Jewel Kilcher (born May 23, 1974 in Payson, Utah) is a singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and author, better known by her first name, Jewel.
Jewel was born in Payson, Utah into a family of Swiss-German descent, but spent most of her young life growing up in Homer, Alaska, living with her father. The home in which she grew up did not have indoor plumbing, but a simple outhouse instead. 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.
During high school, Jewel was known to spell her name "Jule," but she attributes this to simply playing with her name, as teenagers are prone to do.
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. 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 appeared in Jewel's band on the Spirit World Tour 1999 playing guitar.