Jewel was born in Payson, Utah to German immigrants from Switzerland Atz Kilcher and Lenedra Carroll, and spent most of her young life growing up in Homer, Alaska, living with her father. She and her father sometimes earned a living by singing in bars and taverns. It was from these experiences she learned to yodel, a quality demonstrated in many of her songs. Her father was a Mormon, but they stopped attending the church shortly before she turned eight.
Jewel learned to play the guitar while on scholarship at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, where she majored in operatic voice. She started writing songs at the age of seventeen.
For a time, she was poverty-stricken and lived in her van while traveling about the country busking and doing small gigs. She gained some recognition by singing at the Innerchange Coffeehouse and Java Joe's in San Diego, California. Her friend Steve Poltz's band, The Rugburns played the same venues. Jewel later collaborated with Poltz on some of her songs including "You Were Meant For Me". (He also appeared in the second, best-known, video for this song.) 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.
It was at these coffeehouse appearances that she was discovered by Atlantic Records. She cut her debut album, Pieces of You, when she was nineteen and it was released in 1995. Some of the songs on the album were recorded at the coffeehouse. The album stayed on the Billboard 200 for an impressive two years, reaching number four at its peak popularity. The album spawned the Top 10 hits "You Were Meant for Me", "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "Foolish Games". The album was a huge success and eventually sold over 12 million copies in the US alone, more than all of her subsequent albums put together.
Albums:::::
1995 Pieces of You #4US (12x platinum) 01/30/06
1998 Spirit #3US (4x Platinum)
1999 Joy: A Holiday Collection #32US (Platinum)
2001 This Way #9US (Platinum)
2003 0304 #2US (Gold)
2006 Goodbye Alice in Wonderland #8US
Singles::::
1995 "Who Will Save Your Soul" Pieces of You #11US #52UK
1997 "You Were Meant For Me" #2US #32UK
1997 "Foolish Games" #2US 12
1997 "Morning Song"
1998 "Hands" #6US #41UK
1999 "Down So Long" Spirit #59US #38UK
1999 "Jupiter (Swallow the Moon)"
1999 "What's Simple Is True"
1999 "Life Uncommon"
2001 "Standing Still" #25US
2002 "Break Me"
2002 "This Way"
2002 "Serve the Ego"
2003 "Intuition" #20US #52UK
2003 "Stand"
2003 "2 Become 1"
2006 "Goodbye Alice In Wonderland"
2006 "Again and Again" #80US
2006 "Good Day"