" in the 1999
along with . Jewel also starred as Dorothy in the 1995 "Dreams Come True" production of . She had a cameo as herself in . In June 2012 Jewel was cast in the lead role as
original movie .
's VH1 Duets
In an episode led by , Jewel and Melissa sang together on the songs "Baby You Can Sleep While I Drive" and "". She also sang with Melissa Etheridge, , , and
in a performance of Joan Armatrading's "."
's "MTV 120 Minutes"
Performed Acoustic version of "Absence of Fear"
Musical Guest with
Musical Guest with
Character, Co-starred with
in this Civil War drama.
's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Performer, sang duet of
with . Read introduction to , one of the inductees.
's 2003 Diva Duets
Performer, sang duet of
Jennifer Matthews
Performed at a fund raiser hosted by characters
to mark the first anniversary of their teenage daughter's death in a drunk-driving accident.
Country Music Awards
Presented with
Neighbor to characters
and , sang her song "Good Day" for their baby Savannah to help her fall asleep.
Sang three songs from Goodbye Alice in Wonderland.
Sang the song Good Day with a character of Men in Trees.
Herself, Guest-Judge
Guest-Judge for the season six premiere / auditions in .
Co-host with .
series featuring a dozen celebrities (including ) in a
racing competition. In the first round of competition, Jewel matched up against former
wrestler .
Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge
in which nine celebrities from across the board spend 10 days learning how to
with retired
for the PBR Jack Daniels Invitational in .
– Sang the U.S. National Anthem in a
Nashville Star, Season 6
The show has moved to
this season. Jewel is a judge, along with
and , and hosted by
Guest host on the February 22 edition along with her husband .
Karen, Herself
Sang in a karaoke bar as Karen, a frumpy office worker, before revealing her true identity.
Performed a duet with America's Got Talent finalist, .
Host/Judge
Performed Acoustic version of Howard Sterns ‘Silver Nickels and Golden Dimes’.
June Carter
Herself/roaster
Jewel's first US television appearance was as the musical guest on the
on December 26, 1995.
released a commercial starring Jewel to help promote breast cancer awareness.
In 2006 Jewel appeared with Ty Murray in a
commercial.
Jewel appears as herself, during her indie years, performing in a musical festival called "The Greatful Sound", in episode 23 of the
adaptation of the
Jewel was a featured singer in the
television special and 2001 DVD The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, performing "".
Jewel appeared on The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour where she performed a duet of "" with .
Jewel was featured on the
Jewel was a celebrity judge on
In 2010 Jewel appeared on the
as she kicked off her tour in , United States.
In 2010 Jewel appeared in a
Exclusive internet video. Jewel, disguised as mild-mannered businesswoman "Karen", visited a local karaoke bar and performed some of her classic songs. She sang "" and "".
On July 3, 2010, Jewel gave an interview on 's .
For season 2 of reality show
Jewel was a guest mentor for the team led by .
On February 8, 2009, it was announced that Jewel would appear on the eighth season of
alongside new pro , which she did primarily as a bet against then-husband . However, five days before the season premiere, she suffered
of both legs and was forced to withdraw.
On September 5, 2016, Jewel appeared on the
she said it was fun to show off the "very dark sense of humor" that she employs during her concerts. Jewel performed a song for Lowe to the tune of her hit single "" about her reluctance to kiss him on . The premise: that she was the unnamed girl in .
Jewel published a book of
titled A Night Without Armor in 1998. Although it sold over 1 million copies and was a , it received mixed reviews. During an
interview in 1998,
pointed out the incorrect usage in her book of poetry of the word "" (intended as something to the effect of "of a casual nature") to which Jewel responded, "You're a smartass for pointing that out. Next topic." In the fall of '98, the poet
composed a book-length response to "A Night Without Armor" entitled "A Night Without Armor II: the Revenge." The reviewer Edna Gundersen, writing in , noted, "Hers is flowery and sensitive. His is wry and absurd."
Jewel went on to write an
titled Chasing Down the Dawn in 2000, 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.
Jewel was scheduled to release a third book called Love Poems, which was supposed to be an extremely intimate portrayal of her relationship with her then-boyfriend, Ty Murray. It was canceled several months before release because Jewel was worried about Murray's mother's reaction to her intimate confessions.
On September 15, 2015, Jewel released a new memoir entitled Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story.
Jewel formed a
with her mother, Lenedra J. Carroll, and her older brother, Shane Kilcher. The organization's focus is education, sustainable improvements, and building alliances with like-minded organizations. Jewel donates a portion of her income to the organization and often holds events to benefit the organization. The organization tends to parallel Jewel's career since she provides the majority of the organization's funding. As of 2005, the activities of the organization were reduced.[] One early grantee was the , which has become one of the largest youth movements around the .
