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Pieces of You
Background:
One of the most exceptional and talented artists in popular music, Jewel, who is
noted for her song's qualities of stark honesty and soulful introspection,
became famous with her first album, Pieces of You (1995), for which she was
garnered with an American Music Award (1995), an MTV Video Music Award (1997), a
Governor's Award from the Los Angeles chapter of The Recording Academy (NARAS)
(1999) and three Grammy Award nominations. Additionally, two hit singles from
the album: "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant for Me," reached No. 11
and peaked at No. 2 respectively on the Billboard 200.
Jewel also received recognition for her writing talent. She
published a collection of her poems in A Night Without Armor (1998) and a
collection of her diary in Chasing Down the Dawn (1999). A Night Without Armor
remained on the bestseller list of the New York Times and won an Audie Award
from the Audio Publishers Association in 1999.
As for her private life, the 92nd of the 102 Sexiest Women In
The World by Stuff magazine (2002), Jewel's prior relationships were linked to
the lead singer of her former band Steve Poltz (dated for three years), actor
and director Sean Penn (dated in 1997), model Michel Francoeur (dated 18 months,
1996-98) and actor Christopher Douglas (dated in autumn 1998). She is currently
dating professional rodeo star Ty Murray (since October 1999).
Anchorage's Favorite Daughter
Childhood and Family:
Daughter to musician parents Atz Kilcher and Lenedra Carroll, Jewel Kilcher was
born on May 23, 1974, in Payson, Utah. Along with two brothers, Shane Kilcher
(born 1971) and Atzle Kilcher (born 1977), Jewel was raised in Anchorage,
Alaska, where she spent most of her time taking care of horses, haying and
working in the family's garden. Encouraging by her mother, young Jewel tried her
hand in writing poetry. She also followed her singer/songwriter parents to sing
at local Eskimo villages and tourist attractions. After her parent divorced in
1982, Jewel lived with her father and continued to earn a living singing for the
next seven years. While touring with her father, Jewel learned to yodel, a part
of her family's folk act.
Discovering her interest lay with singing, Jewel attended the
prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, majoring in
operatic voice. During her time at school, she learned how to play guitar and
started writing songs. After completing her education in 1992, she joined her
mother in San Diego. Having no desires to attend higher education, Jewel began
looking for jobs. She, however, could find nothing and decided to live out of a
van and focus on a music career.
You Were Meant for Me
Career:
"It was really a natural extension for me. I began writing songs when I was 16
and I heard all kinds of stuff in my head. But I didn't have the skill to do it
on guitar, so my first record was what I was able to get out of my head through
my hands. Over the years, I've learned more about the craft... more about how to
write, more about playing, more about music, and more about lyrics. I'm finally
able to further embellish the ideas I started with a long time ago." Jewel.
Beginning her singing career when she accompanied her parents
to perform in local Eskimo villages and tourist attractions, Jewel later sang
with local band The Rugburns at coffeehouses. Traveling in her van, Jewel earned
a reputation as a good singer.
Jewel's lucky day eventually came when she was spotted by
Atlantic Records at the Innerchange Coffeehouse in San Diego, California.
Subsequently, she worked with the label in Los Angeles and continued singing at
coffeehouses to promote her debut album, Pieces of You, until it was launched in
1995. Though the album first gained little notice, it turned out to be a
bestseller album.
Jewel's first album spawned three hit singles: "Who Will Save
Your Soul," "You Were Meant for Me" and "Foolish Games." In the 14th week of its
release, "Who Will Save Your Soul" peaked at No. 11 while "You Were Meant for
Me" reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, Jewel was honored with an
American Music Award for Pop/Rock New Artist (1995), an MTV Video Music Award
for Best Female Video, "You Were Meant for Me" (1997), three Grammy Award
nominations as well as a Governor's Award from the Los Angeles chapter of The
Recording Academy (NARAS) (1999). She also fronted the covers of major magazines
such as Time, Rolling Stone (twice), Vogue, Interview, Entertainment Weekly,
People, and Details.
The album was finally certified platinum and remained on the
Billboard 200 for an impressive two years, reaching number four at its peak
popularity. Different from the first album, Jewel's second album, Spirit,
quickly peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and went to platinum certification
after hitting the music shelves in November 1998. Afterward, she did the
seasonal collection Joy: A Holiday Collection and recorded her third album, This
Way.
Jewel showed off her writing talent by publishing A Night
Without Armor (1998), a collection of her poems, and Chasing Down the Dawn
(1999), a collection of her diary. The 1998's A Night Without Armor stayed on
the bestseller list of New York Times. It also won the 1999 Audie Award from the
Audio Publishers Association.
In 2003, Jewel hit the music shelves with the release of 0304 in
which she added modern dance beats and textures representing an organic
evolution of her work as a lyricist, composer, vocalist, and musician. Her forth
album premiered at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, which made it both the
highest-debuting and highest-charting album in Jewel's music career so far.
Jewel branched out into acting when she played the role of
Dorothy in the charity performance of The Wizard of Oz In Concert: Dreams Come
True (1995, TV). She next co-starred with Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich in the
1999 film Ride With the Devil. In 2003, she made a special guest star appearance
on the NBC-TV drama The Lyon's Den, where she played a lawyer opposite series
star Rob Lowe. She will also played a role in the upcoming Wave (2005).
Awards:
- Audie Award: the Audio Publishers Association, 1999
- Governor's Award: Los Angeles chapter of The Recording
Academy (NARAS), 1999
- MTV Video Music: Best Female Video, "You Were Meant
for Me", 1997
- American Music: Pop/Rock New Artist, 1995
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