By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Media Services
July 5, 2011
Born in Utah and raised in Alaska, singer Jewel Kilcher — known professionally simply as Jewel — has laid down her roots in Texas with her husband, Ty Murray. She debuted in 1995 with her album “Pieces of You,” which sold more than 15 million copies, thanks to her hits “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant for Me” and “Foolish Games.” Fittingly, she is the host of the Bravo singer-songwriter competition, “Platinum Hit,” where she also serves as one of the judges.
“When Ty and I decided we wanted to start a family, I knew I needed to concentrate on work that didn’t require as much travel,” says the 37-year-old entertainer. “So doing ‘Platinum Hit’ really worked out well. It’s a lot of fun and I don’t want to pull punches. I’m not there to make myself look clever. I really want to try to be specific because I hate random advice that doesn’t really say anything.”
Jewel and Murray are expecting their first child later this year.
Q. What early memories do you have of traveling?
A. As a kid we traveled by bush planes to Alaskan native villages. It would drop us off in the night and dog sleds would pick us up in the village. I was probably about six or seven years old. I also remember taking a vacation to Hawaii when I was young.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. I love the Bahamas. It’s the perfect place to do things. My husband and I are pretty active. He gets claustrophobic if he isn’t active! So we snorkel, dive, Jet Ski, and the like.
Q. What’s a fun way to travel?
A. We saw so many wonderful places when we took a long trip on our motorcycles from Texas to the border of Canada. It gave me back my love of traveling. I’ve traveled so much for my profession and some times that can get a little tiring. But just getting to see all the small towns in America was very intriguing. The Rio Grande Valley was shockingly beautiful. We also visited a Little Italy in Cleveland that was awesome. It was so charming.
Q. What are some of your favorite cities?
A. As far as worldwide travel, I love Bangkok, Thailand. And the architecture in Barcelona, Spain is amazing and really worth seeing.
Q. Are you an adventurous diner?
A. I’m a foodie and I love trying new foods. I’m the girl who’ll order sweetbreads. Whatever! I love food. And a good meal is something I will always make time for. You can always diet later. I keep lists of restaurants in the world that I want to try.
Q. What are some of your favorite restaurants?
A. I like La Esquina in New York. In Dallas here there’s a comfort food place called the Screen Door that uses gourmet ingredients. It’s not light, but it’s delicious. Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue in Martin City, Mo., is really good. And there’s a really good Italian restaurant called La Belle Vie in Minneapolis that has homemade pasta that’s amazing.
Q. Where would you like to visit next?
A. I’ve read a lot of Russian literature and would love to visit Russia some day. I have always wanted to go to St. Petersburg.
Q. What was your most romantic vacation?
A. My husband rodeoed his whole life and traveled quite a bit, so sometimes he’d rather sit at home than take another trip. When we went to Italy, we went to Venice, Rome and Florence. It was a real vacation, but initially he was like, “Why do I want to go to Italy?” I said, “Because it’s romantic!” And he said, “But I get turned on by you at the Circle K.” (Laughs.) But he had a great time. It was wonderful.
© 2011 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
