Biography
Jewel Kilcher was born May 23, 1974 in Payson, Utah. Her grandfather, Yule Kilcher, emigrated from Switzerland to Alaska and helped write the state charter. Jewel grew up on an 800-acre homestead with her parents and two brothers. They had little in the way of modern conveniences; there was no television and the bathroom was an outhouse. She spent much of her free time writing in her journal, writing poems, and singing. At age six, she began singing with her parents in dinner shows in local hotels. She even started yodeling. At eight, her parents divorced, and Jewel went to live with her father, Atz.
After the ninth grade, Jewel moved to Hawaii and lived with her aunt. There, she was beat up everyday because of her race. In a year's time, she earned enough money to return to Alaska and moved in with her mother, Nedra, in Anchorage. At 16, they moved to Seward, Alaska, 200 miles from Homer. Jewel earned a partial scholarship Interlochen, an arts school in Michigan, where she learned to play guitar despite being dyslexic.
After she finished school, she left to join her mother in San Diego. After deciding that rent was keeping her from living, Jewel lived in her car. She went swimming in the ocean quite a bit and relied on strangers for help and food. After being fired from a job (she often worked as a waitress), she made up her mind to sing for a living thinking, "This is it. My life is a mess. I have to do what I love or die." She bought a van and began working at the Innerchange Coffeehouse. Jewel spent her time surfing and writing songs and eventually attracted a sizable crowd to her shows. Five months later, at 19, she signed a record contract with Atlantic and released Pieces of You in February 1995. She worked very hard over the next year to promote her album, and toured for days on end. A year later, sales of Pieces of You took off; it has sold well over ten million copies. Jewel now has a house in San Diego.
Of course, there is far more to Jewel's creativity than her music. Her first collection of poems, A Night Without Armor, displayed another side of her diverse talent. The book (published in May, 1998 by HarperCollins) went into a remarkable 15 printings as it became a mainstay of The New York Times best-seller list. As she gathered together the collection, Jewel was struck by the raw power of her early poems.
"The poems that I wrote when I was 15 or 16 were pretty bold," she says. "There's something really great about that, and it reminded me not to sacrifice boldness for the sake of craft."
Another new artistic frontier was crossed earlier in '98 as Jewel made her film acting debut. Her lead role as an 18-year-old bride in the Civil War drama, Ride With The Devil, found her co-starring with Tobey Maguire (The Ice Storm, Pleasantville) and Skeet Ulrich (As Good As It Gets) under the direction of Ang Lee (The Wedding Banquet, Sense And Sensibility, The Ice Storm).
"He is so gifted," she says of her director. "To be guided by him was very comforting.
"My writing and my music are a study of emotion and evolution," Jewel continues. "Acting is the study of the subconscious and trying to portray things that I didn't even understand or know about. I had to be very open and vulnerable to do that. It was difficult, because there were times when I was way out of my comfort zone - confused, uncertain, fearful. But I like getting to the core, my own included."
Jewel credits her clear-eyed introspective nature to the influence of her mother, manager Nedra Carroll. She beams with love when discussing her mom, who, among her many contributions, sings backing vocals on "Hands" and a duet with her daughter on the album's additional track, "This Little Bird." This year Nedra formed Higher Ground For Humanity (HGH), their long-planned non-profit foundation with a mission to "support, inspire and empower new possibilities for humankind."
"I would not be able to create as I do if not for her vision, her management, and her attention to my personal growth," Jewel says of her mom. "Nedra and I are committed to using our success as a platform for positive change."
Higher Ground represents Nedra and Jewel's commitment to "being the difference that makes the difference." HGH fosters the positive SPIRITual evolution of human awareness and action, with a focus on programs geared towards youth, education, music and alternative health and healing. HGH develops and endorses individuals and organizations that integrate SPIRITual humanitarian principles into their work.
Among the organizations currently supported by HGH are: Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a non-profit group founded to explore human consciousness; the Center for the Study of Consciousness, an organization of University of Washington research scientists studying the relationship between conscious thought and disease; Families Helping Families, a non-profit program providing support and education for families whose children have died; and the Jenna Druck Foundation's Young Women's Leadership Program, which provides training for high-school-age women. In addition, HGH is currently supporting the development of an alternative health and healing clinic in New Delhi, India.
"As you can see, this isn't all about music," Jewel says. "Music is a wonderful expression and I love it, but the larger responsibility is to use the blessings of our lives to benefit humanity. Higher Ground For Humanity is an important step towards that goal."
LIFE EVENTS
First Album "Pieces Of You" Goes 11X Platinum
The public heard Jewel’s first album, "Pieces Of You," in 1995. After a slow start and relentless touring, "Who Will Save Your Soul," "You Were Meant For Me" and "Foolish Games" became hit singles.
"POY" earned Jewel an American Music Award for Best New Artist. In 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified "POY" with its prestigious Diamond Award for U.S. sales exceeding 10 million units. The album – which hit #4 on the Billboard 200 -- is certified at more than 11 million units. This makes "POY" one of the top five best-selling albums of all time by a female artist.
"Spirit" CD Is Born Platinum
Jewel's second album, "SPIRIT," debuted in November 1998 in the #3 spot on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum out-of-the-box. The collection has since been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
Patrick Leonard (Madonna) produced "Spirit," which features the singles "Hands," "Down So Long" and "Jupiter (Swallow The Moon)".
Music Awards And Media Buzz
Jewel has received three Grammy Award nominations, an American Music Award, and an MTV Video Music Award. In addition, she has graced the cover of such major magazines as Time, Rolling Stone (twice), Vogue, Interview, Entertainment Weekly, People, and Details.
Humanitarian Focus
Jewel and her mother/manager, Lenedra Carroll, established their nonprofit, humanitarian organization in 1999, called Higher Ground for Humanity. Higher Ground's mission is to inspire positive change on global, community and individual levels. Visit www.highergroundhumanity.org for more information.
Among its most ambitious efforts, HGH launched the Clearwater Project (www.clearwaterproject.com) during October's worldwide awareness-raising event, NetAid. Jewel and other talented musicians performed for this huge benefit concert, which was broadcast live on radio, television and the web. Visit www.NetAid.org for more information on this global project.
1999 Holiday CD
Jewel’s holiday album – Joy: A Holiday Collection -- includes popular Christmas songs along with a few secular, inspirational songs, some of which Jewel wrote. The enhanced multimedia technology also includes a video of Jewel’s taping session of "Gloria," her first self-composed aria.
A Little Bit Country
Jewel harmonized in October 1999 with legendary songwriter and country musician Merle Haggard for two duets -- "Silver Wings" and "That's The Way Love Goes" -- on his new career-retrospective release.
Book of Poetry A Success
Jewel’s first collection of poetry, "A Night Without Armor," was released in 1998 and has been a staple of the New York Times best-seller list. A second book is scheduled for release by HarperCollins in the year 2000.
Leading Lady In First Film
Jewel debuts nationwide as the lead female role in her first feature film, Ang Lee's "Ride With The Devil," on December 10, 1999.
