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Jewel: ‘What I’m Most Proud of at 50 Is Who I Am as a Person’

Singer-songwriter talks art, touring with Melissa Etheridge and living life differently


Singer-songwriter reflects on pivotal moments in her life and how growing older has helped her turn struggles into art.

She started singing in public when she was knee-high, but this month, multiplatinum folk artist Jewel, 50, made another kind of debut with “The Portal: An Art Experience by Jewel.” The singer’s exhibit, on display through July 28 at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, explores the intersection of music, mental health, technology and art. “Art plays a really important role in our psyche,” says the musician, who cofounded the Inspiring Children Foundation to provide free mental health resources for families of all socioeconomic levels. She’s gearing up to head out on tour with Melissa Etheridge, with dates starting in July. AARP spoke to Jewel about what inspired her art, why she wants to help others and how she’s learning to listen to her own life advice.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

At your immersive art experience, people see a hologram of you and a drone show in the sky. Sounds psychedelic.

It’s organized around a personal philosophy of mine I call “the three realms.” We each travel through three realms of reality every day: our inner realm, which is our thoughts and our feelings; the seen realm, which is our families, jobs, the physical world; and the unseen realm, your spirituality, whatever makes you feel a sense of awe, inspiration and wonder. The whole experience uses art and music to help people understand and navigate their three realms. The idea is that mental wellness is a side effect of these three realms working in harmony, and mental conflict is these three realms being in conflict. I think behavioral health is a natural tie-in to art.

spinner image Jewel wearing blazer with colorful flowers on it, standing next to sculpture of person with pills all over it
Jewel poses next to her work of art "Chill," a lucite sculpture of a cross-legged body full of floating pharmaceuticals.
Photo: Arturo Olmos; Hairstylist: Jill Buck; Makeup Artist: Abraham Sprinkle

What inspired you to help others with their mental wellness?

I always knew I was here to help people. Not because I thought I was some big talent to be a gift to the world. I just knew it was my job to pitch in and make my community better. Having mental health struggles is very hard. Navigating the mental health system and the medical system is almost impossible. Navigating those things in poverty, it’s insurmountable. I suffered when I was younger and found solutions. Creating tools and affordable access to those tools to help others became a real mission for me in my life.

How did you suffer as a teen?

I moved out [of an abusive home] at 15. I worked hard to get myself through school. After I graduated, I had a boss who propositioned me. When I turned him down, he wouldn’t give me my paycheck. I couldn’t pay my rent. I was like, “Fine. I’ll live in my car. I’ll figure it out.” Until my car got stolen and I was on the street. I was reduced to being an animal.

Where do you get your fortitude?

My family is very heroic. My grandfather hiked over the Harding glacial ice field, scouting out land. With my grandmother, they walked 250 miles from Anchorage over the peninsula, through mountains and rivers, to find land in Homer, Alaska, where they bought an old fox farmer’s claim. My grandfather became a state senator and helped write the Alaska Constitution. Pioneers are the original entrepreneurs.

You just hit the Big 5-0. What does that mean to you?

It’s symbolic. I remember writing a long time ago, at 18, that I wanted my life to be my best work of art. I wanted to try to live thoughtfully and intentionally. I fought very, very hard for my humanity and to have internal peace. I wanted to be more giving, more loving, more generous. To me, what I’m most proud of at 50 is who I am as a person. That’s my biggest success.

What are your thoughts on plastic surgery or Botox?

I see people taking a stand, saying, “I’m never going to do surgery.” That’s great, and good for them. But we can’t let that be a way of bullying others who are doing it. We all have to find our way to what makes us feel good. We shouldn’t be shaming women because they have breast implants or a facelift. It isn’t more heroic to not have surgery; it isn’t more heroic to have surgery. Whatever works for you on your path to feeling beautiful is what should be celebrated.

You’ve talked about battling an eating disorder as a teen. How do you stay fit and healthy?

There’ll be times where I’m home for long periods and can eat home-cooked meals and get outside and hike. There’ll be times where I’m on the road for months eating in restaurants and takeout and I’m like, “Oh my God, I haven’t been to a yoga studio to help my low-back issues! I’ve got to get back on the bandwagon!” I’ve learned to be adaptable. Managing stress is my big nonnegotiable.

Is it difficult to manage stress when you’re touring?

Touring is rigorous! You show up to the venue just in time for your whole crew to unload the trucks. You get ready and do interviews. You get on stage. You get off. Your crew breaks it all down, and you try to get to the next city in time to get some rest. It’s not like there’s a ton of free time.

Is it empowering to tour with another female tour de force like Melissa Etheridge?

I think the power of two women touring together is important. Men tour together all the time. There’s still so much stigma that people won’t come see two women on the bill, four women on the bill. You would’ve thought the Lilith Fair would’ve changed a lot of that, but it didn’t. I’m proud that we’re touring together.

spinner image Jewel's hand touching hand of sculpture
"Chill" reflects Jewel's perception on meditation and medication.
Arturo Olmos

What advice would you give your younger self?

That you shouldn’t be an inexhaustible resource for other people to use. I had a type of talent, energy and tenacity that I thought meant I should give, give, give, give, give. And it gave me out. I wish I could have valued myself and said, “You don’t have to work that hard.” People work hard, but what I did was crazy; it was self-punishing. I didn’t know less was enough. I wish I could go back and tell myself that, but the cool thing is I can tell that to myself now.

And do you listen to yourself? Have you changed?

That’s what’s so cool about getting older; I get do-overs, and I get to do things differently. I get to have this tour, and I get to have this art experience, and I get to do it in a new way. My best talent has never been songwriting or creating behavioral tools or even visual art. My best talent is my willingness. I’m willing to say, “I’ll figure out another way.” That willingness ended up, “I’m willing to heal.” Willingness is a very underrated trait.

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