Jewel was born in Payson, Utah. Shortly after birth her family moved to Homer, Alaska. Her mother is of Irish descent and her father is of Swiss-German origin. She is the cousin of actress Q'Orianka Kilcher. She spent most of her young life in Homer, living with her father. The home she grew up in did not have indoor plumbing; it had a simple outhouse instead. She and her father sometimes earned a living by singing in bars and taverns. It was from these experiences she learned to yodel, a quality demonstrated in many of her songs. Her father was a Mormon, but they stopped attending the church shortly before she turned eight. Jewel learned to play the guitar while at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, where she majored in operatic voice. She started writing songs at the age of seventeen. For a time, she was poverty-stricken and lived in her van while traveling about the country doing street performances and small gigs. She gained some recognition by singing at the Innerchange Coffeehouse and Java Joe's in San Diego, California. Her friend Steve Poltz's band, The Rugburns, played the same venues. Jewel later collaborated with Poltz on some of her songs, including "You Were Meant for Me." (He also appeared in the second, better-known, video for this song.) The Rugburns opened for Jewel on her Tiny Lights tour in 1997. Poltz appeared in Jewel's band on the Spirit World Tour 1999 playing guitar.

In early February 2007, Jewel recorded a duet with Jason Michael Carroll, "No Good in Goodbye", that was featured on Carroll's debut CD, Waitin' in the Country. She also made a promotional appearance on the T in Boston for the Verizon Yellow Pages, playing songs on a moving subway car and then doing an hour-long acoustic concert in South Station for a large crowd of adoring fans. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Jewel confirmed that she is no longer affiliated with a record label, confirming rumors that Atlantic Records failed to renew her contract after the lackluster sales of her then-latest album. She also hinted that she would like to do a country album next. She is working with John Rich of Big & Rich fame. He says that she is "probably one of the greatest American singer-songwriters we have had." He also said that "every label in Nashville" was talking to her at the time.

In November 2007, Jewel was signed to Valory Records, a newly formed division of the independent Big Machine Records label. Her first country album, Perfectly Clear, was released on June 3, 2008, selling 48,000 units in its first week. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Album Chart and #8 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart (the same position as her previous album, Goodbye Alice In Wonderland, but sold 35,000 fewer units in its first week). In its second week on the charts, the album dropped to #25 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on the Country Albums chart, with estimated second week sales of 15,000 units. Its lead single, "Stronger Woman", was released to country radio on January 17, 2008, and entered the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. On the April 26, 2008 country charts it peaked at #13. The next single, "I Do", released to radio on June 23, 2008. The video for the single featured her future husband, Ty Murray. This song peaked at #38. Following it was "Till It Feels Like Cheating" which peaked at #57.

• Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) (performer: "Walk Hard (All Star Version)")
  ... aka Walk Hard (USA: short title)
  ... aka Walk Hard: American Cox, the Unbearably Long, Self-Indulgent Director's Cut (USA: director's cut)
• "CMT Top 20 Countdown" (1 episode, 2007)
       - Episode dated 13 December 2007 (2007) TV episode (performer: "Go Tell it on the Mountain")
• "The Office" (1 episode, 2007)
  ... aka The Office: US Version (Australia)
       - Phyllis' Wedding (2007) TV episode (writer: "You Were Meant for Me")
• "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar" (1 episode, 2007)
  ... aka American Idol (USA: new title)
  ... aka American Idol 2 (USA: promotional title)
  ... aka American Idol 3 (USA)
  ... aka American Idol 4 (USA: fourth season title)
       - Auditions: Minneapolis (2007) TV episode (performer: "You Were Meant For Me" (uncredited))
• Arthur et les Minimoys (2006) ("Quest for Love")
  ... aka Arthur and the Invisibles (Philippines: English title) (USA)
  ... aka Arthur and the Minimoys (Hong Kong: English title)
  ... aka Arthur et les Minimoys (France)
• "Men in Trees" (1 episode, 2006)
       - The Menaissance (2006) TV episode (performer: "Good Day" (uncredited))
• "Bones" (1 episode, 2005)
       - The Man in the Fallout Shelter (2005) TV episode (performer: "Winter Wonderland")
• Ice Princess (2005) (writer: "Doin' Fine") (performer: "Doin' Fine")
  ... aka Une princesse sur la glace (Canada: French title)
• "Cold Case" (1 episode, 2004)
       - Resolutions (2004) TV episode (performer: "Hands")
• "Dawson's Creek" (2 episodes, 1998-2003)
       - ...Must Come to an End (2003) TV episode ("Hands")
       - Full Moon Rising (1998) TV episode ("Hands")
• Enough (2002/I) (writer: "This Way")