The ’90s saw several names consistently topping the charts.
Alongside the likes of Mariah Carey and Madonna was American singer Jewel Kilcher, who went by her stage name, Jewel.
While the singer all but disappeared after skyrocketing to fame, she has recently been making headlines for the 25th anniversary of her sophomore album Spirit, and for her rumoured relationship with Kevin Costner.
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Jewel shared a group picture to Instagram from her annual foundation tennis event which showed Costner posing with her and others.
Then, in pictures obtained and shared by TMZ, Jewel was spotted cosying up to Costner at the same event, sparking romance rumours.
“There was definitely something going on. They were flirty, and when they were together, it was like they both just lit up,” a source told TMZ.
With the singer back in the limelight decades after her music debut, here’s everything you need to know about Jewel, what she’s been up to, and what she’s doing now.
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Jewel’s net worth
As of December 2023 , the singer is reportedly worth US$14 million (approx. AU$21.4 million) according to Celebrity Net Worth.
However in 2016, the singer revealed in her memoir Never Broken that she was in debt.
“I found out that not only was all my money gone, but I was several million dollars in debt,” she wrote at the time.
Jewel’s hit songs
Jewel debuted on the music scene in 1995 with the release of her album Pieces of You.
With hits such as Who Will Save Your Soul, You Were Meant For Me and Foolish Games, the album was a smash hit and went platinum 12 times over.
At 21 years old, Jewel was homeless when a radio station played one of her tracks, landing her a record deal.
The ’90s star’s rise to fame saw her nominated in 1997 in the Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy Award categories.
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A year later, Jewel released her sophomore album Spirit which features singles Down So Long and Hands.
But in the late ’90s, the singer took a few years off from making music.
“The choices I made in my career, especially in the ’90s, were considered suicidal–career suicide,” she told Spin.com
“Taking two years off at the height of my fame was a huge no-no.”
Jewel came back to the music scene in the noughties with the release of her 2001 album This Way. But the ’90s phenomenon didn’t seem to hack the charts quite the same.
Is Jewel currently married?
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Jewel is not currently married.
The award-winning singer was previously married to professional cowboy Ty Monroe Murray for six years.
The couple tied the knot in 2008 before calling it quits in 2014.
But the singer is rumoured to have a new man in her life now.
At her annual tennis event to raise funds for her foundation Inspiring Children, Jewel was pictured with recently divorced American actor Kevin Costner.
The photos obtained and shared by TMZ showed the pair looking cosy as they cuddled up on a chair at the event, sparking relationship speculation.
“There was definitely something going on. They were flirty, and when they were together, it was like they both just lit up,” a source told TMZ.
“You could tell they were trying to be discreet, but anybody who saw them could tell something was going on,” the source added.
The dating speculation comes after Costner’s recent messy divorce from wife Christine Baumgartner after nearly two decades of marriage.
The former pair reportedly finally reached a settlement in September following a legal battle over child support for their three children.
How many kids does Jewel have?
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Jewel shares one son with her ex-husband Ty Monroe Murray.
The former couple welcomed their son Kase Townes Murray in July 2011.
Speaking on The Motherly Podcast, Jewel opened up about her decision to have a child later in life at 38-years-old due to prioritising her own self-healing.
The singer claims she had a traumatic childhood with an allegedly abusive alcoholic father and her mum leaving when she was young, later becoming homeless at aged 18.
“One of the reasons I waited to have a child personally is because I knew I had a lot of work to do, and I wanted to get as far into it as one can,” she said.
“You know, you never quite arrive, but I had a lot of trauma when I was young, I was having panic attacks. I was agoraphobic. I had plenty of stuff to get through.”
What did Jewel’s mother do with her money?
Jewel has spoken openly about her mother leaving when she was eight years old.
In 2023, the star claimed that her mother, Lenedra Carroll embezzled $US100 million (approx. $149 million) from her after the success of her debut record.
“I didn’t really realise what my mum was until I was 30-something,” said on the Verywell Mind Podcast
“I woke up and realised she embezzled all of my money, over $100 million,” the singer claimed.
“Thirty-four years old, realise I’m $3 million in debt, realise my mum stole it, realise everything I thought my mum was, isn’t what she was, very difficult psychological thing to come to terms with.”
What does Jewel do for a living now?
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In 2023, Jewel is continuing to make music while working as a mental health advocate.
The Standing Still singer created her non-profit Inspiring Children in the 2000s and has launched the Not Alone Challenge to raise awareness for mental health.
Jewel spoke about the 2nd annual Not Alone Challenge on a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, as well as opening up about the anniversary of her album Spirit.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the star’s sophomore album, which she has marked with a Deluxe Edition of the record for sale.
The new album features unreleased tracks from the singer after eight years since her previous record.
Jewel spoke to host Kelly Clarkson about how a fan on the internet helped her record bonus songs from past performances that she ended up including on her remastered album.
“I’ve always been prolific, but I’ve never written anything down and so I’d lose songs all the time,” Jewel explained before revealing a fan online that she ended up “hiring” helped her track down her old performances.
In 2017, the star also made her return to acting in Fixer Upper Mysteries.