Jewel Shares the Stories Behind Her Most Memorable Songs

Contemporary off her win on The Masked Singer, Jewel is releasing her first studio album in seven years. It’s lengthy overdue—the album itself has been completed since 2020, however when COVID hit, the singer determined it was finest to push again the discharge.

“Ready longer has by no means been exhausting for me,” Jewel tells Glamour of the choice to carry her album. Now the time has lastly come for Freewheelin’ Girl to see the sunshine of day. On April 15, followers can hearken to the undertaking the Alaskan-born singer calls “one of many hardest” albums she’s ever achieved.

“That is the primary album I’ve written from scratch,” she reveals. “I’ve at all times had hundreds of songs in my again catalog, however I wished each single tune to be consultant of who I’m now and the girl I’m now.” 

“My enterprise is notoriously unkind to ladies, particularly as they age and change into mothers,” she says. Due to that, the singer was impressed to write down empowering songs about age and the place she’s at on the earth. “I wished all the pieces I’ve discovered to essentially come by within the lyrics as a celebration of being a lady that is been capable of name my very own pictures, that is been capable of construct my very own life, that’s been capable of help myself off of my concepts and my ideas and my phrases,” she says. “I’m proud to be 47. I’m pleased with what I’m writing. And I’m pleased with these songs. I hope folks like them.”

These celebratory, empowered parts infuse seamlessly with the Americana vibe all through Jewel’s new songs. Impressed by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dusty Springfield, and others, the singer wrote an estimated 200 songs to get the 12 that made it onto the album. She describes the method as tough, if solely as a result of she needed to abandon preconceived notions of who she is as an artist to create a brand new, genuine model of herself. This album is an “genuine evolution” of Jewel discovering herself by trial and error. By means of forgetting all the pieces she is aware of in regards to the so-called guidelines of music. By means of letting her truest inventive self shine. To amplify this side of the album, she even recorded with a dwell band, a alternative she says helped put her finest voice on show.

“I’m a significantly better singer than I’ve ever written for,” she says. “Actually, I don’t know why I’ve by no means written for my voice. It was simply by no means an actual purpose, and I did wish to showcase my singing extra and my melodies that had been more difficult. I’ve simply by no means sung nice within the studio, so recording dwell allowed me to carry out outdoors of myself. That’s a bit bit tougher in any other case.”

To have a good time the discharge of her latest album, Jewel takes a glance again at a few of her favourite songs. From her first hit to her newest single, the award-winning singer-songwriter reveals insider secrets and techniques in regards to the songs for Glamour’s newest version of 5 Songs, 5 Tales. Learn on—and hear—beneath.

“Dancing Gradual”

The lead single off Jewel’s thirteenth studio album, Freewheelin’ Girl, options Prepare.

“Dancing Gradual” is a brand-new tune off the brand new album, Freewheelin’ Girl. It’s a extremely poetic tune. I believe it may very well be good simply as a poem, however it’s about discovering that particular person, whether or not it is a finest good friend, a companion. It doesn’t matter what occurs on the earth; if it crumbles round us, we’ve got this connection and I do know we’ll get by it.

“Lengthy Means ’Spherical”

The most recent single off Jewel’s upcoming album, Freewheelin’ Girl.

“Lengthy Means ’Spherical” is celebrating that not all of us discover the brief or the quickest route or essentially have it occur in a single day. Generally it’s the great distance round. It is about having religion that you will make it by. It is the opening monitor. The tune type of got here collectively vast in order that the best way you hear it on the album is with everyone dribbling in and me simply type of dancing some melodies. It actually occurred like that. I improvised that first verse. It simply got here to me off the highest of my head whereas I used to be singing. It was actually a enjoyable expertise.

“Who Will Save Your Soul”

The primary tune off Jewel’s debut studio album, Items of Me (1995), grew to become a world hit. It peaked at #11 within the U.S. and earned her a 1997 Grammy Award nomination for finest feminine pop vocalist and two 1996 MTV Video Music Award nominations for finest feminine video and finest new artist.

This was first tune I ever wrote; I wrote this once I was 16 as a result of I actually wished to hitchhike to Mexico for spring break, like all dad and mom hope their kids do someday. I had moved out at 15 and had achieved nice in class, and I acquired a partial scholarship for a performing arts [school] in Michigan. My city helped me do a fundraiser to assist me get the remainder of the cash, however I did not have the funds for to make it house for the break. My concept of lemonade was hitchhiking across the nation and to Mexico. I spent the guidelines I made avenue singing on a three-string and discovered 4 chords. That’s all I knew was these 4 chords: A minor, C, G, and B, in that order, and I began making up lyrics as I used to be avenue singing about folks strolling by. I’d take my change and see how far I may get with a prepare ticket. And for the subsequent two weeks, I hitchhiked all by Mexico and again as much as Michigan, the place I used to be going to high school and having nice enjoyable.