In September 2006, as part of 's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" campaign, Jewel delivered more than 12 million petition signatures to , urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2005 (S 910/HR1849). The bill would ban the practice of "drive-through" , 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.
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.
In November 2008, Jewel began work on a project with several dozen singer-songwriters to write and auction their lyrics with donations benefiting her "" charity.[] Many singers and songwriters besides herself have donated their written lyrics including Patrick Davis, 's , , , , and . The majority of the lyrics were written on paper and signed by the songwriter, with the exception of 's "". Many of the artists in addition to writing and signing lyrics, drew pictures to illustrate their lyrics.[] The auction ran from December 1, 2008, to December 18, 2008, promoted by
and . Some of the lyrics that were up for auction included hits such as "", "", "", "I Kissed a Girl", "", "", "", "" and "". The highest bought lyrics being Jewel's
"" sold for US$1,505,[] and "" and "", raising more than $1,005 each.[] Jewel promised that all items sold by December 18 would be delivered by Christmas. 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.
Jewel was in a relationship with actor
in 1995 after he spotted her performing on . He invited her to compose a song for his film
and followed her on tour.
Jewel married pro rodeo cowboy
on August 7, 2008, in
after 10 years together. Their son, Kase Townes Murray, was born on July 11, 2011. On July 2, 2014, after nearly 6 years of marriage, Jewel announced on her website that she and Ty were divorcing.
Jewel is the daughter of Atz Kilcher, who stars in the
show . All three of her brothers live in Alaska. Her cousin is actress
who is best known for her role as Pocahontas opposite
in director 's -nominated motion picture
Jewel has been estranged from her mother and former business manager Nedra since 2003; the singer has accused her mother of stealing millions of dollars from her.
Jewel identifies as a
and 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
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."
Jewel performing live in Providence, Rhode Island, on the Paisley Party Tour, September 27, 2008
Papillion Tour (1997)
Tour (1997)
Tiny Lights Tour (1997)
Spirit World Tour (1999), with support acts
This Way World Tour (2002), with support acts ,
(UK) and Soul City Cafe Artists (which included 's band Think of England). Her band tour included
on keyboards, Mark Oakley on guitar, T-Bone Hannon on bass, Trey Gray on drums, and Stuart Mathis on guitar.
New Wild West Acoustic Tour (2002), with support acts Stuart Mathis and
0304 World Tour (2003), with support acts
(tour cancelled after death of bassist Terone "T-bone" Hannon.)
0304 Acoustic Tour (), with support acts , , , Susan Greenbaum and
Tour For No Reason [Acoustic] (2005), with support act
(2006), opening act for
along with
Goodbye Alice In Wonderland Tour (2006), tour included dates with a band, but majority were performed as solo acoustic shows. Steve Poltz opened several shows.
The Paisley Party Tour (2008), with headliner
and co-supporting acts , and
Perfectly Clear Acoustic Tour (2009), with support act Toby Lightman
Lullaby Acoustic Tour (2009), with support acts Meiko and Holly Williams
Star Light Cafe Tour—Acoustic (2010), with support acts
Greatest Hits Tour (2013), with support acts ,
Picking Up the Pieces Tour (2015)
Award-giving Body
Best Female Video –
Best New Artist
Favorite New Artist
Favorite Pop/Rock Artist
Vogue Fashion Awards
Most Fashionable Video:
Best Female Video – ""
Viewer's Choice—You Were Meant For Me
Video of the Year—You Were Meant For Me
No. 1 Female Singles Artist of the Year
Top 40 Artist of the Year
Favorite Female Artist
Favorite LP –
Blockbuster Music Awards
Favorite Female Artist
Audie Award
Best Spoken Word Album—A Night Without Armor
Governor's Award
Songwriting Award
Favorite Female Artist—Modern Rock
Favorite Musical Guest
Female Artist of the Year
— Satisfied
Main article:
Jewel: A Life Uncommon (1999) – An intimate documentary on DVD featuring live performances and candid interviews.
Live at Humphrey's By The Bay (2004) – Shot over two sold-out performances at the San Diego venue. Bonus features include interviews, live footage from her This Way Tour, and a photo gallery.
Jewel: The Essential Live Songbook (2008) – This home video combines two concerts that were broadcast in 2007 for the television program
including some numbers with orchestra, and the ); and 4 songs from . Bonus features are an interview and music video. The concerts are also available separately for streaming.
A Night Without Armor (1998)
Chasing Down the Dawn (2000)
Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story (2015)
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