By Abigail Abesamis Demarest • Photos by Dana Trippe
After seven years, Jewel is back with a new studio album and going on tour. Freewheelin' Woman is Jewel's boldest, most unbridled album to date, and it showcases just how powerful and breathtaking her voice is. This time, she's writing for her voice and not just the story she's telling, with themes of independence, womanhood, hope, and heartbreak. Making the album involved a "spiritual rewilding," in which she reawakened the raw creative energy that first sparked her path as a singer-songwriter.
Beyond working on a new album, Jewel has been raising her son and continuing her work with the Inspiring Children Foundation, which provides mentorship and mental health resources for at-risk youth. She was crowned winner of The Masked Singer in December as the Queen of Hearts and continues to evolve and push her craft forward in incredible ways.
We had the chance to chat with Jewel about her new album, her nonprofit work, and her favorite beach destination.
Tell us about your new album, Freewheelin' Woman. Why now? What was the inspiration behind it? What can fans expect?
It may surprise some people that I almost didn't sign my record deal when I was 18, even though I was a homeless kid. As much as I wanted to make music, I was very aware that my mental health and happiness could be compromised if someone like me ever became famous. I had an abusive background and moved out on my own at 15.
So I made a promise to myself that if I did sign the deal, my number one job would always be to learn to be what I called "a happy whole human, not a human full of holes." I vowed to always put my mental health and human development before my career and to put art before fame. I am very proud to say that at 47, I have never let that promise down.
The reason I have always taken years between records — starting with a two-year break at the height of my success between Spirit and This Way — was to make sure I was adjusting to the massive changes in my life in a healthy way and to invest in my non-career life. I am proud that I took the time to have my son and to have dedicated myself to building a foundation for him. Women in my business rarely talk about what it is like to be a woman in our job and child-rearing.
I have always been a better singer than the songs I wrote for myself, so on this new album, I tasked myself to write for my voice in a new way I never had before. I also tasked myself to push into a fresh style that offered something new. I have always pushed myself into new genres because my mentors, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, really pressed that upon me: make art you want to make, not what you feel will be popular.
While the "musical clothing" this album wears is definitely bluesier than ones in the past, my heart remains the same as on any album: that of a singer-songwriter. I take on a wide variety of topics, and many are love letters to society and not just songs about literal relationships. I am very proud of the lyrics and of this album. It was fun to capture the confidence and empowerment of my age and where I am now.
Tell us about your nonprofit work with the Inspiring Children Foundation. Why did you start the Jewel Never Broken program?
When I moved out at 15, I knew the odds of me becoming a statistic were very high. I knew my nurture was really bad and wondered if the trauma I had experienced would keep me from ever knowing my true nature. So I set off on a mission to re-nurture myself and to learn a new emotional language. It's been my life's work, and the tools and practices I have developed have been the source of my greatest pride.
Our foundation is geared toward at-risk youth, and giving them the tools that helped me become happy and high-performing, and our statistics are beyond our wildest dreams. Ninety-nine percent of our kids earn their own college scholarships — 75 percent of them for Ivy League schools — and we are the number two tennis academy in the country. But most importantly, our kids go from suicidal ideation to happiness.
What's your philosophy when it comes to creating a happy space in your own home?
Just like with music, it's the silence between notes that makes it work. Create space in your life and home so that it is not an onslaught of overwhelm, but a sanctuary of peace.
I know you love the beach. What's your favorite beach destination?
My son and I spend a lot of time in the British Virgin Islands at our friend's island, because our youth foundation runs Sir Richard Branson's annual Necker Tennis Cup every year. It's paradise, and we feel so lucky to get to hang with the amazing wildlife he has fostered there.
What is your secret to happiness?
First, we are responsible for our own happiness. Make it your job to be happy.
Second, when we quit participating in and consuming the things that make us anxious — negative feelings and experiences — we stop being anxious.
Third, fear takes the past and projects it into a future that has not happened yet, all in a misguided effort to make yourself feel safe. That's like leaving your house to protect your house from robbers. Being present is the only genuine route to safety. Show up and trust your instincts.
Originally published in Beach Happy Magazine, Volume 8 (Spring 2022). Interview by Abigail Abesamis Demarest. Studio photos by Dana Trippe; beach photos courtesy of Jewel. To learn more about Jewel, her charity work, and her music, visit jeweljk.com.
