In Lumberjack Bars And Coffee Shops, Jewel Found Her Voice
September 12, 2015
http://www.npr.org/2015/09/12/439764172/in-lumberjack-joints-and-coffee-shops-jewel-found-her-voice
“More and more people came and after a couple months, it was kind of packed,” Jewel says. “Three or four months more, it was standing room only and three or four months more, it was people spilling out and standing in the pouring rain just to watch me through a window.”
That’s when record labels took notice.
“When labels started coming down to see me and hearing about me, these limousines would show up and it was like being Cinderella,” she says. “It was an incredible thing and I ended up having a bidding war after me. Every single label in the entire country wanted to sign me. It was pretty incredible.”
She ended up signing with Atlantic Records. Her debut album, Pieces of You, was released in February of 1995.
“You realize that so much of success, whether it’s personal happiness or career, is really just about not giving up,” she says. “It’s about who has the grit to keep standing. And that’s what my life’s been about. It’s brought me to my knees again and again.