Jewel Interview

My first slow dance was to Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me” back in Junior High. I can’t help but be mentally taken back to that memorable and awkward moment each time I hear that song. While most popular artists from my middle school days have long since burned out, Jewel is still going strong. The Alaskan beauty recently released a compilation album, ‘Greatest Hits’ (02.05.13; Rhino) and has launched a tour to support it.

Her tour stops in Lakewood on Saturday, March 23. [Complete show and ticket information on our calendar.]

Jewel phoned our hotline from her tour bus in Pennsylvania to divulge details of her current trek:

“I’ve been calling it a ‘greatest hits’ tour. I even re-learned a lot of the old songs I haven’t done in a while, like ‘Jupiter’ and things like that,” Jewel said. “I don’t do setlists because I like to do a different show every night, depending on what people are yelling at me. It always staggers me what the audiences are like from night to night and what kind of mood they’re in, so I kind of try and tailor the shows for them. And, it keeps it fresh for me, because I get bored doing the same thing every night. That’s the nice thing, that I don’t have an office job and I don’t have to do the same thing every day.”

Jewel has some company on the road with her that might surprise some folks:

“I have the baby out with me this time. I have to get up at 6:00 AM with the baby and then put him down at 7:00 at night; throw some makeup on and go onstage,” the singer said.

That’s right, Jewel has her son, Kase, on the road with her, who will not celebrate his second birthday until July. Obviously, some modifications to the bus were necessary:

“They took the bunks out on one side of the hallway, bolted a crib down and put a little curtain across it. He takes his little naps in there and it works out pretty good,” Jewel described.

Jewel’s ‘Greatest Hits’ spans her entire catalog and includes songs from her 12 time platinum debut album, ‘Pieces of You,’ such as “You Were Meant for Me” and “Foolish Games” with both songs appearing twice: once with the original studio recording as well as new recordings featuring Pistol Annies and Kelly Clarkson respectively.

Jewel notes, “Kelly is a fantastic singer, and I wanted to put her vocals on there and she was kind enough to oblige. I’m a big fan of Pistol Annies and I’ve been friends with Miranda [Lambert] and Ashley [Monroe] for quite a few years. It was fun.”

The new compilation also includes a new single, “Two Hearts Breaking.”

Jewel was thrust into fame at a young age. A whirlwind career has seen her put out one of the most successful debut albums of all time, dip her toes in country music, and put out a children’s album. That’s just the tip of  the iceberg.

Jewel reflects, ”Sometimes it feels like the blink of an eye and sometimes it feels like a lifetime. It’s surreal. I think when things were happening for me when I was younger; I never stopped to enjoy it. I was such a work horse. I just focused on the next goal and the next thing I needed to accomplish, and find the next barrier and decide how I was going to knock it down.”

The singer says her personal career highlights include, “Being on the cover of Time Magazine, that was a very monumental thing. It’s pretty extraordinary to be a little kid from Alaska and move out at 15 and then be on the cover of Time Magazine. Singing for the pope was probably another really amazing milestone. Being on tour with Bob Dylan him letting me sing with him was, for me, very life changing, just because he really encouraged me and believed in me at a time when nobody else did.”

So what’s up next for Jewel when she finishes up her current tour?

“I have a Christmas album coming out this year. I have a movie coming out this spring where I play June Carter Cash in a movie about her life. I also have several albums in the works but I haven’t figured out which one I’m going to do yet.”

[box_light]Jewel will perform at Lakewood Civic Auditorium (on the campus of Lakewood High School) on Saturday, March 23. Complete show and ticket info can be found, HERE![/box_light]