By Brent Warnken
Folk-turned-pop-turned-country music sensation Jewel is breaking out her dancing shoes, and she’s ready to dive into those foolish games known as the ABC phenomenon Dancing with the Stars. Jewel is the next celebrity selected to compete in the ABC television series, and she’s in good company for next season of the show.
Joining Jewel on the dance floor (yet also competing with the blonde songstress) in the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars are Go-Go’s frontwoman Belinda Carlisle, country singer Chuck Wicks, rapper Lil Kim, bull rider (and Jewel’s husband) Ty Murray, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, actress Denise Richards, Jackass wise-guy Steve-O, actor/comedian David Alan Grier, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, actor Gilles Marini and football player Lawrence “LT” Taylor. Country music songbird Julianne Hough is also set to return to the cast of Dancing with the Stars, making for one star-studded cast trying their hands (or feet, rather) at one of America’s favorite pastimes.
Jewel is no stranger to reality television, and Dancing with the Stars will not be her first go with the televised spotlight (though it may be her first with ballroom dancing). The singer/songwriter has hosted the country music talent competition Nashville Star and she has also been a guest judge on American Idol. For now, though, Jewel is set to tango her way to the top of Dancing with the Stars, and the television program starts airing its new season on March 9th.
Jewel and her beau Ty Murray are currently set to broadcast their dance moves across the nation, but before Jewel was a reality show princess she was an aspiring performer growing up in Homer, Alaska. Jewel attended the prestigious Interlochen Fine Arts Academy in Michigan while enhancing her singing and songwriting skills in her teens, and upon graduation the fledgling vocalist migrated to the West Coast, performing gigs at coffeeshops in San Diego in the early ’90s while amassing a dedicated fan base.
Jewel eventually scored a recording contract with Atlantic and released her debut album Pieces of You in 1995. The album would prove to be an instant gateway to the mainstream music scene, broadcasting Jewel as a trendy folk singer with golden pipes. Pieces of You featured the ’90s classics “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “Foolish Games” and “You Were Meant for Me,” and the album went on to sell more than 12 million copies.
Following the smash success of Pieces of You in the mid-’90s, Jewel continued bounding down her guitar-strumming path of triumph, releasing her sophomore effort Spirit in 1998. The album featured the emotionally-intensive single “Hands,” and in between spoken poetry albums Jewel started gravitating toward a new genre of music altogether. The early 2000s were a time of experimentation for Jewel, and she jumpstarted a career in the realm of dance music with her 2003 album 0304 and its leading single “Intuition.” The album’s lead single was a mild success despite the dance-pop album being a bust, and Jewel reshaped her image once again in the late ’00s, this time crossing over to the country music scene.
Jewel penetrated the close-knit Nashville industry with her 2008 release Perfectly Clear, and she has already gained the respect of Music City with singles “Stronger Woman” and “Till It Feels Like Cheating.” What comes next for Jewel is highly unpredictable, but in the meantime this guitar-strumming goddess is returning to the stage to croon some of her biggest hits live. If you haven’t had the full Jewel experience at one of her concerts, get Jewel tickets and start singing along to the catchy tunes of this multitalented music sensation.
This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Brent Warnken. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling Jewel tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.
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