Since her debut album "Pieces of You" skyrocketed up the charts seven years ago, Jewel Kilcher's life has changed dramatically.
Jewel was born in Payson, Utah, while her dad attended Brigham Young University. Shortly thereafter, the family moved back to Alaska, where they lived in a remote cabin with no electricity or running water. And before she made her big break at the ripe old age of 20, Jewel was living out of a VW van and playing gigs in coffee houses.
Now, with four multi-platinum albums, two New York Times best-selling poetry books and a movie under her belt, money isn't a problem.
The hardest thing she says she's had to adjust to is the constant attention brought on by celebrity. In fact, Jewel became so burned out while promoting her second album, "Spirit," that she considered retiring.
"I talked more than I wrote, and that's bad for me as a person — I become unhappy and listless as a person when I'm not writing," Jewel, 28, said in a telephone interview from the Texas ranch of her boyfriend, rodeo champion Ty Murray. "I promoted more than I created. I toured more than I was able to think."
Jewel will perform in Salt Lake City Saturday at 8 p.m. in Abravanel Hall. Tickets are $39.50, available at the Abravanel Hall box office (988-8888) and Smith'sTix outlets (467-TIXX or 1-800-888-TIXX) or online at www.smithstix.com.
After "Spirit," Jewel took a three-year hiatus from the public spotlight, traveling with Murray on the rodeo circuit and occasionally singing "The Star Spangled Banner" before competitions.
Eventually, Jewel found a way to deal with publicity and still be happy with herself — by simply being honest. "If I'm in a bad mood, I try not to be spoiled and bratty about it, but I try to be really honest about it, too, and I just tell people, 'I'm sorry, but I'm really in a bad mood.'
"I even tell the paparazzi guys, 'Look, I haven't even taken a shower today. I promise, I'll spend an extra half-an-hour with you next time.' And for the most part, they behave really well. I try and treat people really respectfully, no matter what mood I'm in, and they generally reciprocate the favor."
The touring break between "Spirit" and Jewel's newest album, "This Way," allowed the singer/songwriter time to think and grow, individually and artistically. And from that time, Jewel says she's produced an honest, solid album that truly reflects herself as a person.
"This Way" was released in November 2001. It has gone platinum, as have all of her albums, which isn't surprising, considering Jewel's almost overnight success in the early '90s made her a household name.
Jewel calls the album a versatile mix of styles, ranging from blues to pop to country to Janis Joplin-esque rock. "They're all my kids and I like them, so I put them on the album. I wanted to have an album where people would want to listen to all 14 songs. And they're all over the map. If you just listened to 'Cleveland,' you'd get the wrong idea about the album. If you just listened to 'Break Me' you'd get the wrong idea about the album. I'm sort of complex that way. I like lots of variety."
Jewel also likes variety in her touring setup. The first leg of Jewel's tour, in Asia, Europe, Australia and parts of the United States, found Jewel heading up a five-piece band. But on Aug. 16, Jewel began her solo tour — just Jewel and a guitar — which is how she'll perform in Salt Lake City.
"Arenas are really fun, and I enjoy doing those," Jewel said. "But I really like to be able to talk with the audience and see the audience. It's one of my favorite ways to do shows: being alone on stage."
E-MAIL: kwhitley@desnews.com