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Jewel Discusses Duet With Olivia Rodrigo and How Their Meeting Brought Tears to Her Eyes

For over 30 years, Jewel showcased her love for music as she released an impressive 13 studio albums. Her last album to hit the airwaves was Freewheelinโ€™ Woman back in 2022. While selling more than 30 million albums and expanding her career to the silver screen, Jewel released hit songs like โ€œWho Will Save Your Soulโ€ and โ€œFoolish Gamesโ€. Having spent decades in the entertainment industry, the hitmaker recently discussed performing โ€œYou Were Meant for Meโ€ alongside Olivia Rodrigo and why the meeting brought tears to her eyes.ย 

While fans packed Madison Square Garden to watch Rodrigo perform, they received a special surprise when the singer brought Jewel on the stage. Following the roar of the crowd, both singers entertained fans with โ€œYou Were Meant for Meโ€. Revealing how the performance came together, Jewel explained, โ€œHer team reached out a little bit before [the show]. And I was excited because I was a fan of Olivia. Iโ€™ve been watching her career.โ€

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Detailing how much she loved Rodrigo, Jewel admitted to following her for years.ย  โ€œI became aware of her I think during โ€˜Drivers License.โ€™ I liked her โ€™90s aesthetic. Itโ€™s a little edgy but very approachable โ€” and sheโ€™s writing. Sheโ€™s writing these songs, and I love them. So I was excited to go out, I was excited to meet her.โ€

Jewel Discusses The Nature Of The Music Industry

While Jewel performed with numerous singers over the years, she held her time with Rodrigo close. And the reason why – her goodness. Jewel insisted, โ€œSomething a lot of people donโ€™t realize or talk about in this industry is just how toxic it is. Iโ€™m very lucky, weโ€™re all very lucky to get to do our job, but nobody talks about how toxic it is. This industry is like interacting with a poison. You have to have a plan. People will care if youโ€™re famous, people will care if youโ€™re making money โ€ฆ But nobody cares if youโ€™re a good person. Nobody cares if youโ€™re happy.โ€

[RELATED: Jewel and Melissa Etheridge Announce Co-Headlining Tour 2024: Upcoming Dates and How to Buy Tickets]

Sharing her thoughts on Instagram, Jewel praised Rodrigo and noted how she wanted to meet her parents. โ€œSheโ€™s a good person. Sheโ€™s grounded and sheโ€™s heartfelt.โ€ With Jewel showering Rodrigo with love, a future collaboration could be in the works. 

(Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage for Project Angel Food)